Pear and Raspberry Coconut Bread

There's nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked goods in your home and I LOVE baking but I haven't been able to do it lately since I've just been so busy with work. So it wasn't of any surprise that I had an urge to bake something. So, one afternoon I decided to make this pear and raspberry coconut bread as it's an old favourite in our household. Sometimes when I make this loaf bread, I like to slice it up then wrap the slices up individually in cling wrap before placing them all inside a zip lock bag and freezing them. I then thaw the slices by heating it in the microwave and it tastes as good as when first baked. It's great for all those times I'm craving for a nice morning or afternoon tea but can't be bothered to actually make it from scratch.

The secret to a soft, moist loaf bread is to not over mix the batter. Always gently fold the dry ingredients over and stir softly. NEVER stir the batter more than 15 times; count each turn of the spoon around the bowl as one, two, and so on. It is okay to have some lumps in the batter. The object is not to rid the batter of the lumps, but to not over mix. Hence you would NEVER use a hand mixer! This same principle applies to making muffins.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

200g can pears halves in fruit juice, drained
2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1 cup dessicated coconut
½ cup caster sugar, sifted
270ml light coconut milk
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup frozen raspberries

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a 9cm x 22cm (base) loaf pan with non-stick baking paper. Cut the pear into 2cm pieces.
2. Combine the flour, coconut and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk together the coconut milk, eggs and vanilla extract in a separate bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients then add the wet ingredients into the well and mix until just combined.
3. Gently stir in the pears and frozen raspberries- make sure you don't over mix. Spoon into the pan and smooth the surface. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Set aside for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

  

Notes & Tips

Frozen raspberries: Raspberries are a health super-food. They boost metabolism and help protect against cancer and heart disease. You can enjoy frozen raspberries all year round.

Vanilla extract: This has a more concentrated flavour of premium vanilla beans. It has a lower alcohol content, which makes it ideal for high temperatures. If you don't have vanilla extract, then use 1 tsp vanilla essence in this recipe.

Light coconut milk: Coconut milk is a great non-dairy alternative. Choose the light version to cut back on fat.