Coconut bread

There’s nothing like freshly baked bread, especially when you add the sweet twist of coconut. If you’re feeling bleary eyed, make this in a stand mixer with a dough hook, and let it do the work. You’ll get two loaves so you can freeze one, after baking, to eat another time.

Ingredients

• 1 x 7 g sachet dried yeast
• 2 tablespoons runny honey
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 large free-range egg
• 800 g strong flour , plus extra for dusting
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 200 g desiccated coconut
• unsalted butter , for greasing

  Method

  Stir the yeast and honey into 200ml tepid water, then leave for a couple of minutes to bubble up a bit.
  
  Peel and mash the banana. Crack the egg into a bowl and beat together.
  
  It’s best to use a stand mixer for this. Put the flour, mashed banana, beaten egg, coconut milk, coconut and a small pinch of sea salt in the bowl and combine using the dough hook. Add the yeast mixture and let the mixer run for 15 minutes. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let prove for 1 hour.
  
  If working by hand, combine the wet ingredients in a bowl. Mix the coconut, flour and salt in a separate bowl, make a well in the centre, then tip in the wet ingredients and yeast and pull together, using your fingers then hands, till well combined. 
  
  Turn out onto a clean surface dusted with flour. Add a little extra flour, so it’s more manageable, then knead for at least 10 minutes, or until it’s elastic. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and let prove for 1 hour.
  
  Tip the dough onto a clean, floured surface. Knead for a few minutes and bring into a ball. 
  
  Divide the dough into 2 pieces and push into 2 greased 13cm x 18cm loaf tins. Cover the tins with a damp tea towel and prove in a warm place for 1 hour, or till doubled in size.
  
  Preheat the oven to 200ºC/gas 6. 
  
  Cook the loaves for 30 to 35 minutes, or till the crusts are golden-brown, and sound hollow when tapped. 
  
  Transfer to a wire rack to cool a little. Delicious served warm with chopped mango, fresh mint and yoghurt hit with lime zest and juice, and honey.