My grandmother seems to posses the “sweet-hand” for making a killer coconut sweetbread and though I’ve never formally asked her to share it with me, I’ve been playing around with developing a recipe to try and match hers. However with her 94 years of experience, I doubt I’ll ever be able to come close to equaling hers. This morning I started off the day GRAND… with a large cup of tea and a couple slices of fresh-baked coconut sweet bread and it took me right back to my child hood.
You’ll Need…
4 1/2 cups flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup mixed fruit (cherry, orange peel etc)
1/2 cup sultana or raisins
3 cups coconut, grated (not dried or sweetened)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, grated
2 eggs, well-beaten
3/4 cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons almond essence
1/2 lb butter (2 sticks) melted and cooled.
* If you don’t have the mixed fruit, use: 1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherry and 1/2 cup mixed peel.
In a large mixing bowl put the flour, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and baking powder… using a whisk, work a few times to incorporate the dry ingredients.
Then add the mixed fruit, grated coconut, raisins and sugar and whisk together. It will become a bit lumpy as the mixed fruit will be a bit wet.
The final step is to whisk the 2 eggs in a small bowl and add the milk as well as the melted butter and almond essence, then pour into the main bowl with everything else.
While we work the mixture preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Now using a cooking spoon or fork, work the batter until everything is incorporated into a batter (it will be almost cookie dough like) and not like a cake or bread batter. Don’t try to knead like you would normal bread. I really wish I had a pic to show you what the dough would look like, but my camera’s battery died and I couldn’t allow the dough to sit. It will be wet, heavy, sticky and very hard to work with the spoon.
Now all we need to do is grease your bread pans and pour in enough mixture about 3/4 the depth of the pan. You’ll need 2 pans. When your oven is ready place the 2 pans on the middle rack and allow to bake for about 60 minutes. At about 50 minutes I would recommend that you do a toothpick test by placing a toothpick in the middle of the bread and removing. If it’s clean when you remove it, the bread is cooked in the middle. If you find that the toothpick comes out with dough stuck to it, it means you’ll have to cook it a bit longer.
To add a nice touch, remove from the oven when done cooking all the way though. Then in a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon warm water and 1 tablespoon sugar to form a glaze. Using this glaze, brush the bread and then sprinkle the top with some sugar and place back in the oven from about 5 minutes.
Remove from the pans and allow to cool before cutting. When you cut the coconut bread you will notice that it will not cut clean and will crumble.. this is natural!
Tip 1: When the coconut sweetbread is cooled, I would recommend that you wrap with plastic wrap to seal it off from air or it will dry up and become very crumbly.
Tip 2. Since there’s fresh grated coconut this bread can go bad relatively fast. I would leave it on the counter for about 3 days and after that store in the fridge for a few days more. However, I’m sure you’ll find that this bread won’t last long as your family will devour it very fast.
* I was tempted to use the shredded coconut you can get in the baking section of the grocery store, but was advised against it. As I was told the end product would not be as good as using fresh grated coconut. However if you do use the store bought shredded coconut and use it for this recipe, I’d love to know about your end results. BTW, make sure you use the finest shred you can get if this is your only option. (maybe you can pre-soak the shreaded coconut in the milk if you don’t have access to fresh grated coconut.)
Happy Cooking.
Chris…
Hello Chris,
I used your recipe as a guide since I cannot call my mum in heaven! I did use frozen grated coconut that you can get from Goya! It came out perfect! Thank you for your recipe!
my cousin shared this recipe with me. I wish the ingredients were listed as the instructions because I constantly had to scroll up and down as not to forget an ingredient. I found the bread was a bit too sweet even though I used unsweetened coconut. This was the only coconut I could locate at my store fresh coconut was not available
Made this for Thanksgiving. Delicious. Love the pictures. They make the recipe easy to follow.
I know this is a rather old recipe, but had to comment…The recipe as written is very good, I have it that way for years. A couple weeks ago, hubby requested it, I did not have fresh coconut, so I soaked the dried desiccated coconut that I always have on hand in coconut milk (1/4 cup of milk per cup of coconut) to amp up the coconut flavor, I used coconut oil in place of the melted butter. Also, because I like it so, I always add some grated (or ground) ginger. Hubby and his friends loved it! Soaking to dried coconut is an excellent substitute for fresh grated (and less work!) Thanks for this recipe Chris, I plan to be using it for as long as I can
I made this last night for the first time and it came out fantastic. This is a recipe is very simple and precise; I am definitely going to save this recipe for future use.
