This is one of those breads that my mother never made but that always reminds me of home because of how many times I ate it on market day when we were in town. I hadn’t thought about it until a couple weeks ago when I came across a treasure trove of Belizean recipes online. They were posted on recipehound.com in some ancient format by a Belizean lady named Erleen Godfrey. Thanks to her, I made creole bread from scratch for the first time this week and it turned out wonderfully, puffing up in the oven and browning to a beautiful rich tone. Thank you Ms. Erleen, wherever you may be:).
Belizean creole bread would be a plain white bread were it not for the special secret ingredient: coconut milk, which transforms it into something fragrant and delicious, with a soft and airy crumb, easy to slice and even easier to eat; plain, or toasted with jam or butter or a slice of Dutch edam cheese. Back home us kids used to eat it with Unilever’s infamous Blue Band Margarine-the tinned margarine of the masses sold across the developing world. Creole bread would also make a great base for some fabulous coconut scented french toast or bread pudding. I have leftovers from my office Thanksgiving party and am looking forward to further experimentation.
(the amount you will need depends upon the humidity in your region. Here in DC I usually only use about 6 cups.)
Belizean Cuisine: Breakfast Style Johnny Cakes From Belize (recipe)
(I used canola oil this time but next time around I plan to use organic coconut oil to up the coconut flavour even more.)
*If you want to stick with tradition, make your coconut milk from scratch instead of buying it in a can: pierce the eye of a mature coconut with an ice pick and drain the coconut water into a pot. Then break open the nut with a hammer or heavy knife and remove and finely grate the coconut meat-you can use a heavy duty food processor for this. Heat up the coconut water to medium heat on the stove and mix the grated meat into it, then turn off the heat and let it stand for about 15 minutes, stirring and mashing around the grated meat so that the water turns milk-coloured and opaque. Then strain the whole shebang through a cloth. The resulting white liquid is the real deal-fresh coconut milk, always much superior to the canned stuff. If you put it in your fridge, coconut cream will rise to the top, which, when thoroughly chilled, can be whipped just like dairy cream. So one day, when you feel like doing something different, pick up one of those coconuts at the supermarket and give fresh coconut milk a try!
1. Proof the yeast. Mix together the 1/2 cup warm water, 2 tsp yeast, 2 tsp sugar and 2 tbsp of flour in a small bowl and set aside for 10 minutes.
Coconut Loaf Recipe
2. Warm milk, fat, sugar, and salt in the microwave for about 20 seconds-stir together and set aside. Don’t let the mixture boil, you just want to heat it up a bit. Sift 5 cups of flour into a large bowl.
3. Once the milk mixture has cooled enough that you can comfortably stick a finger in it, mix it into the yeast.
4. Add wet ingredients to the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. If sticky, add flour until you have a dough that you can knead.
Carrots Raisins Coconut Bread Recipe
5. Dust your counter with flour and knead the dough until smooth, about 5-8 minutes. If the dough becomes sticky as you knead just sprinkle with flour as required. You may have to add up to a cup of flour at this stage depending on the humidity of your kitchen.
6. Put in greased bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rise until double in size. Punch down and knead for two or three minutes. Make into two large or six small round balls. Place on a greased pan-let rise again, bake at 400 F/205 C for 30-35 minutes until the tops brown and the bottom of a loaf, when tapped, sounds hollow.Aesthetics aside, Belize stands out in another important respect: food. After all, the Creole diet can be as diverse as their genealogy. Breakfast is usually Johnny cakes or the always-lovable fry jacks. Rice and beans are virtually a daily occurrence (enjoyed by everyone, not just Creoles) alongside some kind of meat, like stewed chicken, fried fish, or even game meat, like peccary, deer, or gibnut. That’s almost always accompanied by fried, perfectly-caramelized fried ripe plantain; add in potato salad, and it’s a foolproof Sunday Dinner. But there’s a special place in the average Belizean’s diet for baked goods, specifically: Johnny Cakes, Powder Buns, Creole Bread, and Creole Bun. And now, you can learn how to make all four.
