Pandan Coconut Bread (Vegan + GF)
Perfectly sweet, with a soft and moist crumb, this pandan coconut bread is infused with fresh pandan leaves and rich coconut milk for floral notes and a hint of nuttiness. Bonus: it's gluten-free and can be made without any refined sugar!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 ml) full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) maple syrup
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) neutral oil or melted coconut oil
- 8 (57 g) large pandan leaves (or replace them with 1/2 teaspoon of pandan extract)
- 1 cup (96 g) almond flour
- 3/4 cup (115 g) buckwheat flour
- 1/2 cup (60 g) rice flour
- 1/4 cup (30 g) tapioca starch
- 1 tbsp (7 g) coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to
350 °F (175°C). - Blend the pandan leaves. Add the full-fat coconut milk, maple syrup, and oil to a blender. Use a pair of scissors to slice the pandan leaves into 2-inch (5 cm) slices. Add them to the blender and blend on high speed for about 1 minute. Let it sit for about 5 minutes so the liquid can absorb the flavor of the pandan leaves.
- Strain the pandan milk. Next, strain the liquid through a fine-sieve mesh to remove the pandan “pulp” and discard it. You now have your pandan-flavored liquid mixture!
- Whisk together the dry ingredients. To a large mixing bowl, add the almond flour, buckwheat flour, rice flour, tapioca starch, coconut sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones. Pour the liquid pandan mixture into the dry ingredients bowl. Mix using a wooden spoon until it forms a smooth and thick batter. It should have the consistency of a thick pancake batter.
- Transfer to a loaf pan. Line an 8×4-inch (20x10 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper. Next, pour the batter into the pan.Tip: If you want your bread to crack evenly across the center, I've got a tip for you! Dip a spatula in oil and then gently draw a line lengthwise across the top of the batter. It doesn't have to be very deep, just 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) is enough. Alternatively, you can pipe a very thin line of softened butter down the middle of the cake.
- Cover with foil. Loosely cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil. This will prevent the top from browning too quickly.
- Bake. Bake the bread covered with the foil for 15 minutes. Then, carefully remove the foil and continue baking for another 25-27 minutes or until the top looks slightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let it cool. Let the bread cool for at least 15 minutes before removing it from the pan.
- You can store this bread for up to 3 days at room temperature, either in an airtight container or wrapped in cling film.
Notes
Adjust the sweetness to your liking.
As I mentioned previously, this bread has a mild sweetness. If you prefer it sweeter, feel free to add an extra 2-4 tablespoons of sugar. Just avoid adding more maple syrup, as this would alter the consistency of the batter.Cover loosely with foil.
To prevent your bread from browning too quickly on top, it's essential to cover it loosely with foil during the first 15 to 20 minutes of baking. I also suggest baking it in the lower rack of your oven. Otherwise, the top will brown too much and will end up tasting bitter.Do not overbake.
Make sure you don't overbake the bread. You still want it soft and moist and not too golden brown on the edges. I found a total of about 40 minutes to be just right, but you might have to adjust the baking time slightly depending on your oven.Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 264 kcal | Carbohydrates: 34.1 g | Protein: 3.6 g | Fat: 13.8 g | Saturated Fat: 4.5 g | Sodium: 36 mg | Potassium: 135 mg | Fiber: 1.9 g | Sugar: 19.7 g | Calcium: 51 mg | Iron: 1 mg
