[Note: Unsweetened coconut is available frozen, or you can grate fresh coconut. Fully thaw the frozen coconut and make sure it is at room temperature so you don’t shock the yeast.]
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3 1/2 –4 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
Scant 3/4 cup unsweetened, grated coconut
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (stirred/mixed well)
3 tablespoons shortening, melted
Stir yeast and sugar into the warm water and set aside to proof.
In a stand mixer, mix flour and salt together. Add the yeast mixture, coconut, coconut milk and shortening. Stir until the dough becomes a shaggy mass. (You also can mix with your hands.)
Dust dough with about 1/4 cup flour. Using a dough hook (or your hands), knead dough until it is soft and elastic, adding flour about 1/4 cup at a time as needed until the dough is tacky but does not stick to your hands. Form the dough into a ball, transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm spot. It will take about an hour for it to double in size.
Punch down the dough and divide, forming into oblongs to fit two greased loaf pans. Set aside again and let rise until doubled in size, 45 minutes to an hour. Bake in a preheated, 350-degree oven for 35–45 minutes, or until the tops are a deep, golden brown. Remove from pans immediately and let cool on racks — if the loaves don’t disappear the second they come out of the oven.
Three Points Kitchen 
Thank you so much for posting this, making it brings back childhood memory’s. however for some reason my bread isn’t browning. I’m going to keep at it, but do you know off hand what I might be doing wrong? Thanks again
Hi Olivia,
I love this bread, too!
As for browning, is your oven temperature true? Or did you try cranking the oven up to 375 degrees? The other option is trust your nose and leave it in until it starts to smell bready and awesome!
Good luck!
K
Hi Olivia,
I love this bread, too!
As for browning, is your oven temperature true? Or did you try cranking it up to 375 degrees? The other option is trust your nose and leave it in the oven longer, until it starts to smell bready and awesome!
Good luck!
K
Can I use coconut oil or butter instead of the shortening ?
Hi Jazmin,
Butter would be fine — but not cocoa butter, which does not have the same leavening properties (eg, would not help the the bread rise, build a nice crumb, etc.) Cocoa butter is too heavy and melts more slowly than butter/shortening.
Enjoy!
K
For the browning I cover the dough with egg, just before putting it in the oven, take a brush and slightly cover the dough with the mixture of plain egg.
good evening thanks for this recipe I did it an it came out good the only things is I will set my owens
to 375 so it came out goldy color