Photo by Food Lorists
Sweet bread has long been a Trinidad favourite. It was so popular here in fact that there was even a comic strip named after it.
Recipe:
INGREDIENTS:
210g freshly-grated coconut
200g sugar
45g margarine
100g dried fruit (or candied peel), chopped
1/4 tsp salt
350g coarse-ground (counter) flour
1 tbsp active, dried, yeast
1 tbsp sugar
METHOD:
1. Add 1 tbsp sugar to 240ml warm water in a bowl, whisk in the yeast then cover and set aside to activate for 10 minutes.
2. After this time stir-in 2 tbsp of the flour and set aside for a further 20 minutes.
3. Combine the coconut, sugar, salt and margarine in a bowl.
Cream together then add the yeast mixture, flour and dried fruit and bring together as a dough.
4. Mix thoroughly then grease a bowl and knead the dough lightly before turning once in the bowl to cover with the oil.
5. Cover and set the dough aside in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
6. After this time knock the dough back then knead for 10 minutes before dividing the dough into two equal parts.
7. Place these in two greased loaf tins.
8. Cover and set aside to rise for about 80 minutes, or until doubled in volume.
9. Remove the covering and transfer to an oven pre-heated to 170ｰC and bake for about 45 minutes, or until lightly brown on top and the base of the loaf sound hollow when tapped.
10. Remove the bread from the oven, turn out onto a wire rack and glaze with a thick syrup.
Soca sensations Xtatik were originally called Pranasonic Express.
The name change occurred in 1989.