BAHAMAS

COUNTRY	The Bahamas
Dishes	‘Bimini’ Island Sweet Bread
Time	2 hours (total)
Effort	6/10
Rough cost	£4

COUNTRY	The Bahamas
Capital	Nassau
Population	385, 637 (181th largest)
Land mass	13, 878 km2 (155th largest) *28% water
Languages	English
Religions	none nationally specified

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

This was our first meal of the ‘B’s’ and we went for a tasty, sweet classic. It was perfect for a sunny Mothering Sunday and absolutely delicious. Although, we just baked one dish this week, there is so much more amazing Bahamian food out there. Staple ingredients are conch coconut, fresh fruit and rum.

Just a note on the current global situation; we hope you are all well and your loved ones are safe. Isolation can be hard, but make sure you get some fresh air from time-to-time and why not try some ‘grub-trotting’!

RECIPES

‘Bimini‘ Island Sweet Bread

This sweet bread is a staple in Bahamanian home-cooking cuisine. The bread often incorporates coconut, which is attributed to the West African ancestry of The Bahamas and the fact coconut trees grow everywhere in The Bahamas. The coconut brings the sweetness to this bread, however you could also use raisins, currants or just more sugar! The bread is served slathered in jams, butter or as a tasty sandwich.

The bread itself was not difficult, however it did take a while due to the time required for the dough to rise. But it was more than worth it. The bread is soft and light, with vibes of brioche. It has a lovely, soft coconut flavour, which was just delicious. It went down an absolute treat on Mother’s Day!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups plain flour
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp dry active yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup desiccated or fresh coconut
2 eggs (1 of them separated)
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tbsp soft vegan butter
1/2 cup coconut milk

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees celsius and grease a loaf tin ( I used coconut oil).
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and form a well in the centre.
Beat 1 whole egg and 1 egg white together in a small bowl.
Pour all the wet ingredients into the well and mix into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated.
On a well-floured surface, knead the dough for around 10 minutes. The dough should be springy and soft.
Leave the dough in a greased bowl, covered with some clingfilm, in a warm place for 40 minutes (I put the dough in the fan oven above the pre-heating oven).
Knead the dough a second time on a floured surface and then transfer it into the greased loaf tin. Leave it to rise in a warm place for a further 30 minutes.
Brush the top of the loaf with the remaining egg yolk and then bake for 30 minutes in the pre-heated oven. The top of the loaf should be golden brown and a skewer in the middle should come out clean.
Turn the loaf out and leave to cool on a wire rack.
Serve with cream or butter, and jam. It was delicious!

Thank you and see you in Bahrain! M + B