Coconut Bread

My family has been making this bread for as long as I can remember. While I associate it with Christmas, it could just as easily be made anytime of the year. However, there is just something about a sweet bread with a crunchy sugar coating that screams, "Christmas!"

Ingredients:

Bread:

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

2 tsp coconut flavoring

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Syrup topping:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

2 Tb butter

1 tsp coconut flavoring

Before you start the bread, you need to prepare your pans. This recipe makes 2 large loaves, or 4 small ones. I think my pans are slightly small, so it actually makes 5 small loaves for me.

Grease your pans with shortening, and then cut strips of wax paper to fit into the pans as shown below. Once the papers are in the pan, grease over the top of the wax paper.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the sugar, oil, and coconut flavoring.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Alternate dry ingredients with buttermilk and gradually add to egg mixture. Beat well after each addition.

Fold in flaked coconut and chopped nuts (if desired - I never put nuts in mine).

Spoon (or pour) batter into the prepared loaf pans.

Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes for small loaves (or 1 hour 15 minute for 2 large loaves).

When there is about 10 minutes left in baking time, start making your syrup.

In a saucepan, combine sugar, butter and water.

Bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes. Do NOT boil this for longer than 5 minutes. If you do, you will get a syrup that hardens white instead of clear. The bread will still taste okay, but it will not look near as pretty.

ONLY 5 MINUTES!

After 5 minutes, remove the syrup from the heat, and add the coconut flavoring.

During this time, you will also have to remove your bread from the oven - it should be golden brown.

Use the wax paper to lift the loaves out of the pan, remove the wax paper, and place the bread back into the pan. They will be really hot, so move quickly and don't burn yourself.

Now, use a pastry brush to paint the syrup on the tops of the loaves. Make sure that the syrup goes down the sides of the bread - you want it everywhere!

Once you've used all the syrup, allow the bread to sit for about 4 hours before you remove it. I have sped up this process by putting the pan of bread into the freezer or fridge.

Just make sure that your syrup is set and hard before you remove the loaves.

You can eat this immediately, or you can wrap it in plastic wrap or cellophane bags and give it as gifts.

Just watch out or your two year old will get ahold of it and eat the entire thing!

Merry Christmas, from our kitchen to yours!