Coconut turnover

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 gplain flour
• 100 gsugar
• 100 gbutter or shortening, cold
• 1egg
• 2 teaspoonsbaking powder
• 1/2 teaspoonsalt
• about 150 ml milk
• 1 teaspoonvanilla

Filling

• 300 gfresh coconut, grated
• or 250 g desiccated coconut
• 200 gbrown sugar
• 150 mlwater
• 1 teaspoonground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoongrated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoonvanilla
• a pinch of salt
• a few drops of red food colouring, optional

To finish

• 1egg, beaten, for brushing
• a little sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Soak it in warm water for ten minutes first. Dry coconut makes a dry filling. Crack a mature brown coconut open. Peel off the brown skin with a peeler. Grate the white flesh very finely. Put the grated coconut in a heavy pan.
2. Add the brown sugar and the water. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Set it over a steady medium heat. Cooking the filling takes patience. Bring it to a simmer and stir it. Let it cook for about twenty minutes.
3. Stir it regularly so it does not catch. It should be thick and sticky. Stir in the vanilla at the end. Add the colouring if you are using it. Tip it out onto a plate to cool. Let it cool completely before using it. Warm filling melts the butter in the dough. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
4. Add the cold butter in small cubes. Rub it in with your fingertips. Work until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Beat the egg with the milk and vanilla. Add it to the flour gradually.
5. Bring it together into a soft dough. It should be soft but not sticky. Add milk a spoonful at a time only. Too much makes it hard to handle. Knead it briefly to bring it together. Do not overwork it into a bread dough. Wrap it and rest it for thirty minutes. Rolling it out takes some effort.
6. Roll the dough out on a floured surface. Take it down to about four millimetres. Cut out large rounds with a bowl or cutter. Aim for about twelve centimetres across. Put a good spoonful of filling on one half. Leave a clear border around the edge. Do not overfill them or they burst. Brush the border with a little water. Fold the dough over into a half moon. Press the edges together firmly.
7. Press out any trapped air as you seal. Crimp the sealed edge with a fork. Set them on lined baking trays. Brush the tops with the beaten egg. Sprinkle a little sugar over them. Cut two small slits in each top. Baking them takes about twenty-five minutes. Heat the oven to 190C before baking.
8. Bake them for about twenty-five minutes. They should be golden brown all over. Lift one to check the underside. Let them cool at least to warm. The filling is extremely hot inside.

Technique

• The coconut is stewed with sugar and spice before it goes into the pastry, since raw coconut would stay dry and gritty.
• Some Barbadian bakers colour the filling pink or red, which is a common sight in island bakeries.

Substitutions

• Desiccated coconut soaked in warm water stands in for fresh grated coconut.
• Shortening in place of butter is what many bakeries use.

Variations

• Some bakers colour the filling pink and others leave it plain.
• A version made with guava or with pineapple filling is also sold.
• Sweet bread and rock cakes sit alongside them on the same counter.

History

A Barbadian bakery classic sold beside sweet bread and rock cakes since the colonial period.

Frequently asked questions

What is Coconut turnover?

Coconut turnover is a bread & pastry from Barbados: sweet dough turnover filled with grated coconut cooked in sugar and spice. A Barbadian bakery classic sold beside sweet bread and rock cakes since the colonial period.

How long does Coconut turnover take to make?

Coconut turnover takes 45 minutes plus resting of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 12 turnovers. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Coconut turnover?

Yes, within limits. Desiccated coconut soaked in warm water stands in for fresh grated coconut. Shortening in place of butter is what many bakeries use.

What is the most important thing to get right in Coconut turnover?

Bring it together into a soft dough. It should be soft but not sticky. Add milk a spoonful at a time only. Too much makes it hard to handle. Knead it briefly to bring it together. Do not overwork it into a bread dough. Wrap it and rest it for thirty minutes. Rolling it out takes some effort.