Coconut Bake by Ms. Sharon in Charlotteville, Trinidad & Tobago | In De Kitchen

Summary

In this video, Sharon Eastman, owner of the restaurant 'Sharon and Phibes,' takes viewers through the process of making her famous coconut bake. She shares her traditional method using grated coconut, butter, salt, sugar, baking powder, yeast, and powdered milk. Sharon emphasizes the importance of mixing with warm water and kneading the dough to a soft, velvety texture. She recalls the nostalgic practice of baking over firewood and demonstrates how to roll and bake the dough. The video concludes with the finished coconut bake, rich in flavor and fiber from real coconut husks.

Takeaways

• 👩‍🍳 Sharon Eastman Benjamin introduces herself and her restaurant, Sharon and Phibes.
• 🥥 The recipe focuses on making traditional coconut bake with grated coconut and coconut husk for added fiber.
• 🧈 Sharon adds a quarter stick of butter, a teaspoon of salt, a tablespoon of sugar, and a tablespoon of baking powder to the mix.
• 🥛 She also uses powdered milk and a little yeast for better texture and flavor.
• 🌡️ Warm (not hot) water is used to help activate the yeast and blend the ingredients.
• ✋ Sharon prefers to mix the dough with one hand, keeping the other hand clean until needed.
• 🌾 It's important to mix the dough until it's soft and velvety, without leaving excess flour in the pan.
• ⏳ After kneading, the dough rests for about 10 minutes before baking.
• 🔥 The bake is cooked in the oven for around 25 minutes at a preheated temperature.
• 🍞 The finished product is a coconut bake with visible bits of coconut husk, adding texture and fiber.

Q & A

What is Sharon Eastman Benjamin's restaurant name?

Her restaurant is named Sharon and Phibes.

What dish is Sharon preparing in the video?

Sharon is preparing coconut bake.

What ingredients does Sharon use for her coconut bake?

Sharon uses flour, grated coconut, butter, salt, sugar, baking powder, yeast, and powdered milk.

What type of coconut does Sharon prefer for her bake?

Sharon prefers using grated coconut along with some coconut husk for extra fiber.

What is the purpose of using warm water in the recipe?

Warm water is used to activate the raising agent (yeast) and help in mixing the ingredients.

How long does Sharon bake the coconut bake?

Sharon bakes the coconut bake for about 25 minutes.

What traditional method of baking does Sharon mention?

Sharon mentions that traditionally, coconut bake was roasted with firewood, with fire on top and below.

What is Sharon’s technique for mixing the dough?

Sharon mixes the dough with one hand and uses her other hand later to finish the mixing. She also ensures no flour is left in the pan.

Why does Sharon mention the presence of black specks in the dough?

The black specks are not poppy seeds but pieces of grated coconut husk, which provide fiber.

What does Sharon use to roll out the dough?

Sharon rolls out the dough in a pan, flattening it before putting it in the oven.

Outlines

00:00

🍞 Introduction to Sharon's Coconut Bake Recipe

Sharon Eastman-Benjamin introduces herself and her restaurant, 'Sharon and Phibes,' located in Charlottesville. She welcomes viewers into her kitchen and demonstrates the preparation of coconut bake, a traditional dish. She begins by mixing flour, grated coconut (using the coconut husk), butter, salt, sugar, baking powder, yeast, and powdered milk. Sharon emphasizes using warm (not hot) water to mix the ingredients and explains how the raising agents work with warm water. This section highlights her use of a retro enamel cup for measurements and her long-standing tradition of preparing coconut bake.

05:06

🍴 Kneading and Rolling the Dough for Coconut Bake

Sharon continues the preparation by kneading the dough and discussing the importance of using one hand to mix it, keeping the process clean and efficient. She shares childhood memories of her mother teaching her to bake, emphasizing the importance of a clean pan after mixing. Once the dough is mixed, it’s set to rest for 10 minutes before being placed in the oven. Sharon bakes the coconut bake for approximately 25 minutes. She also describes the texture of the dough, which should be soft and velvety, rather than hard.

🍽 Rolling and Final Preparations for Baking

In this segment, Sharon moves on to rolling the dough for easier handling and explains the convenience of rolling it directly onto the baking sheet. She shares how she uses larger sheets for bigger bakes, while smaller bakes are prepared on the countertop. Sharon highlights the presence of coconut husk fibers, which resemble poppy seeds, but provide fiber content to the bake. The dough is now ready to be placed in the oven, and she shows the finished product, describing it as a beautifully baked coconut creation.

Keywords

💡Coconut Bake

Coconut bake refers to a traditional Caribbean bread made using grated coconut, flour, and other ingredients. In the video, the presenter explains how she prepares the dough using grated coconut, butter, salt, sugar, and yeast, among other ingredients, showcasing how coconut bake is a special part of her culinary traditions.

💡Grated Coconut

Grated coconut is shredded coconut flesh, which is a crucial ingredient in the coconut bake recipe. The video emphasizes the use of fresh grated coconut, including the husk for added fiber, which contributes to the unique texture and flavor of the bake.

💡Butter

Butter is a fat used in the dough mixture to add richness and flavor to the coconut bake. The presenter measures a 'quart of butter' and explains that it helps create a softer, more flavorful texture for the finished bread.

💡Baking Powder

Baking powder is a leavening agent used to help the dough rise. In the video, the presenter mentions adding a tablespoon of baking powder to her mix, which helps the bake become light and fluffy when cooked.

💡Yeast

Yeast is another leavening agent that aids in the rising of the dough. In the video, a small amount of yeast is added, which works with the warm water to boost the dough’s ability to rise, contributing to the soft texture of the coconut bake.

