Toasted Coconut Pineapple Banana Bread

That name is a mouthful! But I didn't want to leave any of the key ingredients out so you would get the essence of how delicious this bread is. I was dreaming of getting away to a tropical destination last week and I also had sunday school snacks this past Sunday, so I decided to make some tropical bread. I made this on my freezer day and then just got it out the day before I wanted to serve it and let it thaw at room temperature. This bread was so wonderful! Moist, flavorful and fruity. A great alternative to your typical banana bread. I started with this recipe I found on Mrs. Regueiro's Plate and I added chopped pineapple, subbed in pecans for the walnuts and toasted the coconut that went into the batter. The toasted coconut really adds such a nice sweet and nutty flavor. This is great for breakfast, a snack or even dessert!

Banana-Walnut Coconut Bread
Source: adapted from Mrs. Regueiro's Plate who adapted it from Epicurious & seen on Joelen's Culinary Adventures

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2-3 very ripe bananas, mashed (1 cup)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1 cup pineapple, chopped (Approx. 8-10 oz.) (I used canned pineapple tidbits & cut each tidbit in half, but would work great with fresh pineapple too!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 4 x 8 inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess (or you can use the baking cooking spray as a shortcut). Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet. This extra insulation will keep the bottom of the bread from over baking.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1/2 cup of the coconut and toast until golden brown. Remove coconut from heat and place in a small bowl, allow to cool completely.

In that same large skillet, toast the pecans over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until you can begin to smell the nutty aroma. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together bananas, butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, pineapple, pecans and the 1/2 cup toasted coconut in a large bowl until combined well, then fold in flour mixture until flour is just moistened. Pour the batter in and sprinkle with remaining (Non-toasted) 1/4 cup coconut.

Bake for 1 hour. Transfer bread to a rack and cool slightly.