A Versatile Loaf

I really like the versatility of loaves. They are delicious warm, straight out of the oven, but I also love them toasted with yoghurt. I usually tend to slice up the whole loaf and then freeze it in a zip lock bag – that way you can take out one piece at a time. I love gingerbread loaf as part of a cheese platter with blue cheese and I have also used leftover banana loaf to make French toast.

This loaf is a toasted coconut and vanilla loaf. It was super easy to mix up and toasting the coconut really brings out the coconut flavour. The recipe uses a combination of vanilla extract and vanilla paste giving the lovely little flecks of vanilla seeds through the loaf. The recipe suggested serving the loaf with maple syrup and yoghurt, which I did and it was the perfect accompaniment.



My favourite meal is salmon and it is what I often cook if it is just the two of us for dinner on a Saturday night. This weekend was a fairly quiet one socially, so it was salmon for dinner on Saturday night. I cooked it quite simply, wrapping it in prosciutto and drizzling with balsamic vinegar and roasting. We had it with a very simple salad and crispy oven roasted potatoes.

Toasted Coconut & Vanilla Loaf (Allyson Gofton from Taste magazine)

100g butter
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp each vanilla extract and vanilla paste
2 eggs
2 c self raising flour
1 c thread coconut, toasted
1/2 c natural yoghurt
1/2 c milk

- cream butter, sugar and vanillas. Beat in eggs, one at a time
- fold in remaining ingredients and pour batter into a lined loaf tin
- bake at 180c for 45-55 minutes or until the blade of a thin knife comes out clean
- cool on a rack