Coconutty Goodness!

While thumbing through Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen cookbook (I am really liking this cookbook!) for ideas this past weekend, I stumbled upon a recipe that I knew I just had to try - coconut bread! I always keep a bag of shredded coconut in the freezer, and I also just happened to have a can of unsweetened coconut milk on hand, so I was set!

I did not, however, have any crushed pineapple on hand (fresh would have been another story), so I haven't gotten to make the accompanying pineapple butter yet. I'm sure it's fantastic, though, and I'm hoping to make some tomorrow.

Coconut Bread with Sweet Pineapple Butter

Coconut Bread:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

1 1/2 cups shredded coconut, toasted (see Note)

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Note: To toast the coconut, preheat the oven to 350. Spread the coconut on a cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring periodically (10 minutes was more than enough time for my coconut). Toasting will fluff up the coconut and increase its volume (as well as make it taste better).

Preheat the oven to 375. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with butter.

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter with the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Pour in the coconut milk and whisk together.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold everything together until you have a smooth batter (a rubber/silicon spatula works well for this). Gently fold in the shredded coconut until evenly distributed.

Pour into the prepared loaf pan and set it on a cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the bread. Rotate the pan periodically while baking to ensure even browning.

Cool the bread in the pan for 20 minutes. Then, when bread is cool enough to handle, turn out of pan and remove bread to wire rack or cutting board to cool completely before slicing.

Pineapple Butter:

8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

Press the liquid out of the crushed pineapple using the back of a spoon. (If there is too much juice, the fruit will separate from the butter.) In a small bowl, mash the pineapple with the softened butter until well blended. A food processor is a quick alternative to making the compound butter. Mound the butter in a small serving bowl.

To serve, toast the slice of coconut bread, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve with the creamy pineapple butter.

Source: Adapted from Tyler Florence's Real Kitchen cookbook

I Got Your Kolache!

I've loved kolaches for about as long as I can remember, so when Erica mentioned that she grew up eating homemade kolaches and had a recipe she could share with me, I was sold!

I've always loved cream cheese kolaches myself, but requests were made for some fruit fillings as well. In the end we had plain cream cheese, apricot, and cherry kolaches, as well as cream-cheese-apricot and cream-cheese-cherry.

You'll have to excuse the time-stamp on the photos. We were at my parents' lake house and I hadn't brought my camera with me that weekend, so I had to borrow my niece's camera.



Authentic Czech Kolaches

Dough:
1 cup milk
1 packet yeast
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup shortening
3 - 3 1/2 cups flour



Warm the milk and pour into a bowl. Dissolve yeast, sugar, and salt in the milk. Add the beaten egg and shortening, mixing well. Add flour. The dough is ready when it "chases the spoon around the bowl" - usually 3 - 3 1/2 cups of flour.

Cover the dough in the bowl and let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about 2-4 hours.

Melt a stick of butter. Grease the tops of two cookie sheets and preheat the oven to 350. After the dough has risen, punch it down in the bowl. Lightly flour a work surface. Portion out dough into roughly tablespoon-sized portions. Roll the pieces of dough in your palm to form balls. Evenly space dough balls on cookie sheets and brush with melted butter. Allow them to proof for an additional 20-40 minutes.

Press an indentation in the center of each ball and fill with a heaping teaspoon of filling. Allow kolaches to set for 10 minutes more before baking.



Sprinkle with posypka (recipe below). Bake for 15-20 minutes. Kolaches should be a light gold brown in color when done.

Yield: Approximately 24 kolaches.

Cream Cheese Filling:

16 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 egg yolks

1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat ingredients together in medium sized bowl until incorporated.

Posypka:

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Source: Adapted from Grandma Kaspar and Texas Monthly, courtesy of Erica

Just in time for Mardi Gras - King Cake!