Hi Chris,
After twenty-something years of trying to make a delicious well textured sweet bread I finally did it using your recipe (doing a happy dance). BTW, I also made a coconut bake and bread today with your recipe. You D Boss (thumbs up)
Thank you, thank you and thank you.
Hi Chris. FINALLY! FINALLY! I found a great sweetbread recipe lol. I have tried 2 different recipes without eggs and they both failed. I saw your recipe and figured I’ll give this sweetbread making thing one last try as I was on the verge of giving up. The steps were simple. I was so excited when I opened my oven and saw the texture. I touched the sweetbread and it sprung back!! I baked them for 1 hr and 5 minutes and I used 2 small foil loaf pans, which were perfect. I also used a hand grater to grate my coconut. The sweetbread didn’t even crumble when I cut it. I was so anxious to see the insides I ended up cutting one before it was cooled. I was jumping for joy LOL. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!!
OMG!!!! This was me too. I was about to give up on Sweet Breads and Coconut Bakes, then decided to give them one last try using Chris’ recipes. Bingo!!!! He is the best!
Hi Chris ,I made this sweet bread yesterday, omg it was so good.i love this recipe,it was so simple,I did not add any fruits bc I don’t like fruits in my sweet bread.this recipe is a keeper for sure.
Can I use same recipe and leave out the eggs, can’t stand the odor of eggs. If I do leave out the eggs would my sweet bread be still great?
I think I have baked this bread too much now. Lol
I did not use eggs, so mine never crumbles. Thanks so much for the recipe.
I am a Bajan and since moving to Canada I have been looking for a good sweetbread recipe and I am so happy I found this. I bake mine in cupcake pans and it is so good, everyone get a little cupcake shaped sweetbread .
Hi Chris, I used to live in Barbados and, of course, got very used to having coconut bread. Since leaving B’dos I have been looking for the recipe. I found a few but none as descriptive as yours. I have trouble getting fresh coconut so use the store bought dried coconut and soak it in coconut milk either over night or for a few hours. It always seems to come out perfectly, Thanks for the recipe! Gave it to my brother who now lives in the Netherlands. He thought he’d died and gone to heaven!
Hi Chris,
I searched this Sweet Bread recipe earlier this year because I just wanted to try something other than the one in my Naparima Girls’ Cookbook (that’s worn btw!).
Your recipe was lovely! I used a dried, grated coconut (just use a blender, with a little water) by the time I was done, it was pretty moist, but not too much of the coconut milk in there. I followed your instructions and included some coconut extract as well. Your recipe didn’t seem to break apart as much as my last recipe:) SO thanks for this and all your other Caribbean favourites… it’s a great help!
hi chris sweet bread was delicious but i would like to know why when I slice it , it breaks up how can i prevent that.
Thanks
This is an awesome easy/quick method to make sweet bread. My family LOVED those loaves.
Thank you!
I have used the supermarket shredd3d coconut, i use a blender to get it fine, i use a litle coconut and sugar, and my sweetbread comes out really good,
I used all the same ingredients as per recipe but it does not full the pan as yours does,do you use coconut milk as well as evaporated,it’s not listed.
How do I make this eggless?
I am Bajan. Although I live in Canada my mom and aunt made sweet bread lots when my sisters and I were younger. Eggs were never used. I believe perhaps use a bit more milk or butter instead.
Can anyone here help me? I tried the coconut sweet bread and it was very delicious, so i need to make twice that amount,do i have to double the ingredients would love to know.
Yes you can.
Hi Chris, I have a bajan cook book that has this recipe and it is great…Lived in B’dos for 14 years and a friend of ours used to make it. Since living in C’da I find it hard to get fresh coconuts that aren’t moldy inside so I use store bought coconut and soak it in coconut milk. Works out beautifully. Friend of mine who is Guyanese loves my bread. By the way keep the recipes coming they are great.
