Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a standard loaf tin with coconut oil.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, shredded coconut, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla. Make a well in the centre of your dry ingredients.
Pour the coconut milk, oil, and maple syrup into a small bowl (or use the pot you melted the oil in) and whisk until fully combined. Add the coconut milk mixture to the large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon, until just combined and no streaks of flour remain.
Place the coconut bread batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake on the middle rack in your oven for 40-45 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick can be inserted and come out clean.
Remove from the oven and let it cool in the tin on a cooling rack for 15 minutes, then gently remove it and cool completely before storing or frosting.
To make the frosting, place all the ingredients in a bowl and beat with a hand mixer until well combined and fluffy—this will take 2 to 3 minutes. A stand mixer works fine, too.
It keeps well on the counter, wrapped well, for up to 3 days, and freezes well.
And a sizeable one at that. Take it in. It is moist in the middle, sliceable, and delicious. While at Ceres Organics, I was baking weekly, producing content for their website and social media channels. And our house always appreciated whatever was around. Still, over the last few years, I began to prefer a pared-down and more minimalist approach to food, my diet in general, which is why I love this loaf. I’m just taking baking back full circle and bypassing that whole “industrial revolution” thing that destroyed so much of our living and way of life.
Moist, just sweet enough and loaded with coconut in all for, oil, shredded and milk—an ingredient that sits as comfortably in the bathroom as it does in the kitchen, which is our food philosophy. Beauty begins within. I also prefer baking with gluten-free flours, which can be loaded with simple carbohydrates like sweet rice flour and potato starch. Failing that, I'll use organic spelt, and this recipe works very well with spelt flour, either white or wholemeal.
If you're looking for a go-to coconut bread recipe, give this recipe a shot. All that's required is two bowls and a tin. It is practical yet yields a result that feels not in this spirit with a beautiful intensity and incredibly good. And catering to dietary restrictions while still being able to indulge is a beautiful thing. Slice and wrap a massive piece in baking paper, tucked away for snacking later in the day, or perhaps breakfast—no judgement, with a dollop of thick coconut yoghurt.
