Ingredients
Dough
- 500 gplain flour
- 7 ginstant yeast
- 50 gsugar
- 1½ tsp salt
- 250 mlcoconut milk, warmed
- 60 gbutter, melted
- 1egg
To finish
- more melted butter, for brushing
Directions
- Warm the coconut milk to blood heat and whisk in the yeast and sugar, then leave it for 10 minutes until it froths.
- Mix it into the flour and salt along with the egg and half the melted butter, then knead for 10 minutes until smooth and soft.
- Use full-fat coconut milk from a tin rather than a carton drink. The fat is what makes the bread soft and gives it the flavour it is named for.
- Cover and prove for about 1 hour, until doubled.
- Divide into eight and roll each piece into a round about 15 cm across.
- Brush the whole surface generously with melted butter, then fold the round in half, brush the top again, and fold once more.
- The butter between the folds is the entire trick. It stops the two halves welding together in the oven, so the baked bread opens cleanly into a pocket exactly the size of a patty.
- Set them on lined trays and prove for a further 30 minutes.
- Brush the tops with more butter.
- Bake at 190°C (375°F) for about 15 minutes, until pale golden. Do not let them brown hard, because coco bread should stay soft and pale.
- Brush with butter again straight out of the oven and cover them with a cloth, which steams them and keeps them soft.
- Split and fill with a hot beef patty, which is the classic Jamaican lunch and the reason the bread is shaped this way.
Technique
- Pale and soft is correct. A well-browned coco bread has been overbaked.
- It is folded before baking precisely so that it opens into a pocket, which is a piece of design rather than decoration.
- They freeze well and reheat in a low oven wrapped in foil.
Substitutions
- Coconut cream thinned with water if you only have cream.
- Margarine in place of butter, which is very widely used.
Variations
- Made slightly sweeter and eaten on its own with butter.
- With a little grated coconut worked into the dough.
- Made small, as rolls for a party.
History
Made with coconut milk and folded before baking so it opens into a pocket; pairing it with a patty is the classic Jamaican lunch.
Frequently asked questions
What is Coco bread?
Coco bread is a bread & pastry from Jamaica: soft folded coconut milk bread, wrapped around a hot patty. Made with coconut milk and folded before baking so it opens into a pocket; pairing it with a patty is the classic Jamaican lunch.
How long does Coco bread take to make?
Coco bread takes 20 min plus 1 hr 30 min rising of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 breads. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Coco bread?
Yes, within limits. Coconut cream thinned with water if you only have cream. Margarine in place of butter, which is very widely used.
What is the most important thing to get right in Coco bread?
Use full-fat coconut milk from a tin rather than a carton drink. The fat is what makes the bread soft and gives it the flavour it is named for.