I live in toronto. They sell chopped fresh coconuts at the superstore. It’s under presidents choice in the freezer section. I used it to make coconut drops and it turned out great. The coconuts were good. They also sell grated coconut in the freezer section at Oceans grocery store. I agree with you getting fresh coconuts that aren’t rancid is a hit or miss.
Hi!
One question… the coconut, do i use 3 cups coconut milk or 3 cups of the grated coconut husk??
freshly grated coconut.. milk + husks
This Bajan Coconut Bread Recipe Is Now My Favorite
This is now my favorite Bajan Coconut Bread Recipe.
Thank you for this recipe Chris.This sweetbread is amazing and definitely reminiscent of Christmas at home. I got rave reviews and referred everyone to your site.
This is my second time making this recipe and it is awesome. I bake mine in mini loaf pans. I am from Barbados and my mom made sweet bread all the time. I now live in Canada and wished I had paid closer attention to my mom when she was baking. I am very happy I found this site. Thank you
Awesome idea! How long did you bake it in the mini pans?
I’m confused what kind of mixed fruit can you be specific, can I buy the mix fruit in the bag from walmart, can you be specific please.
Hi Chris…..you asked about using the dry coconut from the supermarket. I live in the UK and did not find good dried coconuts until I found frozen grated in an Indian food store. I was therefore forced to use the dried stuff to make my coconut pies/rolls and sweetbread. I mixed it with canned coconut milk and let it rehydrate. It was not the best but worked well enough that I was able to satisfy my craving for home
I tried this coconut sweet bread and it came out very nice.
Question. If i want to make twice that amount, do i have to double the ingredients ?
Chris, this is the recipie that brought me to your page several years ago. I make it several times each year to glowing compliments each time. Kudos to you for making me look good. I usually double everything except the sugar and I use half and half white and whole wheat flour. I do use the dried coconut flakes, I just add water or coconut milk to it and let it sit for about 15 – 30 minutes to rehydrate before using.
Hi Chris,
I have been using your recipes for a while now and I’m really pleased with the results. I am vegetarian so I would normally have to tweak the ingredients to suit. I love sweetbread and always ask friends coming from Barbados to carry some when coming home. I need some help from Cassia to determine how much flaxseed to use for this recipe. I need to make a large batch for a gathering this Saturday. Thank you and God bless.
nice recipe man. mine is close to it. 1/2 cup less sugar 1 egg, 1 tsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg and more milk i don’t like mines to dry so i used 1 cup evaporated milk 1 cup whole milk and its perfect for days does not get dry and crumbly. greetings from Trinidad.
Chris I make your sweetbread about twice a week for different people they all love it thank you so much have a merry Christmas. How about milk fudge.
Lisa
I still need your help with coconut sweet bread recipes for {8 pans} .
Hello Chris
I need your help with baking coconut sweet bread recipes for family dinner next week end {8 pans} my family is a very big family.
Thank you.
Best Regards.
Lisa.
Hi Chris
I used the dried coconut to the sweet bread and a little more milk, I live in the lovely mountains of Colorado, so I have to add more moisture to ingredients and lower the oven to 320 instead, I can not wait to see how this will come out…
i am vegan and this is my go to sweet bread recipe. I replace the eggs with ground flaxseed and the evaporated milk with fresh coconut milk. Everyone loves it! They say it is better than the bakery,
I could never find a sweet bread recipe that matches my aunt’s as I remember it growing up in the Caribbean but I will try this one even though the outcome does not look the same.
Thanks
This is the best coconut bread recipe I have found so far. I lived in Barbados years ago and every time I visit I just can’t seem to find the tasty ‘ole time Coconut bread’ which was the norm then. The mixed peel was a delightful change compared to the customary raisins and cherries. I added a little extra water and a little less sugar and was happy with the result.
Coconut bread with orange peel is a no no and reduce the cherries to 1/4 cup, reduce the sugar by a half cup, increase the cinnnamon and nutmeg to 1/2tsp also increase raisins to 2/3 cup and added 1tsp vanilla essence and I left out the eggs and used water instead of milk had to increase the water and also did not melt the butter.oh I also added some shortening about 2ounces.
I have a dried coconut an did not know what to do with it.
As luck will have it I received your recipe. Will go to work on sweet bread.
