Bill Granger's Coconut Bread

While googling Bill Granger's name in preparation for my post on his delectable corn fritters, I came across a restaurant review that Johnny Apple wrote when he visited Bill's cafe in Sydney. Not only did I discover that Bill apparently hates the way the first letter of his name, capitalized, looks and therefore insists on spelling it only lower-case (which, for some reason, I'm having a hard time imitating since apparently I take far grammar rules Far Too Seriously), but Johnny also included a recipe for B bill's coconut bread that is so popular he cannot take it off the menu.

I hardly needed encouragement to clip that recipe, well, right that very minute. And what a recipe it is! It's so good, I'm wondering just how much else I've been missing by not owning a copy of one of B (dammit!) bill's cookbooks. Tell me, dear readers, what else am I missing?

Not only does this coconut bread emerge toasty and golden and delicious from the oven, but it's resilient and versatile (toasted for breakfast? Check. Eating as is for mid-afternoon snack? Check. Sliced and covered with some sort of fruit salad or perhaps a glug of homemade chocolate sauce for dessert? Check.). I had to use cake flour instead of all-purpose, and unsweetened shredded coconut instead of that gluey Angel brand kind because it's what I had at home, and regular sugar instead of superfine - and still this bread turned out fantastically.

Warmly spiced with cinnamon, agreeably textured from the small coconut flakes, moist and not too sweet - I think (dare I say it?) that this is my new favorite sweet bread. Move over, banana bread! There's a new kid in town.

Coconut Bread
Yields 8 to 10 servings

2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour, more for dusting pan
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup superfine sugar
5 ounces flaked coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray
Butter, optional
Confectioners' sugar, optional.

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Add sugar and coconut, and stir to mix. Make a well in the center, and pour in egg mixture. Gradually mix with dry ingredients, until just combined. Add melted butter, and stir until smooth. Do not overmix.

3. Oil and flour an 8 1/2-by-4-inch loaf pan. Pour batter into pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool in pan 5 minutes, remove bread from pan, and finish cooling on a rack.

4. To serve, cut into 8 to 10 thick slices. If desired, toast lightly, spread with butter, and dust lightly with confectioners' sugar.

Comments

[David]

Are you sure you weren't Googling for someone else, like, say....Tucker Carlson??

[Julie]

Ooohhh...this sounds like some thing I would love. I adore slightly sweet, muffiny tea breads (lemon bread, zucchini bread) but for some reason or other I have a wild aversion to banana bread. Coconut bread, however -- that would absolutely hit the mark, toasted with a nice cup of tea. And what about a scoop of coconut sorbet under that drizzle of fine dark chocolate sauce?

[Rebecca]

What a divine-sounding treat! I used to think I didn't like coconut, but have gained a real appreciation for it in the last couple of years.

[deb]

Bingo! I think I have finally figured out what to break in my new mini-loaf pans with. (I think they're 4:1 with big ones, but oh, we shall see!)

I really like coconut, but my husband is convinced he doesn't, scarred by dry flecks gummed to childhood cupcakes. I bet this will convert him, but frankly, if it doesn't, it's just more for me.

[veuveclicquot]

This looks delicious - I'm excited to try it, especially since it worked out well w/ unsweetened coconut! Thanks. :)

[Molly]

Oooh, I heard about this stuff somewhere - maybe that same Apple piece? - and have been wanting to try it ever since. It sounds so, so good.

And as for B/bill's other books, I have BILLS OPEN KITCHEN, and while all the recipes do have a very enticing, eternal-summery feel, I don't think I've actually made anything from it. Not sure why. Maybe this coconut bread will give me a good kick in the pants to get started...

[eg]

Why are you people torturing me thus? Here I sit eating my healthy millet, spinach, tomato casserole-y lunch reading about people posting about French caramels and coconut bread. Not fair!

[Jennifer]

Yum! I must make this. I love, love, love coconut.

[Anne N]

You had me at, "...with a glug of chocolate sauce..." I will try this pronto!

[Luisa]

David - pretty sure... ;) I have, actually, googled Tucker Carlson but because I was looking for more info on this time spent working at the B&M bean canning plant...

Julie - I would have absolutely no problem thusly gilding the lily ;)

Rebecca - well, if you're on the fence about coconut, this is a good one to try - it's not overpowering at all, the coconut flavor, and that small hit of cinnamon balances everything out.

Deb - mini coconut loaves! Fantastic. I like your attitude on your husband's coconut disdain. I always feel like I have to CONVINCE Ben that he's just MISTAKEN about the foodstuffs he hates ;)

Veuve - you're welcome! I wonder how cloying the bread would be if I had used the sweetened coconut.

Molly - once you've been kicked in the pants, let me know if you find any other gems! Or else I'll just move my pants to the library and check it out.

eg - how virtuous! But with a good lunch like that, you should be ENTITLED to a dessert (although as good as this coconut bread was, I'd be more than happy to exchange it entirely for some of those caramels David wrote about - sigh).

