2015 National Festival of Breads Finalist
Ronna Farley, Rockville, Maryland

“I developed this unique bread recipe especially for this contest using ingredients that I like together. The result is very tasty bread with a delicious almond and coconut topping!”

Yield: 3 loaves, 16 servings each.

Ingredients

2 ¼ cups (18 ounces) warm water (110°-115°F)
2 (¼ ounce) packages RED STAR® Active Dry Yeast
2 ¼ cups (18 ounces) warm unsweetened coconut milk (110°-115°F)
2/3 cup (4 ½ ounce) firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup (4 ½ ounces) honey
1 tablespoon (½ ounce) coconut flavoring or extract
4 ¾ cups (21 ounces) King Arthur Premium 100% Whole Wheat Flour 
1 ½ tablespoons (¾ ounce) salt
4 ½ to 4 ¾ cups (19 to 20 ¼ ounces) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour 
1 cup (4 ½ ounces) coarsely chopped almonds
1 cup (3 ½ ounces) sweetened shredded coconut

Topping

1 large egg 
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons (¾ ounce) coarsely chopped almonds
3 tablespoons (¾ ounce) sweetened shredded coconut

Directions

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle, stir together water, yeast, and coconut milk. Wait 5 to 10 minutes for mixture to foam (proof). Add brown sugar, butter, honey, and coconut flavoring; mix 2 minutes.
2. Stir in whole wheat flour, salt, and enough bread flour to make a soft dough; mix 3 minutes and scrape bowl.
3. Replace the paddle with the dough hook and knead on medium-low speed for 8 minutes, kneading in almonds and coconut. Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, turning once to coat. Cover, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
4. Spray three 8 ½” x 4 ½” loaf pans with no-stick coconut oil cooking spray. Gently deflate dough, and transfer to a lightly floured work surface.  Divide dough into thirds. Shape into loaves by rolling each into a 14” x 7” rectangle. Starting with shorter side, roll up tightly, pressing dough into roll. Pinch edges and ends to seal.
5. Place in pans and cover with lightly sprayed plastic wrap and allow to rise 30 to 40 minutes. Near the end of the rise, preheat oven to 350°F.
6. Whisk together egg and water and lightly brush each loaf with egg wash. Combine almonds and coconut; sprinkle on top.
7. Bake 40 to 45 minutes. Tent with aluminum foil after 25 minutes to prevent over-browning. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of loaf should register about 200°F. Remove loaves from oven, and after 5 minutes turn out onto a rack to cool.

Nutrition Information Per Serving (1 slice, 62g): 180 calories, 7g fat, 2g fiber, 4g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 25g carbohydrates, 10mg cholesterol, 230mg sodium, 4g protein, 0mg vitamin C, 2mg iron, 19mg calcium.

Baker's Bio

To view Ronna Farley's finalist bio click here.