Coconut Banana Bread

The Daring Bakers’ February 2012 host was – Lis! Lisa stepped in last minute and challenged us to create a quick bread we could call our own. She supplied us with a base recipe and shared some recipes she loves from various websites and encouraged us to build upon them and create new flavor profiles. You can find the full challenge and photos of (almost) everyone's quick breads here.

"Quick bread is called just that as it doesn't require kneading or rising time." (Epicurious via Lis) As is one of the few things I manage to prepare quickly and it lets me pass off cake for breakfast, quick bread is definitely one of my favorite things to make. This Coconut Banana Bread is adapted from Orangette's Banana Bread with Chocolate and Cinnamon Sugar, which has been my starting point for banana-based bread since making it in 2007.

That said I always halve the sugar, skip the topping, swap half the unbleached all-purpose flour for whole wheat and add a little salt every time I make it...at the minimum...so it isn't that much like the original. But I still credit Molly for my ongoing obsession with banana bread. This time in addition to the usual changes, I  worked in some coconut, a touch of coconut oil and papaya thinking tropical would taste as good as it would feel in February.

Other than the banana overwhelming the papaya, this Coconut Banana Bread didn't disappoint. It is moist and dense with a subtle sweetness and a touch of a crunch from the coconut. Best of all you can almost feel virtuous eating it as the refined sugar and added fat are minimal and there is plenty of fiber. Temperatures upwards of 70 degrees Fahrenheit might still be a ways away but at least I have this bread to comfort me.

Coconut Banana Bread (with Papaya You Can't Taste :/) 
1 Ripe Banana
1 cup Diced Papaya (I'm pretty sure you could use another banana or two in place of the papaya as its flavor wasn't really present.)
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
3/4 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (like this reduced fat one that I use)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a mixing bowl, mash the banana and papaya well with a fork or the back of a spoon. Place the tablespoon of coconut oil in a 9 x 5 loaf pan and melt it in the microwave. Pour it into the bowl and use whatever remains to grease the pan.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the mixing bowl and stir to combine. Then add the flours, sugar, salt, baking soda and coconut. Stir to mix.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake approximately 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack until cool to the touch before serving (or it will stick to the bottom of the loaf pan and kind of fall apart...or at least that is how it worked for me after a mere 20 minute holding time.)