My dear husband grew up in Slidell, Louisiana, so the question is not whether or not we will have king cake at this time of year. It's more a question of how many, what kind, and where we will get them from. Thanks to my lovely friend Erica, I was armed and ready to ask Bryon what he thought about the idea of trying our own hands at making king cake. His replied very enthusiastically, deciding to take matters into his own hands and tackling the recipe himself.

We made two king cakes (Note: The recipe says you should have enough dough to make three. If Bryon had rolled the dough out thinner, I think we could have gotten three out of it). We did one with a cream cheese filling, which we kept for ourselves - YUMMY! The second one was a regular cinnamon-sugar king cake, which Bryon took to his mom's house. It was met with overwhelming approval, especially by his brother Chris. From what I hear, Chris thinks it may be one of the best things we've ever made.

Louisiana King Cake

Parker House Roll Dough*:

6-6 1/2 cups all purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 packages yeast

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1 egg

2 cups hot water (110-120 degrees F)

In a large bowl, combine melted butter, 2 1/4 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. With mixer at low speed, gradually pour the hot water into the dry ingredients. Add egg and beat well. Gradually add the remaining flour until thickened.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead the dough until most of the flour is gone. Put doough in oiled bown, turning to coat on all side. Cover and allow dough to rise until doubled in size. Punch down and knead again, about 5 more minutes.

Divide dough into 3 portions (to make 3 medium cakes). Roll dough on floured surface. Spread with melted butter.

For a traditional cinnamon-sugar cake: Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture (we used a combination of white and light brown sugars) over the buttered dough.

For a cream cheese cake: Soften 8 ounces of cream cheese and beat until spreadable, sweeting with powdered sugar if desired. Sprinkle surface of dough with powdered sugar and spread with the softened cream cheese.

To assemble: Starting at one edge, roll the dough in jelly-roll fashion. Twist the roll, then place on a greased cookie sheet, forming it into a ring.

Bake at 350 degrees F until lightly bowned. A plastic baby can be inserted into the cake after cooling if desired.

To ice: Combine powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until desired flavor and consistency are reached. Divide into small bowls to color yellow, green, and purple. Drizzle over cooled cake, and sprinkle with decorating sugar or turbinado sugar to decorate.

*Roll dough can also be used to make dinner rolls or cinnamon rolls.

For cinnamon rolls: Prepare according to directions for cinnamon-sugar king cake and roll dough in jelly-roll fashion. Instead of twisting, slice into rolls. Place in greased pan. Allow to rise, then bake as directed above. Icing is the same as for the King Cake.

For Parker House Rolls: After the first rising, punch doguh down and need for an additional 5 minutes. Form rolls, rolling in melted butter to coat the top. Place on greased pan, about 1/2-1 inch apart. Allow to rise again before baking. Bake at 350 degrees F until lightly browned.

Source: Adapted from Mom Trivette's recipe, courtesy of Erica.

Grandmommy's Rolls

Having shared the beautiful results of Elizabeth's grandmother's secret, sacred roll recipe on here, I decided it was time to give my grandmommy's roll recipe the respect it deserves.

Mother's Rolls*

Combine:

2 cups lukewarm milk

1/4 cup shortening (Mother - I use 1/3 cup)

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Sprinkle or crumble 2 packages or cakes of yeast into the mixture (Mother - I dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water)

Stir until dissolved. Add 5-6 cups sifted flour, mixing thoroughly to make a soft dough.

Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic. Place dough in greased bowl, brush with melted shortening, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 2 hours). Do not punch down. Turn out onto lightly floured board and shape as desired. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk*. Bake in a hot oven (425 degrees F) for 15-20 minutes, depending on size. Makes approximately 3 dozen rolls.

*"Mother" is what my mom called my grandmommy, thus these are known as "Mother's Rolls." Her recipe notes are in italics.

*I usually brush the rolls with melted shortening before putting them in the oven, just to ensure that they brown nicely. I also usually cover them with foil during the first 10-15 minutes of baking.

Sacred

Don't worry Elizabeth, I won't spill your secret. But when a finished product turns out so beautifully, how can I not post a picture?