Pat
Very good guide. I had been craving this for a while, my Bajan friend used to bring me her mom’s sweetbreads all the time. I haven’t had it in over 10 years, but this brought me back! 🙂
I’ve tried this with store bought coconut flakes. I also used more coconut oil (with a little butter), gluten free flour and oat milk. Turns out great. First try, i found a little too sweet (with no glaze) but amazing nonetheless.
This coconut sweet bread is awesome. I wanted to give my husband a taste of his childhood for Father’s Day. I’m American. He loved it! I used organic unsweetened flake coconut and moisten it with a little coconut milk. I used just raisins and maraschino cherries. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks.
love the coconut bread
Too sweet. I tried it. I recommend a little less sugar.
Thanks Christ i’ve been trying to make coconut sweet bread for the longest time and yesterday i stumbled upon your site and followed your recipe and it turned out great as you would say (wicked).Thanks again i’ll be sure to try your other recipes.
I tried the resipe this morning, or was simply divine
Hi Chris,Could you please make a step by step Video of the sweet bread seeing that your batteries Died the last time.Thanks in advance
Hi Chris:
This sounds great! I have to try this soon! Thank you for posting this recipe; I have been looking for a recipe like this one for years, so as soon as I make it I will tell you how it came out, but surely I will be using freshly grated coconut! Keep up the good work!
Yours,
Jean Gordon.
I tried this and it was great. Thank you
I been trying to find Jamaican beef pattys and I guess im looking in all the wrong places
I made it with store shreded coconut and it came out great
Been looking for this recipe for the longest while
I made this for my bajan boyfriend . It came out well except I used a glass pan it took forever to bake at 325
Hi chris,
I have searched high and low for a good Trini sweet bread recipe! I am happy to say that I have finally found what I was looking for! This sweet bread was super easy to make and made the kitchen warm with the spicy nutty aroma! The taste was heavenly
Thank you for sharing!
Do. I need. To use eggs
Hey Chris, I just came across this sweet bread recipe and I have to say this is a great recipe because I used the things I had on hand and it came out great. I am accustom to sweet bread with fresh grated coconut. So these are the things that I used (1) coconut flour and added coconut milk to it before mixing it into the flour. (2) self rising flour and added two teaspoons of baking powder. (3) for the fruit raisins and craisins. Your sweet bread was so tempting I had to try it now. Next time I will try it with the fresh grated coconut.
I used the grated coconut from the supermarket and it was perfect, I did not taste any different than if I had used fresh grated coconut……
This is a truly authentic Bajan sweetbread recipe! Thanks for posting this!
Hey Chris this is great. Instead of the fruits you use, I sometimes add some of the leftover fruits that I soaked for my Christmas cake. Adds a bit more moisture to it, so you can reduce liquid a tad. The flavours are lovely depending on what you soaked the fruits in.
Hi Chris, just a tip for those who do not want to grate the coconut. Just throw in your food processor or Ninja. In one minute you have finally “grated coconut. Using water instead of milk is also fine.
I made this today and it’s yummy…..but instead of white sugar I used 11/2 cup brown sugar.
Hello Chris, I came across 2 recipe in November last year when I wanted to try making coconut bread and I decided to try yours instead of the other because of the texture seen in the picture of yours and I am happy to say the bread came out soooooooooo good that I have been baking it every week for my family and sometimes friends. Thank you very much for this recipe. I must say though that I omit the eggs but the texture looks the same. moist and so delicious. To anyone wondering if they should try this one, stop wondering and try it now you would happy that you did.
Thanks again Chris.
Excellent!!! God be my help I’m gonna try this today. Thanks Chris.
Made this with dry coconut from the store. Added coconut milk to the dry coconut to make it moist. This bread came out fantastic !
I tried it with the store bought dried coconut and it came out lovely
Mr Chris i want to say that i tried your recipe for the first time using shredded sweet coconut flakes lol the very thing you said not to do and i’m here to tell you that the sweetbread came out real nice and so tasty it reminded me of my moms. Thanks so much for the recipe! Merry Christmas
Just made this recipie it came out really great.
Try the coconut bread. It was delicious and very easy.
I never baked before, last Thursday I try this bread, it come our great, now it monday my husband ask me to bake again. Thanks .
I tried this it turned out perfect. However I used only half of the sugar in the recipie and it is sweet enough. Love it !!!
