Pan de Coco

Pan de coco is a sweet bread rolls or buns filled with coconut brown sugar filling. They have a no-too-sweet yeasty bread taste with a nutty, salty-sweet coconutty center. These are great for breakfast, snacks, or even teatime. Growing up, I remember picking up a pack from the Asian markets and enjoying them as a snack with the family.

I tested this recipe thrice in a week with one batch being a milk bread with tangzhong. I didn’t find that the added steps were needed. A simple yeast dough works beautifully and still yields soft, fluffy rolls. My additional notes are below.

Notes:

• Flour – I used King Arthur all-purpose flour. Bread flour would work in this recipe as well. Flour with a higher protein content like bread flour will give you a better rise but will be chewier.
• Yeast – I used instant yeast, but active dry yeast will work as well. Instant yeast doesn’t require proofing and can be added directly into the dry ingredients. Over the years, production of the active dry yeast has changed, and I use them almost interchangeably. I have a jar of active dry yeast in the fridge for my baking projects.

• Dough – I found the best way to get the softest and fluffiest rolls was to not overwork the dough. Use a greased work surface so there isn’t any additional flour that will cause the dough to become denser. Don’t use a rolling pin. The dough is cut, stretched, and shaped by hand. The batch that I tested with the rolling pin was the densest and least enjoyable of the batches and it had less flour than this final batch.
• Rise – time for your dough to rise will vary depending on temperature and other conditions. Let the dough rise in a warm place, around 75℉ to 85℉. The first rise should be until the dough has doubled in size and second rise is until the rolls have puffed up. You’re better off keeping an eye on it than timing it.

Pan de Coco

Yields: 15 rolls
Time: 2.5 hours

Dough:
4 ¼ cup (~545g) all-purpose flour
1 packet (7g) instant yeast
1/3 cup (75g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (237 ml) whole milk, warmed to ~105℉
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil for greasing
Egg wash – 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water

Coconut Filling:
2 cups (100g) unsweetened coconut flakes
¾ cups (150g) brown sugar, lightly packed
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons water

1. To prepare the dough, in the bowl of a stand mixer, add flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Stir to combine. Then add the eggs and vanilla extract, if using. Assemble the dough hook and turn the mixer on low.
2. Slowly add the warm milk into the bowl and mix until combined. Next add softened butter to the dough mixture. The dough may appear to be broken but use a spatula to scrape the bowl and continue to mix until all the butter has been incorporated, about 2 minutes. Turn the mixer up to medium speed and let it knead for an additional 8 minutes or so. The top of the dough should feel tacky to the touch, but the bottom may feel a little sticky and that’s okay.
3. Grease a large bowl. Transfer the dough into the bowl, turning it once to coat the dough in the oil that is in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Place the bowl in a warm spot in the kitchen and let the dough rise until it doubles in size, which may take an hour or two, depending on the temperature of the room and other conditions.
4. While the dough rises, prepare the filling by heating the brown sugar, salt, and water in a pan over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the coconut flakes into the sugar mixture and stir until the liquid has evaporated. Remove the filling from the heat and let the filling cool completely before using it.
5. Once the dough has doubled, turn onto a greased work surface. Cut the dough into 15 pieces. Work the dough by gently pulling or stretching the edges of each piece of dough so that the dough is large enough to fill. Place about a tablespoon’s worth of coconut filling in the center of the dough and fold the edges over the filling to encase it. Shape the dough into round bun-like shape. Place the filled dough on a parchment lined or greased baking sheet about an inch apart. Repeat until you have used all of the dough and filling.
6. Cover the baking sheet loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let the rolls rise again for another 45 minutes or until they have puffed up slightly.
7. Preheat an oven to 350℉. Brush the top of the rolls with egg wash. Bake the rolls for about 22-25 minutes or until they are golden brown to brown.
8. Let the rolls cool on the pan for a few minutes. The steam will help with natural release from the baking sheet if not using parchment paper. Then using a spatula transfer onto a cooling rack and cool completely.
9. Enjoy!