Toasted Coconut Plantain Bread Recipe

What’s like banana bread but even better? Plantain bread. And what’s even better than plantain bread? Toasted coconut plantain bread! Being Nigerian I love fried plantains but I don’t eat them often. Boiled plantains are a great alternative for me to enjoy plantain that’s been prepared in a healthier way. I actually just bought some this weekend. When I have them, I usually sprinkle a little cinnamon and sea salt on top and have it with my protein of choice – maybe chicken, shrimp, or salmon and some veggies on the side. Well one day I was dealing with plantains that had gotten a little too ripe, to the point of being mushy. I hate wasting food so I thought, what would you do if you had mushy bananas? You’d make banana bread. So why not make plantain bread. This was the result. Since I like to keep things interesting, I added coconut and fresh ginger to the batter. I was so impressed with the flavor that I had to share the recipe. If plantain bread sounds like your thing (it should), keep reading!

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups ripened mashed plantains
• 1/4 cup light coconut milk
• 2 tsp coconut extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger 
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup vanilla greek yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder

Topping

• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 9×5 inch pan with cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl mix the brown sugar and butter. Then add in eggs, one at a time.
4. Add vanilla and coconut extracts, coconut milk, ginger, and mashed plantain.
5. In a separate bowl add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and baking powder.
6. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients being careful not to over mix. The batter will be thick.
7. Pour batter into lightly oiled 9×5 inch loaf pan.
8. Bake for 40 minutes.
9. While the loaf is baking, lightly toast 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut.
10. Let cool and toss with 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1 tbsp of brown sugar
11. After 40 minutes take the bread out and add shredded coconut topping 
12. Put back in oven to bake for 10-15 minutes until a knife or toothpick comes out clean.
13. Let the bread cool for a few minutes.

Enjoy!As is the case with banana bread, this tastes even better on day 2. Make sure to store this in an airtight container. It should be good for 5-7 days, assuming it lasts that long!