Hi Chris, thanks so much for this recipe. One of the best coconut sweetbreads I have ever tasted is from Barbados. I am so excited! Believe me, I will try this recipe and let you know the results.
Hello Chris tried your coconut sweet bread recipe soooooo!good thanks.keep on cooking!
Hi chris ive tried a few attemots to make this for my bajan partner but the outside always goes very hard and he says its to hard what am I doing wrong
someone said that is burns on the outside. You need to lower the temperature on the stove. Not every oven is calibrated correctly. Maybe your oven dial says 325 but is actually cooking at 375, thus the bun bun. It happen to me too. Lower the temperature, longer cooking time, watch it to see that it does not burn and for done-ness. Also, for straight coconut bread only, then use six cups of coconut and forget about the raisins and other additions.
Hi Chris i am about to try your receipt i know how to bake sweetbread but i would like to try it a diffrent way like i am craving this good old bajan sweetbread.
Hi Chris – I Lurve your recipes, just made chicken pelau and sweetbread. Luv you lots! Keep up the good work, you’ve bought a ray of sunshine to my home in London.
Hi Chris I love checking out your website I left home since 1969 and at times I hunger for the taste of home there is nothing like it when ever there is a need I always go to your website to get a refresher course I am in heaven when I am fixing my Trinidad dishes. Love everything you dishes up. Happy happy holidays.
This recipe rocks…. I’m bajan have never made sweetbreads in my life, used this recipe wow, I made 150 breads in a 3 day period , did the recipe by 4 . I used margarine instead of butter , believe it or not dried unsweetened coconut soaked it in milk was perfect, I used brown cane sugar , cranberries instead of mixed fruit and I cut the sugar by a quarter, and this recipe still was perfect.
Hi Chris,I made your coconut bread and I have to say it was awesome, I mix the ingredients in my mixer and I used cranberry instead of mix peel,I also add 3 tablespoon of original sour cream to the evaporated milk and it came out so moist. Thank you so much.. Ps.. It was my first time making it..
I followed the recipe and the sweetbread came out just perfect, ( and it’s my 1st attempt too). So now I don’t need to ask my Aunt to bake for me. Thanks Chris.
Chris I just love this recipe…i use it all the time! A cup of coffee and sweetbread is heaven for me!!
its in the oven right now I forgot to put extract in it I’m allergic to almonds and I was going to put in the mixed essence but forgot to put that in so hopefully it will still tastes great… much for helping me reconnecting some of the flavors from my childhood in Trinidad.
Some mixed essences have almond essence in them, so be careful.
Really great, this was welcomed by me and the pictures looked so good to. thanks
Looks tasty
I have tried several recipes and this is by far the best. Thanks
This is the most amazing and perfect sweetbread recipie…I am sure my husband loves me a little bit more everytime I make a batch!!!
Thank you Chris for sharing your recipes with us. I have used your recipe for Sweet bread on several occasions and it is excellent. I have also done the Oven Roasted Pork,Hops bread and I”m eternally grateful to you. Keep up the awesome work you are doing. Happy holidays to you and your family and God’s richest blessings also.
add a bit of freshly grated ginger!
I want to say that I cooked my Turkey with the recipe given and made the Turkey tender and very tasty. I also made a pork roast and use the ingredients also and put it a slow cooker while the Turkey was cooking in the over and boy oh boy the best tasting Thanksgiving. My parents are from Trinidad and Barbados. Thanks again
Just great. I love the taste of real coconut. This was a great reminder of Christmas in T’dad.
yhis is do gooooooooooooooooooooooooo
this good
I use brown sugar only, good recipe.
try lining your pan with (fig)banana leaves. it can be found in the frozen section of the grocery.
This recipe is AMAZING!!! The very first time I tried it, the loaves came out perfectly. I don’t like coconut so I used coconut milk instead of evaporated milk. That way, I could get the flavor without the icky coconut bits. 😉
I would like to get recipe for making pumpkin bread or cake i dont know how u call it there
The sweet bread recipe is great. Where we live it is very difficult to find decent fresh coconuts. So I have been using the packaged one (my sister in law told me that is what she uses). While it isn't the greatest. Everyone who has tatsed my sweet bread recipe, which was handed down for generations is "banging" We also add currants to it. It is well worth the currants. keep up the good work Chris!
