Recipe: Coconut Corn Bread (Boija)

This recipe is from St. Croix.

BOIJA-COCONUT CORN BREAD
Makes 2 9 inch loaves

2 1/4 ounce packets active dry yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups cornmeal
1 cup finely grated coconut
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup sweet butter, melted & cooled
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground all spice
1 tsp salt
water to mix

Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup lykewarm water. Pour into a mixing bowl and add 1/2 the flour to make a sponge. Cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place to rise until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Add all the rest of the ingredients & enough water, about 1 cup, to make a stiff batter, beating thoroughly with a wooden spoon to incorporate the sponge evenly. Pour into 2 greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pans. Cover loosely with a cloth & leave in a warm place to rise until double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hour. Bake in a 350 F oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the bread begins to shrink from the sides of the pan and the top is lightly browned. Let cool for a few minutes in the pan. Then, turn out on cake rack to complete cooling.