💡Lukewarm Water

Lukewarm water is used in the recipe to activate the yeast and mix the dough. The presenter emphasizes the importance of using warm, not hot, water to ensure the yeast functions correctly, which is a crucial step in achieving the right dough consistency.

💡Fiber

Fiber refers to the dietary material from plant sources that aids in digestion. The presenter points out that the grated coconut husk in the bake contributes fiber, making the bake not only flavorful but also beneficial for digestion.

💡Roast Bake

Roast bake is a traditional Caribbean cooking method where the bake is cooked over firewood, with heat applied from both above and below. The presenter reminisces about how bakes used to be roasted on firewood in the past, highlighting a nostalgic connection to traditional cooking methods.

💡Mixing Technique

Mixing technique refers to the process of blending the ingredients to create the dough. The presenter describes how she uses one hand to mix the dough and ensures no flour is left in the pan, a practice learned from her mother. This careful technique results in a soft, smooth dough.

💡Tradition

Tradition in this context refers to the long-standing culinary practices passed down through generations. The video emphasizes the presenter’s adherence to traditional methods, such as using grated coconut husk and remembering how bakes were once cooked on firewood, preserving the cultural heritage of the dish.

Highlights

Introduction to Sharon Eastman Benjamin's kitchen and her restaurant 'Sharon and Phibes'.

Preparing coconut bake using grated coconut, butter, salt, sugar, baking powder, and yeast.

Sharon uses a retro enamel cup for measurement, a personal tradition.

She mixes the ingredients with warm water, emphasizing that the water should not be hot.

Explanation of the raising agent being boosted by using lukewarm water.

Sharon prefers coconut bake over plain or whole wheat versions, emphasizing its traditional value.

Description of historical methods where coconut bake was roasted on firewood with fire on top and below.

Sharon uses only one hand to mix the dough, a skill she developed no matter the amount of flour.

Coconut bake must be soft and velvety; Sharon dislikes a hard texture.

Sharon’s mother taught her that no flour should remain in the pan after mixing, symbolizing cleanliness and skill.

The bake sets for 10 minutes before being placed in the oven.

The bake is rolled out, flattened, and placed on a baking sheet for easier handling.

The black specks seen in the bake are not poppy seeds, but coconut husk for added fiber.

Sharon’s famous coconut bake is described as a fiber-rich, traditional treat with grated coconut husk.

The bake is placed in the oven, and Sharon showcases the finished product, emphasizing its soft texture.

Transcripts

so this is the finished product

so i'm going i'm putting it in over now

okay dogs

in the oven

[Music]

good day my name is sharon eastman

benjamin originally from charlottesville

my restaurant name is sharon and phibes

i want to welcome you to my kitchen

so i'm going to make some coconut bake

okay i put my flour in

normally when i when i'm making coconut

baker doesn't make it with just the milk

only

i make it with the raw fridge

the husk we call this so that is what

creates great grated coconut this is

grated coconut

so i put

like a quart a quart like a butter stick

a quart of butter

i put a teaspoon

of salt

a tablespoon of sugar

i put a tablespoon of baking powder

and a tablespoon

and a and a bit

of a teaspoon a little bit of yeast

put some powdered milk in it i like to

mix my coconut beak with

a little powder milk

and i'm starting

to do the mixing i normally mix with

warm

not hot

warm

[Music]

hot water warm lukewarm

so this is my

retro enamel cup that i normally use all

the time this from like my measurement

so i'm going and work it in very nicely

all right so this is like what you would

totally do yeah this is what i normally

do yes

and i'm making

yes fresh baked fresh baked

so mix it with the warm water

that that it will you know you know

the raising agent will be you know

boost up

[Music]

[Music]

[Music]

fry bake roast bake

some people do plain baked

or they do put some whole wheat or

whatever but i like to make

coconut bake

it's so you know it's a it's a tradition

long ago you used to make

when you made bake you put your bake you

roast it on the firewood

fire on top and fire below some people

still do it

[Music]

right

so you put a little flour in it

[Music]

and normally normally i'm a one hand

mixer

no matter how many pounds of flour

i use i mix it in with one hand and then

the other

when i'm ready to

tools so you know you have to put a

little flower

to

kind of

i don't like to meet my big

hard

must be soft

and velvety

right so i take my other hand

before when we were growing up as

children when my mom used to teach us to

make me she always said

she'd never like to see no flour

after you mix no floss not supposed to

be in your pan

your pan must be clean and nice

even when we're making dumplings

the pan must be clean and nice

you see now i use the other hand

[Music]

[Music]

and this bake will set for like 10

minutes

after

after finished mix

and we put it in the oven

[Music]

where we normally be i normally bake

a good

not

over and i normally bake it for like

25 minutes

here's the big finish rest

so i'm going in

put it in

okay i'm

kneading it over

forget to roll it

flatten it out

make it easier for me for no set of

greasy fingers

and make it even easier for me i put it

on there

on the sheet

and i roll

so this is sharon's kitchen

so

i'm rolling the flour

flatten it out to put it in the oven the

oven is all ready

heat it up

so i love to roll it in the pan make it

easier to live in one pillar to the

other

if it's small bake we'll use it on the

countertop

but big big we put them in the sheet one

time

[Music]

so this is my famous coconut bake

so you see the little

black things inside of it look like

poppy seed this is not poppy seeds

this is

real coconut

great

and put the coconut some of the coconut

husk in it

so we see you have a good fiber

so this is the finished product

so i'm going to put it in the oven now

in the oven

[Music]

very nice big big this is the finished

product

[Music]

you