I am a Trinidadian living on Staten Island NY I love your sight a lot of your receipt remind me of home, I baked a Sweet Bread and used preshredded coconut sweetened and used less sugar it came out real good. Keep up the good work.
Chris, I just wanted to thank you for sharing this wonderful sweet bread. My son Suraj loved it. I love all of your recipes and tell my friends to check you out. I am a trinimerican, grew up in America but love my caribbean roots. Keep up the good work.
Denise Persad
Hey Chris thanks alot……iam 43 and this is my first time making sweet bread.and I love it.all I do is cook was never a baker.iam looking forward to trying more of your recipes…..iam so proud of myself…..thanks again
Hey Chris, I use everything in your recipe except the eggs and I use water instead of the milk. I will try your recipe and skip the eggs. Will post a photo or you when I do.
I always use the shredded coconut but i put it in the food processor without any milk to get it fine like the freshly grated one and it comes out great. I also tried it with the fresh grated coconut and they both tasted the same.
Thank you for sharing all your recipes, love what you're doing, keep it up.
Chris, I tried this recipe and oh I did enjoy it. My other half loves it n wants me to do it every weekend but would prefer if it was firmer on the inside. Any tips?
Best sweet bread I have ever made. Didn't have coconut and I didn't use eggs to bind everything together. Still tasted delectable Thank you Chris.
chris this ingredient really inspired me and i am only 16 yrs old try baking on my own and for the first time i tried it use your ricipe it came out great so great that my mom friends are willin to pay me to make some for them ….now i am makin someting for myself thank alot
Made this sweet bread today…..absolutely delicious!!!!
Oh la la….fantastic recipe…I baked 2 days ago and I must say…really really delicious…reminds me of my mom's baking when I was a kid….perfect…thank you Chris….this is what Trini coconut sweet bread should taste like all the time….everyone including myself absolutely loved it….happy new year to you and all readers…..=]
This came out perfectly. Thanks Chris
Followed the recipe, but it has a little to much baking powder, i can taste the baking powder in the finished product, can cut down by 1 tsp.
Chris!!! You rock! I love your recipes…they’re just all great especially this classic sweet bread. I also tried the salt fish and okra and boy o boy it was a hit. Do you have a restaurant? Keep up the good work. I also love the pictures as it helps sooooooooooo much!
I just finished stuffing myself with the product of this recipe. Needless to say, it came out perfectly. The only thing I altered was the coconut. I grated mine in the blender! No cut up fingers and aching fingers; I leave that to people who really can't let some of that stuff go. So when you use the blender there has to be more water so when the ingredients are combined, there is a lot more moisture. I just added another cup of flour to make the spoon stand up. But thanks for this; I couldn't have done it without it. Now, my mauby bark is on the stove:)
Hey Chris, I have to make sweetbread for my kids Taekwondo breakfast and walkathon tomorrow so I'm going to use your recipe…. I'm using dry coconut..should I hand grate it or can I use a blender and add a little water to get it to blend like I would do when blending for callaloo?? answer as soon as you can or msg me back on facebook page..
Hey Chris, I have to make sweetbread for my kids Taekwondo breakfast and walkathon tomorrow so I'm going to use your recipe…. I'm using dry coconut..should I hand grate it or can I use a blender and add a little water to get it to blend like I would do when blending for callaloo?? answer as soon as you can or msg me back on facebook page..
Earlene Johnson.
This is the only sweetbread recipe that works for me. My variations are: I use raisins and sultanas only, and I add a pinch of allspice, a dash of bitters And I put half almond/half vanilla essence. Thanks so much Chris. Having these traditions written down is priceless.
Keep up the good work.
Hi Chris I really enjoy this site I have already tried the jerk chicken recipes and I tried the sweet bread today they were both amazing thanks a lot.
Hi Chris I tried this today and it came out great.
Hi
This was very attempt baking a perfect coconut sweetbread. It was phenomenol! Thank you Chris…
I tried this recipe and it came out absolutely perfect! In fact, I've made it several times by popular demand. Now all my relatives ask me to bring this over when they have get-to-gethers. LOVE IT !!
Thanks Chris. There is nothing like a trini style sweet bread.
