I followed a pretty basic recipe and subbed the butter for coconut oil. The result was light and fluffy and had a nice coconut-y flavor to it. I didn't add any nuts or shredded coconut, but you could, and I bet it would be delicious.
The recipe called for a loaf pan. Since I apparently don't own a loaf pan and I had twice the bananas to get rid of, I doubled the recipe and put it in a 8"x11". I wouldn't necessarily recommend doing that. But it turned out pretty tasty anyway. So I'm just posting the original measurements.
[Coconut] Banana Bread
Makes one 9"x5" loaf pan
Original recipe from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
1/2 c coconut oil
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas, mashed until smooth
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease your loaf pan.
Mix dry ingredients. In a food processor or blender, beat the coconut oil and eggs, then mix in the bananas. Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients just enough to combine (it's okay if it's a little lumpy). Gently stir in vanilla (and nuts or shredded coconut, if you'd like).
Pour batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45 to 60 minutes, until nicely browned. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out fairly clean, but because of the bananas this bread will remain moister than most. Do not overcook. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from pan.
I can't wait to experiment some more with coconut oil. I hear it's great on bitter greens. As always, I'll let you know how it goes.