Jennifer - oh good! Sometimes it feels like the world is split along coconut much like it's split along cilantro. Thankfully, while I loathe one, I love the other.

Anne - if you try it with the chocolate sauce (or, frankly, chocolate chips studded throughout wouldn't be a bad idea either!), let me know.

[Molly]

Hi Luisa - This looks so good I'm tempted to scrounge up the ingredients and make it right this very second! I haven't used any of Bill Granger's cookbooks, but only heard good things. Perhaps I should scrounge up one of those as well...

[Julia]

I heard as well about Bill Granger's famous Coconut Bread,
it looks and sounds very delicious and addictive, really something I would like…
but I kept forgetting it and had never time to make it! Well, vacation is coming up - I will definitely try it! =) Tnx!

[Martin Weiss]

Hi there,

There are all wonderful cookbooks. I like is caramel chicken, very simple and tasty, and his first book - Bill's Food, I think, has a great recipe for blueberry coffee cake. Definitely the best I've seen in a while.

BTW - great blog!!

[Julie]

How have I never heard of bill granger? (And if he wants to be bill instead of Bill, I'll do my best to accommodate.) I just went to Amazon and read reviews of bill's food, then ordered a copy. It sounds wonderful. (And it helped that a used copy was available for less than the cost of a magazine.)

[lindy]

Like Julie,I had not heard of Bbill. But this is right up my alley, too. I love toasted sweet breads for breakfast and /or dessert. And I am a coconut girl.

I have an old fashioned coconut layer cake recipe that I always used to make for one of the summer picnic-y holidays.For some reason, I haven't made it for a couple of years-I think because it is a Very Big Production.
This, however, looks way within reason, and sounds great. I'm thinking some berries on top might be another way to go.

[ben]

This bread was delicious, and versatile: I had a couple slices after dinner, a few more for breakfast the next day, and then again at lunch. It's like a utility player in baseball, but for bread!

[Grant]

I actually have two of his cookbooks, but like Molly, I've not really used them. I recall one recipe that I made for a cake made from ground macadamia nuts and afterward it gets drizzled with lime syrup. It came out dry, but I accept the responsibility for that. I always seem to overcook my baked goods. But otherwise for some reason, I never feel compelled to make anything from them and was even considering giving them away. I love the photographs, but most of the recipes seem so ordinary.

[Luisa]

Molly - don't you love it when a recipe just jumps out and practically speaks to you? Good luck with the scrounging, hope it worked out well ;)

Julia - its reputation is absolutely well-deserved...

Martin - thank you so much! Both for the compliment and the recommendation for further Bill food.

Julie - you don't mess around! I like your swift action. When you get the book and start cooking from it, let me know what you think.

Lindy - you might have to send me your Very Big Production Coconut Cake. Every year for my bday, I think about making one, and every year I get intimidated. So maybe this is the year?!

Ben - thanks, pal. xx

Grant - the day after I made the bread, it also got a little dry, not like banana bread that stays fuglike. Which books do you have of his? Perhaps it's a matter of his recipes seeming plain, but then turning out quite interesting...but then again, I've only tried two of them, so who knows.

[Cathy]

Luisa - this sounds so good! I love quick breads - I've just got to try this one. And I've got a bag of "coconut powder" from the Indian grocery which needs to be used...

[Georgia]

I'm baking this as I type - just the thing for a lazy Sundat afternoon bake - and it already smells delicious!
Thanks.

[Trish]

i love bill. i have his recipe books, too, but they are less for cooking and more for licking the pages. the photos are very enticing.

he's a bit like jamie oliver but more like ina garten (the barefoot contessa) in my opinion. very relaxed and passionate, rather than energetic and passionate.

[Josh]

I made this bread a few days ago and it was unfortunately a bit too dry for my tastes. I should have checked the bread sooner; I checked it for the first time at 60 minutes. If I make this again, I'll probably check it at 45 mins or earliert the first time.

My loaf crumbled before slices were possible, so I wasn't able to try out the toasted bread w/ butter and powdered sugar suggestion.

[andrea]

i just baked this this morning, and yum! what a great smell to have permeate my apartment..plus, it was so quick and easy! can't wait to try it drizzled with some chocolate sauce, as suggested above!

[ceviz]

Try BG's apple, dried cherry and almond loaf.

http://www.lifestylechannel.com.au/billsfood/recipes.asp

[ceviz]

Try BG's apple, dried cherry and almond loaf.

http://www.lifestylechannel.com.au/billsfood/recipes.asp

[Sbfinct]

I just found this recipe in searching for ideas to use up coconut from Thanksgiving. I made this last night and its definately a keeper. I used sweetened coconut, so I reduced the sugar to 3/4 Cup and I completely omitted the butter. It was wonderful.

[emiglia]

Thanks so much for this recipe... it was incredible!

[jeen]

bills is legendary for its scrambled eggs and ricotta hotcakes.. yum!
if you're ever in sydney make sure you check out his restaurants
otherwise, you can get the recipes off the website: www.bills.com.au