“Just knock on the door and go in.” Really?! Should I follow that advice? I was in search of fresh baked coconut bread, not breaking-and-entering charges at the Black Point Settlement on Great Guana Cay in the Bahamas.
Meeting the baker
I was told to inquire about the bread at a favorite cruiser's hangout, Lorraine's Cafe. Soon I discovered that the bread is made by Lorraine's mother in a small house right behind the cafe. I'll do anything to experience local cuisine, so I eased my way down the walkway calling out to anyone who might might be home. That's when I met Ms Pierman, the baker behind the bread.
Shredding by hand
How long does it take to shred the meat of 20 coconuts with a box grater? I’m sure I don’t ever want to find out. She continued to work as I followed her around to learn how her bread was made. Bottom line...it's a lot of work and she has been baking it for delighted visitors for years.
I picked out a couple of warm loaves and she loosely wrapped them for the dingy trip back to Snowcat. Tonight we feast on Black Point's finest...fresh coconut bread and perhaps some coconut French toast tomorrow.
Thank you Ms Pierman!
Want to try it yourself?
When I return to Steamboat, I'm going to take my favorite sweet, yeast dough recipe and try to replicate this recipe. I'll use pre-shredded sweetened coconut (of course) add some brown sugar, and roll it into the loaf before I slip it in the oven.
I challenge you to make your own coconut bread and feel magically transported to Black Point Settlement in the beautiful Bahamas. Let me know how it turns out!
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Dianne
Were you able to recreate it? We sailed through Black Point several times and it was our favorite spot to visit. And we always left with a boat full of bread. I tried adding a coconut mixture to my favorite white bread but it messed up the baking times and I haven’t gotten it just right.we sold the boat and are back on land missing Loraine’s momma’s bread.
Karen
I hear you Dianne! We sold our boat and Lorraine's coconut bread is just a memory. I intended to use a basic yeast bread recipe (perhaps a sweet version) and roll in a swirl of the coconut mixture. I haven't tried it yet. Let me know if you meet success with your next attempt!
Laurie Coryell
Great pictures of Ms. Pierman. Her coconut bread looks delicious!
Margaret Carlton
Wow! This coconut bread sounds delicious, Karen! We want you to know that we made your delicious granola and took it to our daughter's house in PA where the whole family gathered for Thanksgiving. It was a big hit, and we shared the recipe with them all. Cheers, Peggy
Karen
So great to hear from you Peggy! I love to hear that you shared my granola recipe with your family, and that it was a hit. Missing my Zumba friends!
Barb
Yum! So glad u r enjoying retirement.
Karen
Life is good for us! As you can see, I am still in love with discovering local foods. Just like the old days when we served together on the Northwest Colorado Food Coalition.
I hope that you are enjoying those grand-babies.