Bahamian Bimini Bread

A Heavenly Indulgence

Taste of Heaven, the local bakery in Bimini, Bahamas, across from the Bimini Big Game Club, has the best Bimini bread according to the locals I met during my quest for this slightly sweet, buttery white bread. They start the baking process at 4 am and by 8 am, when they open their doors, locals line up for their daily fix. If you happen to miss out at the bakery, Miss Barbara will fix you up! She bakes it right in the kitchen in her home. Ask any local where Miss Barbara’s house is and they will send you up to the little yellow house. Just knock on the door. This bread is literally “heavenly”! It is melt in your mouth good, light, buttery and slightly sweet and best enjoyed warm from the oven. It will melt any resistance you might have to this calorie-laden guilty pleasure! This is a “version” of the Bimini Bread recipe as the “real thing” is a closely guarded secret.

Ingredients

• 2-1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm coconut milk
• 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs, beaten lightly
• 3 to 4 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions

• Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm coconut milk in a mixing bowl.
• Let it stand for about 10 minutes.
• Add milk powder, sugar, salt, oil, eggs, honey, and butter, then mix well.
• Add the remaining coconut milk.
• Add the flour, about 1/2 cup at a time and mix, until the dough is cleanly pulling away from the sides of the mixing bowl.
• Knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Drizzle a bit of oil over the dough, coating the dough and sides of the bowl.
• Cover lightly with plastic and let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hours to double in size.
• Punch the dough down and form into 2 loaves or 12 small rolls.
• Place the loaves into 2 greased loaf pans or the rolls on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a cotton cloth and let it rise for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
• Bake the loaves for about 35 minutes or rolls about 25 minutes, until golden brown.