The past few weeks, Sundays have been for baking. And there’s a routine for Sunday Baking Days. First, I’ll fix a good breakfast and read something interesting/inspiring. Second, decide what tunes will fuel the baking process. I CAN NOT bake without music. Anybody else feel that way? In general, if it’s a sunny Sunday morning, I’ll go with classic rock. If it’s raining, I like something a little more laid back, like Ben Howard.
Once the Pandora station is going, I rummage through the pantry and refrigerator to figure out what will be thrown together. Baking is a great way to get rid of items you may have purchased for something in particular and then never thought about using again, or for ingredients that just come in larger-than-necessary quantities (unless you bake all the time). You know, items like dried cranberries, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, canned pumpkin leftover from fall, etc. It’s fun to just pull a bunch of things out of your pantry to create something fabulous. And you’ve accomplished two different tasks!
Anyways, Pear Coconut Bread is a new recipe for me but I’m very happy with the results. It is a healthier quick bread because of the White Whole Wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour and I reduced the amount of oil typically needed by adding Greek yogurt for moisture.
I highly suggest a cup of coffee to pair with your thick slice of Pear Coconut Bread. Yum…toasty coconut 🙂
Ingredients
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 cups White Whole Wheat Flour, sifted
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp. coconut extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pear
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Notes
Batter may be thicker than most quick breads, especially if the coconut oil starts to cool and return to a solid state. Coconut oil solidifies at about 76°F.