Lime coconut bread

It's the day after the day after Christmas.  It's the in between time of year.  The presents are unwrapped but the new year's resolutions yet to be made.  While the official festivities are over, you can't quite go back to your regular bowl of muesli just yet.  So here's the in between of the breakfasts - quite a bit more special than cereal or toast but not so elaborate it requires multiple bowls, cooking coordination or fancy ingredients.  And once it's made, all that's required over the next few days is slicing it up and popping it into the toaster. 

It rained in Sydney on Christmas Day this year.  I love the rain so that suited me fine.  But it meant that the bag of limes I had bought in anticipation of gin and tonics languished while long sleeves were donned and wine was poured.  The sun is out now but not before I swiped one to make this for the days ahead.  Despite the name, this loaf is somewhere in between itself - not quite bread, not quite cake.  But definitively delicious.

Lime coconut bread
Adapted from Bill Granger's Sydney Food

The original recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of cinnamon mixed in with the dry ingredients, and no lime so if you're in any way citrus averse, or just don't have a lime in the house, there's no need to miss out.


2 eggs
300ml (10 fl oz) milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 1/2 cups plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup caster (superfine) sugar
150g shredded coconut
75g (2 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, melted
1 lime

Preheat oven to 180 deg C / 350 deg F.

Lightly whisk eggs, milk and vanilla together.

Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl.  Add sugar, coconut, and the zest of the lime (don't throw out the lime after this - you'll use it for juice later) and stir to combine.  Make a well in the centre and gradually stir in the egg mixture until just combined.  Add melted butter and stir until the mixture is just smooth, being careful not to overmix.

Pour into greased and floured 21 x 10cm (8 1/2 x 4 inch) loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven for one hour, or until bread is cooked when tested with a skewer.

Leave in tin and squeeze over the juice from the zested lime.  Allow to cool for five minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve sliced, toasted and slathered with butter.