It has taken me three long tedious months to finally hunt down and make the most famous recipe of our tropical travels (a delicious city recipe coming soon too, I promise). Back in what feels like forever ago we were basking on the sandy shores of Maui sipping tropical drinks and sticking our toes into the bluest ocean I have ever seen and paused only to take a short day trip to Hana, where we saw incredible views like these. The somewhat treacherous road was populated with tiny fruit stands and big-ish shacks with large windows weary travelers could walk up to and find nourishment and rest from the overload of beauty — after all, one can only see so much salty ocean, mango skies, and green palm trees before one goes off the deep end wondering why the heck don’t we live here — and order things like banana bread, which this road is famous for. At the end of our journey, thinking we ate more banana bread than ever thought possible, we stopped again — I mean the sign made up stop, yeah — to try the only coconut bread found on the road to Hana.

Not being the biggest coconut fan, I let my husband do the devouring — and he did not disappoint — hearing mumbled praises for this coconut bread, Phyllis’s coconut bread. Oh, it’s so soft and moist, Ohmygah this is the best bread ever, Forget banana bread, this bread beats all were only a few of the many things coming from my husbands over stuffed mouth, which basically means, Meg, love of my life, please make me this coconut bread, I don’t think I can live without it. And so, I faithfully tracked down Phyllis, from across the other side of the world, and once we got past the whole “island time” stuff (us city folk don’t really know how to respond to this seemingly lackadaisical attitude) was finally sent the recipe to this most beloved bread. (See, I can be a good wife!)

The recipe was surprisingly easy, requiring very few ingredients, but my mind immediately interpreted melted butter as brown butter, and flaked coconut as toasted coconut, and here were are six loaves later (I won’t mention the in two days part, I don’t want you to think we are fatties or anything) I have tested every different way to make this — the original, with brown butter, with toasted coconut, with brown butter and toasted coconut, extra flavorings, more pineapple — and have finally decided that phyllis’s coconut bread should be kept as is, no wait, we liked the toasted coconut better, actually we loved the brown butter. Err, toasted and brown butter? I guess it doesn’t matter they are all fantastic.

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Phyllis’s Toasted Coconut Brown Butter Bread
Adapted from Phyllis in Hana Hawaii

Makes two 1 pound loaves, or one 2-pound loaf

After much debate, we finally decided that the toasted with brown butter slightly (very slightly) edged out the others, which is the recipe below. To make the original Phyllis coconut bread, do not toast the coconut, and do not brown the butter, just melt it.

1 1/2 stick of butter
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 cups flaked coconut, divided
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups pureed pineapple (pineapple chunks and their juice blended until smooth)
2 3/4 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Spread 1 cup of the coconut on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in oven until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes stirring every few minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

In a small sauce pan over medium heat cook butter until chestnut brown and smells nutty.

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine, brown butter and sugar and mix together. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Add remaining 1 cup coconut and vanilla. Mix thoroughly together. Add pineapple puree and beat until combined, scraping down bowl as needed. Add flour, baking powder and salt, mixing just until incorporated.

Grease a loaf pan with butter or Pam and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour batter into pan (or divide between pans if using a 1-pound loaf pan). Sprinkle with brown sugar, and then reserved toasted coconut. Loosely tent pan with foil, making sure there is plenty of room for the bread to rise. Bake for 45 – 60 minutes or until the loaf does not wobble. Let cool in pan for 20 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool until room temperature. Slice and serve.