This Chocolate Coconut Bread recipe comes to us from my friend at Bella's Breadbox. And we are so lucky to have it!
My mom recently told me that her friend Elizabeth is the strongest person she's ever known.
Elizabeth and her husband are very close friends of my parents. In fact, my parents absolutely adore them. I do too.
At a routine physical exam, a year or so ago, Elizabeth was diagnosed with Mylogenous Lukemia. In the past year, she's been through chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and a bone marrow transplant.
I'm extremely thrilled to report that Elizabeth is currently healthy and doing very well! And she's baking bread! Lots of incredibly delicious bread!
Inspiration
As a result of insomnia that came during Elizabeth's treatments and recovery, she found herself in the kitchen, late at night, experimenting with bread making. And it turns out she's a natural.
Sweet, savory, you name it, she can bake it!
The idea of Elizabeth sharing her bread on Cooking On The Weekends came to me when I walked into my parents' kitchen the other day to see this beautiful, rustic, Bittersweet Chocolate Coconut Bread sitting on the counter.
And -- OMG -- was it delicious! I mean, crazy delicious!
Oh, and please meet sweet Bella of Bella's Breadbox. Adorable!
If you think this Bittersweet Chocolate Coconut Bread recipe looks good, check out Elizabeth's Asiago Cheese Bread recipe.
Tips for Success
- Don't worry if your dough looks too sticky - you want it to be very wet. And I always let the dough sit for the full 18 hours - the longer the dough ferments, the richer the flavor of the bread.
- Resist the urge to use sweetened coconut because the sugar causes the bread to burn... badly. You can find unsweetened coconut at Gelson's and Surfas.
- The recipe says to place the pot on the lower one-third rack but my oven runs a little hot so I moved it up a rack. I also place parchment paper on the bottom of the pot (but don't preheat the pot with the parchment paper in it) - it helps avoid the chocolate chunks on the bottom from burning.
- Don't be afraid of turning the dough into the pot. Just go gently and slowly, otherwise flour ends up all over the oven, the floor, the counters - not that that's ever happened to me.
- The most difficult part of this recipe is waiting an hour for the bread to cool. We've been known to cut into it after 15 minutes when it's still hot and oozing chocolate.
Images and recipe are courtesy of Bella's Breadbox.
And here's a recipe for a quick chocolate bread.
Chocolate Coconut Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons bread flour
- 2 cups unsweetened large flake coconut, loosely packed
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon instant yeast or active dry yeast
- 1¼ cups cool water (about 55 to 65 degrees F)
- additional flour for dusting
Instructions
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the flour, half of the coconut, the chocolate, salt and yeast. Add the water and using a wooden spoon or your hands, mix until you have a wet, sticky dough, about 30 seconds.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until the surface is puffy and the dough is more than doubled in size, 12 to 18 hours.
- When the first rise is complete, generously dust a work surface with flour. Use a bowl scraper or rubber spatula to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. Using lightly floured hands or a spatula, lift the edges of the dough in towards the center. Nudge and tuck in the edges of the dough to make it round.
- Place a tea towel on your work surface and generously dust it with flour and sprinkle it with ½ cup of the coconut. Gently place the dough on the towel with the seam side down, and lightly sprinkle the surface with the remaining ½ cup of coconut. Fold the ends of the tea towel loosely over the dough to cover it and place it in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1 to 2 hours.
- The dough is ready when it is almost doubled in size. If you gently poke it with your finger, it should hold the impression. If it springs back, let it rise for another 15 minutes.
- Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat your oven to 475°F with a rack in the center, and place a covered 4½ to 5½ quart heavy pot in the center of the rack. (You're preheating the oven with the covered pot in it.)
- Carefully remove the preheated pot from the oven and uncover it. Unfold the tea towel and quickly but gently invert the dough into the pot, seam side up. Cover the pot, and return it to the oven for 25 minutes.
- Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep chestnut color but not burnt, about 10 to 15 more minutes.
- Use a heatproof spatula or pot holders to gently lift the bread out of the pot and place it on a rack to cool thoroughly, about an hour.
amee
Valentina - i like the positive story behind this one. and i love choc and coconut!
Sippitysup
There is a reason bread is the staff of life. GREG
Anna
I am paranoid when it comes to making bread. I am always stressed when it is bread I have to make. Probably the same reasons why i always end up with not very edible or edible but not satisfactory the palate kinds of bread. That is why I clip and read on every word of bread baking tips...Thanks for the tips, Elizabeth! I hope I can try this out with the same confidence and optimism as Elizabeth did in fighting ML. Great bread! Great post!
Tori @ The Shiksa in the Kitchen
Valentina, this bread looks absolutely delicious! And I'm in love with Bella, she's just gorgeous. Woof!
Bella the Bulldog
Thank you, everyone, for your comments. Mommy and I really appreciate them and we hope you'll try the recipe, which is only about 5 minutes worth of work (shhh, don't tell!). Just snarfed down breakfast and am off to nap on my nice full tummy. Love and licks to all, Bellalicious.
Tisha
Very cute Bella dog!!! This bread looks incredible! SO easy!
valentina
She is indeed very cute! (I'll pass it on.) Thanks for commenting and hope try the bread. 🙂
Natalie
YUM! This bread looks so delicious and I love how easy it is to make ♥
valentina
Thanks so much, Natalie!
Cliona Keane
I am 100% making this! I love how simple and delicious it is.
valentina
Great! Thanks. I hope you love it as much as we do. 🙂
Diana
You just combined 2 of my favourite flavours and put them in one recipe. Can't wait to try this!
valentina
I love when that happens. Yay! Thanks.
Amy | The Cook Report
I bet this is perfect with a cup of tea!
valentina
Or coffee. 😉 Yes! Thank you, Amy.