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!

Buttery Corn Bread

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 2/3 cups milk

2 1/3 cups flour

1 cup cornmeal

4 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Combine the eggs and milk. Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with egg mixture. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Cut into squares; serve warm with honey butter

Honey Butter Recipe

Ingredients:

Honey

Butter

Beat the butter with a hand mixer until fluffy. Gradually mix in honey until desired taste is achieved.

Rosemary Bread

Have you ever gone to Macaroni Grill just to get the bread? Then this recipe is for you. After I found this recipe, I think I made it three times that week.

Ingredients:

1 Tb yeast

1 Tb sugar

1 cup warm water

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

2 Tb freshly chopped rosemary

2 Tb butter

olive oil

kosher salt

Place yeast, sugar and water in large bowl or food processor and allow mixture to become bubbly. Mix in 1 Tb. melted butter, salt, 2 cups flour, and 1 Tb rosemary. Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or in a food processor about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add more flour if necessary.

Oil a bowl (I use the one I just made the dough in - pull out the dough, rub with oil, and place the dough back inside - this way I don't have to clean up another bowl).

Put dough in and cover with a towel. Let dough rise in a warm place for one hour - until doubled in size. Punch down dough and divide in half. Let dough rest about 5 minutes.

Rub olive oil (about 1 Tb) on bottom of baking pan or cookie sheet. Shape the dough into 2 small rounded oval loaves. Spread olive oil over the loaves and then sprinkle on the remaining 1 Tb of rosemary and press lightly into the surface. Let loaves rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes.

One thing I learned - do NOT rub olive oil on the dough after it has risen and before it goes in the oven. It will make your bread fall. Just rub that oil on generously before it rises.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Carefully remove from oven, brush with remaining butter and sprinkle with kosher salt. As you brush on the butter, pieces of rosemary will fall off. It's okay - it will still taste great.

Eat while warm. Break into chunks and dip it in olive oil with fresh ground black pepper. You can even add a little balsamic vinegar to your oil...whatever you like.

Printable Recipe:

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

5 bananas
4 eggs well beaten
1 c. shortening
2 c. sugar
3 ½ c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped nuts (optional)


Blend bananas and eggs in mixer. Mix in shortening and sugar. Add dry ingredients and blend.

Grease 2 loaf pans and line with wax paper.

Pour in batter. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

I tend to bake them for an additional 5 minutes if the center is still gooey.

Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Pull on sides of wax paper to remove from loaf pan. Continue to cool on a plate.