Coconut Rum Bread

Taking classes at night is a whole other animal compared to my glory days of undergrad. After a long day I have no patience for students who only like to hear the sound of their voice. Perhaps that makes me the worst kind of classmate, especially after muttering, “I kill you” when one of my peers asks his eighth non-question.

Nighttime lecture-hall manners are kind of an anomaly: like getting stared at while I licked the lid of my yogurt clean. It was as if my row-mates were accusing me of reenacting a very (very) awkward porno scene; although it was a lid to a 32 ounce container (about the size of my head).

The worst is when you’re seated next to an incessant desk tapper,

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a Red-Bull-drinking-open-mouth-breather

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or God forbid, the I’m-kicking-the-back-of-your-seat-because-I-want-to-see-you-turn-into-my-very-own-fun-sized-Hulk.

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But there’s hope.

Sharing snacks in class is kind of an icebreaker.

And when you break bread with your classmates, they totally will join you, hating on that guy that won’t stop clicking his pen.

Just stop, guy. Seriously.

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This is a slightly sweet bread, with just a touch of rum. It’s fantastic for toast. The crumb is a bit coarse, but easily soaks up a slather of butter. If you can wait to eat the next day toasted, please do (sliced thick).

Adapted from bills food

Makes 1 Loaf

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Equipment

A small mixing bowl

A whisk

A large mixing bowl

A spatula

A 9×5 loaf pan, greased and floured (or lined with parchment paper and greased)

A wire rack (or a large plate)

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons of ground flax seed

One and a three quarter cups plus 2 tablespoons of unsweetened unflavored almond milk (you could use soy)

Quarter cup of dark rum

Two and a half cups whole wheat pastry flour (you could use all purpose)

2 teaspoons of baking powder

Quarter teaspoon of fine sea salt

1 cup of granulated sugar (this makes a barely sweet cake. If you’d like something sweeter, use one and a half cups)

One and a half cups of unsweetened flaked coconut (Do not use shredded coconut.)

6 tablespoons of plain yogurt (I used low fat soy. Do not use nonfat.)

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Place the oven rack to the middle position in the oven.  Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a small mixing bowl, add the ground flaxseed, almond milk and rum. Whisk the ingredients together till well combined. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add the whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder and fine sea salt.  Whisk the ingredients together till well combined.  Add the sugar and flaked coconut.  Whisk the ingredients together till well combined.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing them together till just combined (I used a spatula to avoid getting the coconut caught in the whisk). Pour the yogurt into the batter and fold it in, scraping down the sides and then back up the bowl with a spatula to make sure that everything is incorporated.

Scoop out the batter into your prepared loaf pan.  Bake for about an hour fifteen minutes to an hour and a half, or until a cake tester (like a toothpick) comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the bread.

Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about five minutes. Then, cool the bread until room temperature on a wire rack.

Best served in thick slices (the day after), toasted with butter (I like to use Whipped Earth Balance).