I’ve had real deal Trinidad Sweet Bread several times
Direct off the plane from Barbados and from a local Bajan woman right here in New Jersey who makes her authentic recipe from her home country.
My recipe for Trinidad Sweet Bread uses slightly different ingredients than the authentic version
The traditional loaf uses candied fruit mix like green and red cherries and some raisins or currants.
But since I really don’t like candied fruits I decided to use cranberries, raisins and even some minced crystallized ginger!
Being very careful not to step on any Caribbean toes though, by putting my own twist on things.
But I was reassured by my Bajan friends that this bread can rival the real thing! Go ahead! try it!
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Notes for Success:
Standard loaf pan is the perfect size for this recipe
Using coconut water leftover from a can of coconut milk that has been separated from the fat when making vegan whipped cream!
It’s a great way to use up that extra water!
But if you do not have that just use plant milk instead!
Trinidad Sweet Bread
Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour 3 cups (375g)
- Cold Vegan Butter 8 Tablespoons (113g)
- Ground Cinnamon 1 teaspoon
- Ground Nutmeg ½ teaspoon
- Light Brown Sugar 1 cup (210g)
- Salt 1 teaspoon (5g)
- Baking Powder 3 teaspoons (15g)
- Orange Zest 1 teaspoon
- Lemon Zest 1 teaspoon
- Coconut Water or Plant Milk 1 cup (237ml) *see notes
- Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon
- Dried Fruit Mix (ex:: raisins, apricots, currants, cranberries) 1½ cup total
- Grated Coconut 1¼ cups
Instructions
- Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and spices together in a large mixing bowl
- Cut in the cold vegan butter with a pastry blender or a fork until it resembles course meal
- Add the zests, vanilla extract and coconut water and mix to a stiff, but sticky dough
- Add the fruits and the coconut and then knead it all by hand until it comes together
- Place the dough in a greased loaf pan and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 45 minutes or until it is golden browned and no longer raw on the inside
- Cool before turning out of the pan then slice and serve warm with vegan butter
First, thank you for appreciating that a certain reverence and respect must be shown for Caribbean food culture and traditions by not automatically claiming your version is completely authentic or the exact same as what one would get either in Trinidad or from my sweet Bim/Barbados. In Barbados the term sweet bread is used interchangeably with coconut bread and some Bajans, like myself, who are not fans of the raisins etc just leave them out completely and we also place a line of coconut (mixed with a hint of sugar, spices) in the centre of the bread so with every slice you get the extra yummy coconutty goodness in the middle as extra bonus.
This looks delicious and I’m eager to try this.
I just discovered your site and love it.
THANK YOU!
As a Trinidadian, thank you for referencing Trinidad’s sweet bread! It made me nostalgic, as I remembered my grandmother and mom, both now deceased, making loaves for us and other family members. The entire house would smell amazing and we always enjoyed it with a nice hot cup of tea! (We were under British rule at one time, so it’s always tea with cream and sugar!) It was our beautiful family tradition. I appreciate you sharing that you’ve changed it up a bit, and substituted some ingredients, to suit your taste, which also sounds delicious! I can’t wait to make some sweet bread! Thank you for taking me on a trip down memory lane!
Awe you’re welcome! I am sure my version can’t hold a candle to your family’s recipe but this was as close as I could get to the ones I would remember eating as soon as my friends got off the plane & back to NJ! I hope you love it too!