Thanks for that sweetbread recipe will be making it soon.
I just made the sweet bread and it came out great!! I did use the prepackaged shredded sweetened coconut and it was great. The only other change I made was I reduced the sugar to 1 cup. My boyfriend is from Trinidad and always makes it for me and I am so excited to have him try it. I think it's a winner. Thanks for the recipe.
I have been asking my trini family so long for a recipe like this cause I have lost the original. My sweet bread came out just like the one in the picture and I am confident that it will taste just as appetising as it looks, can,t wait for it to cool
Hi, I tried this recipi and I tell you it was super delicious. It was finger licking good.
Oh my gosh Chris your recipes are flipping amazing. Even I can cook like a real Trini too! Thanks so much for all the great recipes that take my husband back to his childhood in San Fernando. Bless you and thanks again and again.
Maria
My cousin in law is from Trinidad and his aunt makes the best Coconut Sweet bread! I am Jamaican and I kept asking him to get the recipe from her. Thanks to you I can make it on my own. It tastes like a cross between a bun and a cocont bread we call toto in Jamaica. I love it! Thanks Chris!
Love the recipe i used the store brought coconut it turned out good!!! i socked it in water
i have been following your blog for a while now. i am from germany and married to a trini. he is always amazed, when i cook something from his childhood. even if my caribbean cooking will always have a german-touch on it 😉
thank you for posting the recipe for the coconut swet bread, i will make it today. i hope you will post a recipe for currant-roll soon. can't wait to learn from you.
thank you so much.
looks good
Hey Chris, how do i tweek this to make a more 'bread-like' version of this recipe, I tried today with another recipe but I don't know what I did wrong, I used a sweet dough recipe: 41/2 cups flour, 3/4 stick o'butter, 1tbsp instant yeast, 1 cup milk, 1 egg, 1 cup sugar, (from here is my adjustment——->)and added about 1 cup grated coconut and about 1/2 cup raisins and cherries and I kneaded it to a somewhat smoothe dough but its four hours now and the dough has only risen a wee-little bit, I was sooo looking forward to see how it turned out….anyhoo I will see what takes place in the next hour……if anyone else has a recipe for "Raisin bread" please do share!! Thanks much…
Hey Chris, I just love your site, keep up the great work!! I tried this recipe to the letter, except I used 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup white…… and all I can say is …Priceless!!..It was perfect! haven't made sweetbread in about 10 years and it tasted sooooo delicious I almost feel convinced I could bag this and sell it, wish there was some way to add a picture to show you how perfect it turned out!!
I found frozen grated coconut in the indian store in my neighborhood and it worked very well. Thanks for all the good recipes and memories.
Hello Chris I love getting your e-mails! Tahnk you for the service you give. I have been cooking since the age of 10 and my mom always taught me fresh is the best and I try to do that more often than not. However, my sister in law who loves the shortcuts tol dme thats he uses packaged coconut and the sweet bread comes out fine. I decided to try it and it does! I cut back on the sugar by 1/4 cup, you don't want to cut back on too much because in addition to sweetening the baked goods, sugar adds a level of moistness. I also started using Agave Nectar in my baking as opposed to sugar because of health issues with my husband. It keep the sweet bread moist and delicious. I also use currants in my recipe, which I got from the Naparima cookbook!
Hi, trying to figure out how much a cup is to ml, and it seems like it differs from country to country. Do you know how many ml "your" cups are?
i made this sweet bread it so good my husband want me to make it every week very nice
I made this sweetbread for Christmas and it came out perfect I had to make more for the New Years, everyone love it. Thanks for sharing this recipe!!!!!
Just stopped in to say that the guy told me the bread tastes really good and that he likes it. I did try the roti and it was soft indeed. I must say that these recipes are very legitimate. I have tried recipes from a book and they didnt turn out half as good. Can't wait to try the rest and comment on them.
good receipe, but I felt that there was too much flour and not enough coconut. it cold also has a little more milk.
thanks for sharing
Hi Chris, I tried the sweet bread recipe yesterday – Out of the other recipes I tried this one was the best. Everyone I gave a piece to said it tastes good. Still have other comments to hear- a guy told me he will get back to me with a rating from 1to 10. I will post it when he get back to me.
