Thursday baking - feijoa coconut bread

As we bake our way through A Treasury of NZ Baking...

Here's a good recipe to make while feijoas (my favourite fruit) are around. I really liked this loaf, it had a delicious tropical flavour, and the texture from the cooconut took away that grittiness that feijoas can give to cakes. I didn't have quite enough feijoas - with my source not being a free one they are less than abundant around here - so I made up the difference with mashed banana. Feijoas have such a strong flavour I don't think it would have made too much difference, and I think I will make this next time as banana bread. There is an option to ice it but it really doesn't need it, a little icing sugar does the trick.

The recipe makes 2 huge loaves, so enjoy one now and perhaps pop one in the freezer for winter when you are missing feijoas...

feijoa coconut bread - week seven (Susan Fleischl)

460g flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3 eggs

420g castor sugar

330ml vegetable oil (I used 300ml and this was fine)

2 tbsp vanilla extract

125ml buttermilk (none in the fridge, so I used warmed milk with a squeeze of lemon juice)

1 1/2 c feijoas, peeled and mashed (I used 1 c feijoas and 1/2 c banana)

Preheat the oven to 170c. Line 2 large loaf tins with baking paper.

Combine dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl combine the eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla and milk until smooth.

Gently combine the two mixtures, then fold in the feijoa and coconut.

Bake for 50 minutes (mine took an hour) or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out.