By 5 pm—at least in Belize City—corners of the neighborhoods are kept company by makeshift street-food stalls, thanks to (talented) home bakers. Still, warm baked goods are stacked tall in Belize, slightly steaming the walls of clear plastic containers they’re housed in, which rest heavily atop white plastic 4×4 folding tables. One of each, and a brown paper bag suddenly becomes laden with fragrantly-spiced Creole Bun bread, powder buns still crisp from the oven, buttery-rich Johnny cakes, and soft Creole bread. So soft, the Creole bread is still indented with the outline of a thumb from the quick grab—separated only by a thin napkin. Can’t make it to one of these corners in Belize? Try your hand at some of the best Belizean baked goods with the following recipes below, including Creole Bread, Powder Buns, Creole Bun, and Johnny Cakes.
Bow's Taste Of Belize
Pulling on Caribbean roots, Creole Bread would just be yet another plain white bread if it weren’t for the addition of fragrant, full-fat coconut milk. Lending to its richness and fat content without weighing down its crumb, Creole Bread is easy to eat still warm from the oven with absolutely nothing on it, with a pat of butter, or my favorite: with a healthy swipe of homemade Guava Jelly from Placencia Village. Pro tip: do as Belizeans do and slice this delicacy down vertically—not across.
Preheat oven to 400° Fahrenheit. Mix all ingredients and knead for about 8 to 10 minutes. Roll into a ball and place in a greased bowl to rise for 1 hour. Remove and knead for about 1 minute. Divide into 6 pieces and shape into rounds. Place on a well-greased baking sheet and flatten slightly. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Makes six (6) of 6″ round bread.
Again, because the Creole refers to a mixed-blood descendant of English log caters and African slaves from Jamaica brought to harvest Mahogany trees, the British domain still rules over Belizean cuisine even today. Afternoon tea is popular, with many paying homages to the British tradition—sometimes with the accompaniment of Powder Buns. They’re a cross between a biscuit and a British scone, with a fairly large crumb and crunchy exterior. And don’t get me wrong, they’re timidly sweet enough that having two for breakfast with coffee won’t land you any judge-y looks.
An Untraditional Bread
Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Sift flour and baking powder. Add sugar and nutmeg. Cut shortening into the flour mixture. Combine milk and vanilla, then fold into dry ingredients along with raisins. Roll into equal size balls and slightly flatten on a greased baking tray. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes approximately 12.
Everyone in Belize has their own slight variation of the Creole bun, spiced to family preference. It’s a soft yet dense bun, glazed thick with a sweet, sticky brown sugar simple syrup. It’s delicate in texture, with warm whispers of cinnamon and allspice. The aromas are so thick and palpable, that even the air is tempting. Rich with coconut milk, raisins dot its interiors, but that’s entirely up to you too.
Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. In a bowl, stir all dry ingredients until well combined, including yeast. Add the softened butter and using your hands or a pastry cutter, mix with dry ingredients until the butter pieces are pea-sized and the texture resembles wet sand. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, vanilla, and half of the warmed coconut milk until well incorporated. Reserve the remaining half of the warmed coconut milk on the side. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well, until the flour is combined. Add the remaining wet ingredients, little by little, until the dough is homogenous, without sticking to your hands or the bowl. If kneading by hand, the dough should come together in about 5 minutes as smooth, glossy, and slightly elastic. Here, add the raisins and knead just until they are well distributed.
Great Belizean Coconut Sugar Cakes Recipe • Our Big Escape
Oil the dough slightly with a neutral-flavored oil and let rest; the oil is done to prevent a dry ‘crust’. Cover with plastic wrap, or a kitchen towel, and place in a warm place for 2 hours, or when doubled in size. After, roll the dough into
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