My blog turns 6 years old! | Sweet Coconut Bread [Step by Step Recipe]

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Oh boy! What a wonderful feeling it is to celebrate 6 years of non-stop food blogging. I really didn't have a clue what I was getting myself into when I started this blog on a hot Sunday afternoon way back in 2007. I was neither a good cook nor good photographer then. I was nothing. Just someone who was tired of waiting, someone who was hoping something nice would happen in her life.

It was a time when I was ashamed of sharing my sorrow with my friends for not having a proper job even though it had been 10 long months since my graduation. Those were hard desperate times when people around me were working for meager salaries due to recession. I didn't even have that. I was just sitting at home waiting for an(y) opportunity to make myself employable. It was in such times I thought of a starting a blog. A food blog because I was missing home, my mother's freshly cooked meals and her soothing voice to  assure me that things will be just fine. I wanted friends who don't judge me for who I am and what I have become. I wanted an outlet to let my inhibitions go and just busy myself into something I truly love - cooking. 

It was in this balcony (below pic) where I typed the first few words on this blog. I never in a million years expected it would become such an important part of my life. The experience has been so gratifying and it gave me such good friends for life. I discover blogs even to this day who manage to bring a smile and make me realize how important it is to value and enjoy the little pleasures of our everyday lives.

The food blogging scenario is larger than life nowadays unlike in the year 2007-2008 where it was just a handful of us. Its amazing how in spite of our super busy lives we somehow managed to keep in touch with each other, just for the sake of old times. I want to write so much more and my mind is swirling with thoughts and memories that are so hard to put in words. I just want to say - THANK YOU for sticking with me, for sharing my good times and bad, for letting me be a part of your lives, for appreciating my work, for trying the recipes from the blog and just for being there.

Let's celebrate this momentous occasion with some sweet bread. This recipe was on my to-do-list since a very long time and this turned exactly the way I envisioned it - coconut-y, little crumbly on top, little chewy in the middle and simply fantastic for my afternoon masala tea.

Before I jump into the recipe, here are my 5 favorite all time recipes posted on this blog -

Chile Relleno with Home-made Tomato Sauce - If I am dying, this will be my last meal on earth.
All of my Amma's recipes  - because she is THE best!
Homemade Orecchiette with Roasted Tomato Sauce (Caribbean Style Tomato Choka) - because this was my first successful attempt to make pasta from scratch.
Vegan Christmas Tree Pie - I had so much fun making and photographing it.
No Knead Pizza - There is no feeling better than your first homemade pizza dough!

Cheers to next (hopefully) 6 years of food blogging! :-)

Note: Just few more days left to send in your entries and for a chance to win 4 giveaways by participating in My Legume Love Affair # 62. A 25$ Amazon Gift Card (Open for worldwide shipping) is up for grabs and also a lucky winner from India or US can win a copy of one of the most amazing books ever written - "The Flavor Bible" - The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg.  Details here.

Sweet Coconut Bread (Download and Print Recipe)

Adapted from Taste Like Home by Cynthia Nelson
Makes 2 loaves
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 30 to 40 mins

Ingredients:

3.5 cups of all purpose flour (maida)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
8 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 cups freshly grated or ground coconut
1/2 cup raisins (chopped cherries, currants and candied mixed peel can be used as well)
3 eggs at room temparature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup condensed milk (or use 3/4 cup whole milk)

Preparation:

1 - Grind fresh coconut in a mixer until coarse texture.

2 - In a large mixing bowl, sieve together - flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Add raisins and gently toss.

3 - Then add grated coconut and it will become a lumpy mixture.

4 - In a separate bowl, beat together butter, eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.

5 - Add vanilla essence and condensed milk to the butter-sugar mixture. Beat again for few mins.

6 - Preheat oven to 180 C or 300 F. Gently mixture the wet ingredients with dry ingredients until incorporated. Don't knead or over mix.

7 - Divide the mixture into two parchment lined or butter greased loaf pans. Bake for 30 to 35 mins until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on rack in pans for 10 mins. Remove from pans and continue to cool before slicing.

Caribbean style sweet coconut bread is ready to be served with tea, coffee or to be enjoyed as-is.

Note: To store, tightly plastic wrap to avoid drying up. Since it has fresh coconut, it doesn't store well at room temperature for more than 2 days. Refrigerate the bread for a longer shelf life.

This is Recipe 50 added to 2013 Recipe Archive. Check out the rest of the recipes too.

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