Wednesday, June 30, 2010

The Canterbury Restaurant's Coconut Bread!

Before there was Longfellow's on Rt. 9P/Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs, the big beautiful barn was home to the Canterbury Restaurant.  It was much like its successor in appearance, except that the center wooden floor of the main dining room wasn't a floor at all.  In its previous incarnation, that space was a pond, with tables situated around the perimeter and indoor trees with little lights making a beautiful, park-like setting.  It was beautiful then, and it is beautiful now.  Longfellow's has lovely nooks and little rooms as well as larger dining areas. 

One of my favorite things at the Canterbury was their coconut bread.  Every table was graced with a little loaf upon seating, and it was incredibly popular because it was so moist and delicious.  I remember the Saratogian once printed the famous recipe.  Decades have passed and today I was trying to find my recipe.  It's lost in recipe never-land, so I asked and my friend Diane came through.  The recipe that follows is the original, and if you make it, you won't lose this recipe.  You'll keep it in a safe place forever.

CANTERBURY COCONUT BREAD
thanks to Diane Hinckley Loviza

1 cup toasted coconut (spread coconut on sheet pan, toast in 350 oven 15 minutes stirring often)

1 TBS baking powder
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg well beaten
3/4 cup sugar

Mix wet ingredients with dry, stir well. Spoon into a greased/floured 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pan

Bake 1 hour @ 350 or until cake tester comes out clean.
 
Image:  http://genaw.com/lowcarb/food_photos/coconut_bread_zoom.jpg

6 comments:

  1. Hi there,
    I just found your blog while doing a search for the Canterbury's coconut bread. For some reason I have been craving it recently. I went to Skidmore back in the '80s, and my parents used to take me there for dinner when they visited. At one time I had the recipe written on a little card, but it must have ended up in the same recipe never-land that claimed your copy as well.

    I can't wait to make this. Many thanks for sharing it.

    Cheers,
    Domenica M.

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  2. I was just making this tonight. I still have the recipe card they handed out at the restaurant! Canterbury House was an enchanting place.

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  3. Found your blog while googling for the Canterbury Bread Recipe which seemed less time consuming than remembering what 'safe place' I hid my copy. I'm your newest follower.

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    1. Hi Susan! Thanks so much for your comment. I so loved this bread and am grateful to have the recipe now, forever on the blog! Come back anytime - glad you're my newest follower!

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  4. Thank you for this! I attended Skidmore in the 80's and my husband proposed at the Canterbury. I came across a pack of matches from there which reminded me of the delicious bread... so happy to have found your blog!

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