Egg Free Island Sweet Bread / Bimini Bread – Bahamas Coconut Bread Recipe

For this week, I have chosen an interesting theme. Valli shared with us a list of countries and asked us to choose an alphabet and then choose three countries starting with the same alphabet and make three dishes for the week from the three countries chosen. I immediately went for the alphabet B. Ever since one of my readers asked me to post the Bahamian coconut bread, I have been itching to try it. So this was a nice opportunity to try and so chose B. For the first day, it is the Bimini bread from Bahamas.

Bahamas consists of nearly 700 islands in the Atlantic ocean and Bimini is one such island. And the coconut bread so popular there is called as the Bimini bread or Island sweet bread. When I was looking for recipes for Bimini bread, I came across so many blogs which have high praises for the bread. Made with coconut milk and fresh grated coconuts added, this bread is slightly sweet and is so full of coconut flavour.  Every bakery starts working on the dough at  4 am and you can get fresh Bimini bread hot out of oven from 8 am at local bakeries. I even read about a home baker who makes amazing Bimini breads and is quite popular there.

All the recipes I saw had eggs in the dough and I twisted the recipe to make it egg free. The bread turned out amazing. Plain breads are available all year round in bakeries and for celebration they add raisins in the dough. I wanted to add raisins, but I didn’t have it in my fridge, so skipped it. If you have then add it while kneading the dough. It would amplify the taste.  I toasted this bread and served it along with butter for Sruti’s lunch and she loved it so much. Even I tried two slices with an egg omelette sandwiched together. It was so yum. We usually use milk for kneading bread dough, but this recipe uses coconut milk and it is surprisingly good. Try to make it at home for the best flavour as store bough won’t give you that amazing flavour. I even used coconut oil instead of refined oil. But use whichever oil you have at home. You can even use melted butter instead.

Recipe Source: True Bahamian Food Tours

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour / Maida – 2 1/4 cups

Salt – 1 1/4 tsp

Sugar – 3 tbs

Instant Yeast – 1 tsp

Grated Fresh Coconut – 1/2 cup, tightly packed

Coconut Milk – 1 cup + 2 tbs

Coconut Oil – 3 tbs

Procedure:

In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt and yeast.

Add coconut, coconut milk and coconut oil and knead to form a slightly sticky dough.

Keep kneading the dough on counter for 10 minutes until smooth, soft and elastic.

Cover with cling film and set it aside until double in volume.

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Punch the dough down and shape it into a rectangle.

Now start rolling it into a tight log and pinch ends.

Grease a 4″ * 8″ loaf tin and place the log seam side down.

Cover and set it aside for 20 minutes.

Bake the bread in preheated oven for 35 – 40 minutes.

Remove from oven, allow it to cool for a few minutes before flipping it on to a wire rack.

Allow it to cool completely.

Slice it up and serve.

Egg Free Bimini Bread Recipe

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Breads

Cuisine Bahamas, International

Servings 1 Loaf

Ingredients

  

• All Purpose Flour / Maida - 2 1/4 cups
• Salt - 1 1/4 tsp
• Sugar - 3 tbs
• Instant Yeast-1 tsp
• Grated Fresh Coconut - 1/2 cup tightly packed
• cup Coconut Milk - 1+ 2 tbs
• Coconut Oil - 3 tbs

Instructions

 

• In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt and yeast.
• Add coconut, coconut milk and coconut oil and knead to form a slightly sticky dough.
• Keep kneading the dough on counter for 10 minutes until smooth, soft and elastic.
• Cover with cling film and set it aside until double in volume.
• Preheat oven to 200°C.
• Punch the dough down and shape it into a rectangle.
• Now start rolling it into a tight log and pinch ends.
• Grease a 4" * 8" loaf tin and place the log seam side down.
• Cover and set it aside for 20 minutes.
• Bake the bread in preheated oven for 35 - 40 minutes.
• Remove from oven, allow it to cool for a few minutes before flipping it on to a wire rack.
• Allow it to cool completely.
• Slice it up and serve.