This recipe for Copy Cat Trinidad Sweet Bread was created for two reasons.
#1 I wanted to recreate this coconut bread at home since my boyfriends family goes nuts for it!
Every time they go back to Barbados they bring home loaves and loaves!
But #2 I always have so much coconut water leftover from making Coconut Whipped Cream!
My version of this Trinidad favorite uses slightly different ingredients but the result is…ummm, the same?
Ok, Ok I won’t say that!
But it is delicious and I’ll just let you decide what you think of my Copy Cat Recipe for Trinidad Sweet Bread.
I’m not sure if you have ever tried the real thing, I have had it several times both direct off the plane from Barbados and from a local Bajan woman right here in New Jersey who makes her authentic recipe from her home country.
The traditional loaf uses candied fruit mix like green and red cherries and some raisins or currants.
But since I really don’t like candied cherries I decided to use cranberries, raisins and even some minced crystallized ginger!
I had to be careful of stepping on any Caribbean toes though, by putting my own twist on things.
But I was reassured by my Bajan friends that this bread can rival the real thing!
Go ahead! try it!
- All Purpose Flour 3 cups (375g)
- Cold Vegan Butter 8 Tablespoons (113g)
- Ground Cinnamon 1 teaspoon
- Ground Nutmeg 1 teaspoon
- Light Brown Sugar 1 cup (210g)
- Salt 1 teaspoon (5g)
- Baking Powder 3 teaspoons (15g)
- Orange Zest 1 teaspoon
- Lemon Zest 1 teaspoon
- Coconut Water 1 cup (237ml)
- Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon
- Dried Fruit Mix (for example: raisins, apricots, currants, cranberries) 1½ cup total
- Grated Coconut 2 cups
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and spices together in a large mixing bowl
- Cut in the cold vegan butter with a pastry blender or a fork until it resembles course meal
- Add the zests, vanilla extract and coconut water and mix to a stiff, but sticky dough
- Add the fruits and the coconut and then knead it all by hand until it comes together
- Place the dough in a greased loaf pan and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 minutes or until it is golden browned and no longer raw on the inside
- Cool before turning out of the pan then slice and serve warm with vegan butter
First, thank you for appreciating that a certain reverence and respect must be shown for Caribbean food culture and traditions by not automatically claiming your version is completely authentic or the exact same as what one would get either in Trinidad or from my sweet Bim/Barbados. In Barbados the term sweet bread is used interchangeably with coconut bread and some Bajans, like myself, who are not fans of the raisins etc just leave them out completely and we also place a line of coconut (mixed with a hint of sugar, spices) in the centre of the bread so with every slice you get the extra yummy coconutty goodness in the middle as extra bonus.