Recipe: Bread, a Symbolic Kitchen Essential
/On a recent trip to Easter Island, I learned about mana. Mana is the cultural and ancestral spirit that the Rapa Nui believe the moai (the famous statues) protected and embodied. One of the best ways I can translate mana is “life bread”, the essential nourishment and encapsulation of the lessons and beliefs that guide us as individuals. As I reflected back on that trip and some of the essential pieces of my life, my families bread recipe became that symbol for me.
Some of my first memories in the kitchen are with my mom and aunt watching them knead, roll and shape bread. I was blessed to grow up in a home where fresh baked bread straight from the oven was a staple. While the bread recipe below is simple it runs deep through the veins of my family and I look forward to sharing it for many years to come. I believe a basic bread recipe is an essential for anyone who loves the kitchen.
I love the simplicity of this recipe and how easily you can add to, or change any of the ingredients to make something a little different. If you’re not a fan of coconut, I can assure you the taste doesn’t come through in the bread. The reason we use coconut milk is because coconuts are abundant on the Bay Islands of Honduras where my mother’s family is from and they have been using freshly made coconut milk and oil long before it became a popular item in the health food world. One of my favorite alternatives is to swap the sugar for honey and add dried fruit or spices. This recipe will make two loaves, a dozen large rolls or two dozen small rolls.
Ingredients:
1 package or 2-¼ teaspoons yeast
1-¼ cups coconut milk
½ stick of butter or ¼ cup coconut oil
¼ cup sugar
4 cups all-purpose or bread flour
¼ teaspoon sea salt
Method:
Warm the coconut milk.
Combine the yeast and sugar and stir gently to dissolve with the warmed coconut milk; let the mixture sit for 10 minutes or until the yeast is fully activated.
Add the flour, salt and butter to the yeast mixture and work together until it forms into a ball. Add additional coconut milk to help bring the mixture together if needed. (While I have a great stand mixer that does the work beautifully, I still love to get my hands in this mixture.)
Once the mixture has formed into a ball, transfer the mixture to a well floured surface and begin to knead the dough.
Knead the dough for 10 to 15 minutes. Complete the ‘windowpane test’, to test if your bread is kneaded enough. Take a small piece of dough and stretch the dough out as thin as you can; if the dough is ready you should be able to stretch it out just thin enough to see through without it tearing.
Place the dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a bread cloth. Allow dough to rest and proof, at room temperature, for 1 to 2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.
Knock the air out the dough, divide into even pieces, shape and place into baking pans.
Allow bread to rest again for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 °F.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the size and shape of the dough, until the bread is golden brown.