To me (only) it was a bit sweet. I did leave it in a little longer in the oven because the inside did not come out clean at 50 minutes and as a result I think that made the top just a little hard.I do plan to use the recipe again but I will either 5cups of flour or 1 1/2 cup sugar- just to tone down the sweetness for me and use and I will try creaming the butter and sugar first and see how this methods works. Usually I mess up things as I am a terrible cook but this was good and it just goes to show the recipe is legitimate. I want to thank you.To everyone out there who stops here try this recipe the taste wont be disappointing. Thank You Chris. Now to try the Roti. I have to try your recipe because I have always had problems with the dough. It never comes out soft.
Chis, thank you so much for posting this recipe – I found one on-line but it needed a "little help" and yours I'm sure is much better than the one I tried. I definitely try it and let you all know how it came out for me – HOWEVER, I do suggest you ask your Grandma to write down her recipe for you. After all, she's your Grandma and you only have 1 (or 2 if you are/were lucky) and unfortunately they don't stay around forever.
THE BEST SITE IN THE WORLD!
KEEP UP THE GREAT JOB CHRIS.
SHELLY
Hi Chris, using a food processor (without and liquid) makes a fantastic grated coconut. That sure beats slaving over a box grater to end up with the same result. I do it every time I have to use grated coconut.
It's also good to use the food processor and plain sugar (a little less than the recipe calls for) to break the packaged shredded coconut down further. The only difference I note with the package is that the 'shreds' are longer and can cause the sweetbread to break up instead of slicing clean. A minute in the food processor – or in the blender with the liquid changes the consistency of the coconut so that it's closer to fresh grated and makes a noticeable improvement to the texture.
I have been using your recipes for a few months and I have never been disappointed. The same holds true for this recipe. My sweet bread came out fantastic! I also used desiccated coconut but didn't soak in milk…Next time I will try that and see if there is any improvement. Thanks for taking the time to put up the site and sharing these recipes….
This recipe looks interested. I have to try it. Anything with coconut has to be good!
I have been looking for a sweet bread recipe for sometime now.
I made this a few weeks ago to take to a family picnic and everyone loved it.
I love to bake and try new things. I used fresh coconuts and asked my husband to grate it.
Thanks for posting this recipe Chris.
So glad everyone like it. Yes, nothing beats fresh grated coconut.
Hey Chris!
I purchased a bag of sweetened coconut, I cant find it fresh. Do u kno what the taste difference between the bag of sweetened and grated freshly n a sweet bread. imma try the sweetened coconut first and when i find fresh, imma try that too!
Since I've only used the fresh stuff I really don't know. I would guess that you may have to cut back a bit on the amount of sugar used in the recipe? Maybe we can get someone to help us from the other readers?
Do let me know how it turns out.
WHen i am forced to use preshreded coconut in recipes, I have found that soaking it in water to remove all the excess sugar and to rehydrate helps. If you can find th unsweetened that hslps too. It is stil never the same as fresh but its a sight better than straight from the bag
thanks so much for the tip.
Hey Chris, used your recipe for the base and added a few tweaks… I added dates and walnuts and I must say… it was a hit… your base was a perfect way to start… unto Roti now.
dates and walnuts.. classic.
Just to let you know I made the sweet bread using the shredded coconut and the sweetbread came out fine !
Thank you
Dessmon
Thanks for sharing this tip
hiya chris, oh my the coconut bread looks delish I'm definatly going to follow your recipe to the letter, also I'm going to see how well it freezes, that way one will still be fresh after the other is eaten :))))
Please do let me know if the freezing works.
Chris, this was a great recipe. So only until I got home that I realized that you stated not to use dry shredded coconut. I soaked it in milk as you stated and it came out pretty good. Next time I will use the real thing and compare. Thanks!
Glad to know that it worked out for you.
I used the shredded coconut found in the grocery section. I added the milk to it and blended it. However, since the shredded coconut was already sweetened, I reduced the amount of sugar. Turned out perfectly. GREAT RECIPE. THANKS Chris!!!!!
Perfect. Just Perfect. Do not mess with granny’s recipe! It is the real deal. Almost identical to the one I use which I also got from someone’s granny:-)
.-= Wizzythestick´s last blog ..Christmas Bread from Venezuela – Pan de jamon =-.