Pan De Coco

Pan de coco, also known as coconut bread in English, is a rich sweet roll with a coconut filling. It is an inexpensive snack sold in the local bakeries.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 3 ¹⁄₂ cups of flour
• ³⁄₄ cups of warm water
• 2 ¹⁄₄ teaspoon of yeast
• 2 ¹⁄₄ teaspoon of salt
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• ¹⁄₄ cup of soft brown sugar
• ¹⁄₄ cup of melted butter

Filling:

• 1 cup of dried coconut flakes
• 2 tablespoons of butter, melted
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon of vanilla extract

Procedure:

1. Combine the yeast and water together in a large bowl.
2. Stir briefly until it is well blended then let is sit for a minute or two until the yeast begins to form bubbles.
3. Now add the eggs, butter and sugar to the mixing.
4. Then add the flour and salt to the mixing bowl.
5. Using your hands, gently mix the ingredients until they are well blended, but do not knead.
6. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise for at least an hour or until it doubles in size.
7. While the dough is resting you can prepare your filling.
8. Place all filling ingredients in a sauce pan over medium-low heat.
9. Let this simmer until the liquid is reduced to a thick consistency.
10. Remove this from the heat and set it aside so it can cool.
11. Now back to the dough.
12. After the hour has passed, punch the dough in the middle to let air escape.
13. Then lightly dust the dough with flour so it won’t be too sticky to handle.
14. Pinch a lime sized piece of dough and flatten it by hand on a lightly dusted flat surface.
15. Take 2 tablespoons of the filling and put it in the middle of the flattened dough.
16. Pull up all the edges of the dough around the filling in the middle, then pinch the dough at the point where the edges come together and twist to seal it.
17. Place the ball of dough, pinched side down, on a greased baking sheet.
18. Do the same procedure with the remaining dough and filling.
19. Leave a 1/2 inch spaces between each ball of dough.
20. Set the filled dough in a warm place to rise for another 30 minutes.
21. About 5 minutes before the dough finishes rising, preheat the oven to 350°.
22. Bake the dough for 15 minutes or until top of the buns becomes golden brown.
23. When the buns are done, remove them from the oven and let them rest for about 5 minutes before serving.