Coconut & Honey Bread

I know it's summer and it's not really my cup of tea to fire up the oven to bake something when it's hot outside. But, if having the oven on for 45 minutes meant I could enjoy fresh baked coconut & honey bread, I'd do it.

I actually made this bread the day I was leaving for France. I had made a big batch of kimbap to bring as our airplane snack (since airplane food doesn't exactly give us happy feelings) and I thought we could also use something sweet. I was craving something cakey but not overly sweet. We had a bear full of honey that was starting to crystallize that was asking to be used and a brand new bag of coconut flakes just hanging out in the pantry and that's how this bread was born. And honey, I am just cuckoo and nuts about this bread.

Ingredients [yields 2 mini loaves]:

1½ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup sweetened coconut flakes
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup almond milk
¼ cup butter
⅓ cup honey
+ raw sugar (optional)
+ butter for greasing
+ 2 mini loaf pans

Start by combining the butter and honey in a saucepan and heat over a low flame until the butter is melted.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, salt, vanilla extract, and almond milk. Then, slowly drizzle in the melted butter and honey, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling.

Add in the flour, nutmeg, and baking powder and whisk just until it's combined. The last step to assembling the batter is to mix in the coconut flakes.

Divide the batter evenly between two greased mini loaf pans.

This step is totally optional; you can sprinkle the tops of the loaves with some raw sugar. I thought this would add a nice crunch and sweetness. Bake the bread at 350F for 30 to 40 minutes or until the bread is lovely and golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

This bread is super fragrant, thanks to the honey. Cool the loaves on a wire rack before slicing and serving. The bread is just slightly chewy from the bits of coconut and the honey makes it subtly sweet. It's delicious when toasted with a little butter. I like drizzling a little extra honey on top. A tart jam would also be amazing spread on a piece of this stuff.

Here's the recipe page: