Pan de coco

Ingredients

Dough

• 600 gplain flour
• 400 mlthick coconut milk, warm
• 80 gsugar
• 7 ginstant yeast
• 1 tspsalt
• 1egg
• 60 gbutter or coconut oil, melted

Optional

• 100 ggrated fresh coconut
• 1 tspvanilla

To finish

• 1egg, beaten, to glaze
• a little coconut milk, to brush

To serve

• warm, with fried fish or sopa de caracol

Directions

1. Use thick full-fat coconut milk, and if you can make it fresh from grated coconut, it is noticeably better. Warm the coconut milk to blood temperature, no hotter. Coconut milk splits and goes oily if it is overheated, so warm it gently and take it off the heat early.
2. Mix the flour, sugar, yeast and salt, then work in the warm coconut milk, the egg and the melted butter. Add the grated coconut now if you are using it, which gives more texture and a stronger flavour.
3. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough is soft, smooth and slightly tacky. Keep it soft. This is an enriched dough and a stiff one bakes into a dense heavy roll.
4. Prove in a warm place for 1 hour 30 minutes until doubled. It rises more slowly than a lean dough because of the fat, so give it the time it needs rather than the time on the clock.
5. Roll each into a tight ball and set them well apart on lined trays. Roll them smooth with the seam underneath, which gives a clean domed roll. Prove a further 40 minutes until visibly puffy and light. Brush with beaten egg, or with coconut milk for a softer, paler finish.
6. Bake at 180°C (355°F) for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Do not overbake them. Brush the tops with a little more coconut milk as they come out of the oven.
7. Cover them with a cloth as they cool, which traps the steam and softens them further. Eat them warm, torn open, on their own or alongside fried fish.

Technique

• They stale within a day and are best on the morning they are baked.
• Some bakers add a little grated coconut for texture and some keep the dough plain.
• Coconut oil in place of butter makes them dairy-free and is traditional.

Substitutions

• Tinned coconut milk, which is what most people use.
• Coconut oil in place of butter.

Variations

• With grated coconut worked through the dough.
• Made sweeter, as a dessert roll.
• Made into one large loaf rather than rolls.

History

A Garifuna bread of the north coast, traditionally baked by women who carry basketfuls through beach towns from Tela to Trujillo.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pan de coco?

Pan de coco is a bread & pastry from Honduras: soft coconut milk bread rolls sold warm by the roadside. A Garifuna bread of the north coast, traditionally baked by women who carry basketfuls through beach towns from Tela to Trujillo.

How long does Pan de coco take to make?

Pan de coco takes 30 min plus 2 hr rising of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 12 rolls. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Pan de coco?

Yes, within limits. Tinned coconut milk, which is what most people use. Coconut oil in place of butter.

What is the most important thing to get right in Pan de coco?

Prove in a warm place for 1 hour 30 minutes until doubled. It rises more slowly than a lean dough because of the fat, so give it the time it needs rather than the time on the clock.