- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 2 cups grated unsweetened fresh coconut (from 1 coconut, see Notes)
- ¾ cup dark raisins
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup milk, plus additional if necessary
- 2 large eggs, well beaten
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon rose water (available at specialty markets and some pharmacies)
- Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350°. Lightly butter two 8- by 4-inch loaf pans. Dust the pans with flour, and knock out the excess.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Stir in the coconut and raisins. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk, eggs, vanilla and almond extracts, and rose water. Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients to make a soft biscuit-like dough. (The exact amount of milk depends on the moistness of the coconut. Stir in additional milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary.) Divide the dough evenly between the two prepared loaf pans, smoothing the tops.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool the loaves for 10 minutes on a wire cake rack. Then invert them onto the rack, unmold, and allow to cool completely.