Bajan sweet bread

Ingredients

Dry

• 500 gplain flour
• 3 teaspoonsbaking powder
• 1 teaspoongrated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoonground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoonmixed spice
• 1/2 teaspoonsalt

Coconut

• 300 gfresh coconut, finely grated
• or 250 g desiccated coconut, soaked

Wet

• 200 gbutter, melted
• 250 gcaster sugar
• 3eggs, beaten
• 250 mlevaporated milk
• 2 teaspoonsvanilla extract
• 1 teaspoonalmond essence
• 2 tablespoonsdark rum, optional

To add

• 150 gglace cherries, halved
• 100 graisins, optional
• 50 gmixed peel, optional

To finish

• 2 tablespoonssugar mixed with 2 tablespoons water
• for glazing

Directions

1. Crack a mature brown coconut and prise the flesh out. Peel the brown skin off with a vegetable peeler. Grate the white flesh finely on a box grater.
2. Soak it in warm evaporated milk for fifteen minutes first. Dry coconut from the bag pulls moisture out of the loaf. Halve all of the glace cherries. Toss them in a spoonful of the measured flour. That coating stops them sinking to the bottom.
3. Sift the flour, baking powder, spices and salt together. Stir the grated coconut through the dry mixture. Coating the coconut in flour keeps it evenly spread. Beat the melted butter with the sugar. Beat until the sugar has largely dissolved into it. Add the beaten eggs a little at a time. Beat well after each addition. Pour in all of the evaporated milk.
4. Add the vanilla and the almond essence. Add the rum if you are using it. Combining them needs a light hand. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Fold it together with a large spoon or spatula. Stop as soon as no dry flour remains visible.
5. Fold in the floured cherries and fruit last. The batter should be thick and heavy. Add a splash more milk if it will not drop at all. Baking it takes about an hour. Heat the oven to 175C with a shelf in the middle. Grease two loaf tins and line the bases. Divide the batter between them and level the tops. Bake them for fifty-five minutes to an hour.
6. Start testing at fifty minutes. A skewer should come out with a few moist crumbs. Cover the tops with foil if they brown too fast. Mix the sugar and water into a thin syrup. Brush it over the hot loaves as they come out. Leave them in the tins for fifteen minutes.
7. Let them cool completely before slicing. Cutting them warm gives a crumbling mess. Cut it with a long serrated knife. Serve it with a slice of sharp cheddar. It keeps five days wrapped at room temperature.

Technique

• Sweet bread of this kind is baked across the eastern Caribbean, and the Barbadian version is particularly heavy with coconut.
• Eating it with a slice of cheese is standard practice in Barbados and surprises visitors.

Substitutions

• Desiccated coconut soaked in warm milk stands in for fresh grated coconut.
• Fresh milk can replace evaporated milk, though the loaf will be slightly less rich.

Variations

• Some bakers add a handful of raisins and mixed peel.
• A version with more rum is made specifically for Christmas.
• The same batter is baked in a round tin in some households.

History

A Barbadian tea bread baked at Christmas and for church events, using the grated coconut that grows across the island.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bajan sweet bread?

Bajan sweet bread is a bread & pastry from Barbados: coconut loaf with cherry and spice, sliced and eaten with cheese. A Barbadian tea bread baked at Christmas and for church events, using the grated coconut that grows across the island.

How long does Bajan sweet bread take to make?

Bajan sweet bread takes 30 minutes of preparation and 1 hour of cooking. The recipe makes two loaves, 20 slices. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Bajan sweet bread?

Yes, within limits. Desiccated coconut soaked in warm milk stands in for fresh grated coconut. Fresh milk can replace evaporated milk, though the loaf will be slightly less rich.