Trinidad Coconut Bake (Gluten Free)

Learn how to make this delicious Trinidadian coconut bake. This Caribbean flatbread is made from a combination of millet, sorghum flour and tapioca starch making it completely gluten free along with a few ingredients. Coconut bake makes the perfect side dish for both vegans and meat eaters.

**PLEASE NOTE THAT MY BREAD RECIPES, ARE HOT/WARM RECIPES, MEANING YOU WILL NEED TO SERVE THEM IMMEDIATELY OR THEY WILL BECOME DENSE WHEN COLD**

I love anything and just about everything that contains coconut, so I decided to share with you another favourite recipe on mine.

This one is straight out of Trinidad and Tobago, it's a super simple recipe that's not too complex at all considering it is gluten free.

You may have noticed that I have been slowly uploading more bread based recipes on my website using either my own flour blend or a combination of flour(s).

We can now add coconut bake to the equation, like always be sure to follow the recipe to the tee because remember gluten free recipes, don't behave the same way that conventional flour ones do.

As I always say, these type of recipes are very much foolproof but NOT 100% the same. For the open minded, this recipe is as close as I have got to the wheat based version.

What is coconut bake?

Coconut bake is a flatbread that is made from flour (usually wheat based), sugar, salt, butter, freshly grated coconut and coconut milk.

It is a leavened bread meaning either yeast or baking powder is used as a raising agent.

The dry ingredients are combined with the wet ingredients and knead into a dough. The dough is left to rest or prove depending on what rising agent is used.

When the dough is ready to be cooked, it is either rolled out and placed in a pan/pot/tray or pressed out and flatten by hand.

A fork is used to prick holes into the dough before it is cooked. The bake is cooked either on the stove top (pot bake) or in the oven (roast bake).

Coconut bake can be served alone with butter, cheese (vegan) or sliced and stuffed with fish i.e saltfish or stewed/curried meat.

Coconut bake is known as "dumb bread" in the Virgin Islands.

Gluten free coconut bake

As the recipe suggests my version of coconut bake is gluten free. As with all gluten free recipes especially bread ones, they do need some tweaking.

For this recipe I am using a combination of millet flour, tapioca starch and sorghum and added some psyllium husk and flaxseed too.

The psyllium husk is a crucial aspect of binding the flour, it basically helps to replace the "glue" that is missing from gluten free flour.

Unlike xanthan gum, psyllium husk plays it own role. It is extremely absorbant and elasticity which makes shaping the dough much easier and makes the texture of the bake softer.

As with all gluten free bread recipes, you get the best experience when serving it warm. 

I also prefer to use instant yeast along with baking powder when I am making coconut bake rather then just using one raising agent because this yields better results.

Granted this does involve resting the dough, but the waiting time is worth it.

Aside from those changes/additions the recipe is very much the same format as it is for wheat based flour.

I do prefer to use a stand mixer to knead the dough, I think it does a better job consistency wise when working with gluten free flour compared to kneading with your hands.

However, that doesn't mean you cannot make this recipe unless you have a stand mixer. Feel free to use your hands instead, if you want to.

Please be aware that this gluten free adaptation does not brown much, when baked it is still quite light (more like a light brown) in colour so keep a watchful on your bake in the oven.

Don't over bake it or it will be too dry/dense.

The steps

• Mix together ⅓ cup of the coconut milk with the psyllium husk and set aside. After a few minutes the mixture should congeal (use a teaspoon to help mix it into a paste).
• Add all of the dry ingredients to a bowl on a stand mixer with a dough hook.
• While the mixer is running on the lowest setting, add the psyllium husk.
• Add the liquid (combine the coconut milk with the melted vegan butter)  and increase the speed to medium-high until a pliable dough ball is formed (it should be smooth with a small amount of stickiness and not too dense) and continue to knead for another 2-3 minutes.

• Place the dough on a surface with lightly floured parchment paper.
• Roll out the dough into a giant circle to the thickness that you desire (I like mine quite thick so just over 1 inch works for me) and place on a lightly greased tray.
• Use a fork to prick holes into the dough and cover with some lightly oiled plastic wrap.
• Leave the dough to rest for about 30 minutes in a warm place.

• Preheat the oven at 356F/180C.
• Brush the top and sides of the dough with some water to eliminate any dry spots and to keep it dehydrated.
• Bake for roughly 20-30 minutes (depending on its thickness) or until slightly golden brown. Don't overcook the bake or it will be quite dense/dry.
• Once baked, immediately brush the coconut bake with vegan butter.

Notes and tips

• For best results, serve when it is still warm and straight out of the oven. The bread becomes quite dense as it gets cold so please be mindful of that.
• Keep in mind that gluten free bake won't brown as much and be light in colour (this is normal).
• The consistency of the dough once knead is very important for the end results. You want the dough to have the texture that is similar to bread making or dumpling dough.
• Add the liquid in increments, if you add too much, add 1tbsp at a time of tapioca starch to correct it, if it is too dry add a splash of coconut milk.
• You can make either one giant bake or 2 small ones.
• You can either roll out the dough to flatten/press it by hand onto a baking sheet.
• If possible use freshly grated coconut, however dried shredded coconut works fine too.
• I have only tried making the recipe with tapioca starch, millet and sorghum flour. If you do decide to deviate from the recipe you are doing so at your own risk.
• To re-heat the bake, wrap in aluminium foil to thoroughly heat through.

Recipes to pair your coconut bake with

• Saltfish and Cabbage
• Trinidad Stew Chicken
• Curry Goat
• Brown Stew Fish
• Dhal
• Buljol
• Curried Chickpeas
• Vegan Cheese

Roti recipes to try

• Gluten Free Roti (sada roti)
• Dhal Puri Roti

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