Ingredients
Dough
- 500 gplain flour
- 80 gsugar
- 7 ginstant yeast
- 1 tspsalt
- 200 mlwarm milk
- 2eggs
- 80 gbutter, melted
- 1 tspvanilla
Coconut filling
- 300 gdesiccated or freshly grated coconut
- 250 gsugar
- 150 mlwater
- 1 tspred food colouring
- 1 tspground cinnamon
- ½ tspgrated nutmeg
- 1 tspvanilla or almond essence
- 50 gbutter
To glaze
- 1egg, beaten
- 2 tbspsugar dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water
To serve
- with tea
- or with cheese
Directions
- Make the filling first and let it cool completely. Put the sugar and water in a pan and dissolve over a low heat, then add the colouring. Add the colouring to the syrup rather than to the coconut, which colours it far more evenly. Add the coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter and cook over a medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Cook it until it is thick and just holding together, and stop while it is still moist. Cooked until dry it sets hard inside the roll and turns to a solid seam; too wet and it leaks out at the ends. Stir in the vanilla and cool it completely. The filling must be cold before it goes near the dough, or it melts the butter and the roll will not hold its spiral.
- Mix the flour, sugar, yeast and salt, then work in the warm milk, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Knead for 10 minutes until soft, smooth and slightly tacky. Keep the dough soft. This is an enriched sweet bread and a stiff dough bakes dense.
- Prove for 1 hour 30 minutes until doubled. Roll each piece into a rectangle about 30 by 25 cm and 5 mm thick. Roll it thin and even, because a thick sheet gives a bready roll where the spiral is lost.
- Spread the cold coconut filling evenly over each rectangle, leaving a clear 2 cm border along one long edge. That bare border is what seals the roll, and filling right to the edge means the seam never closes. Spread it right to the other three edges, though, so the spiral runs all the way through. Roll it tight with no air gaps, because trapped air expands in the oven and blows the spiral apart.
- Pinch the seam closed firmly and tuck the ends underneath. Set each roll seam side down on a lined tray. Prove a further 40 minutes until visibly puffed. Brush the rolls with beaten egg to glaze. Bake at 180°C (355°F) for 25 to 30 minutes until deep golden.
- Cover loosely with foil if the top browns before the middle is done. Now brush the hot rolls with the sugar syrup the moment they come out of the oven. Cool them completely before cutting, or the spiral collapses under the knife. Cut it into thick slices with a serrated knife, sawing gently. The cut face should show a clean red spiral through pale sweet bread.
Technique
- Freshly grated coconut gives a moister filling than desiccated.
- Some bakeries colour it pink rather than deep red, and both are seen.
- It is a fixture of Guyanese bakeries at home and in diaspora communities.
Substitutions
- Desiccated coconut soaked briefly in warm water.
- Beetroot powder for colour, if you would rather avoid food dye.
Variations
- Made without colouring, which is a plain coconut roll.
- With raisins through the filling.
- Made as individual buns rather than long rolls.
History
A Guyanese bakery classic also called red cake, sold beside pine tarts and cheese rolls.
Frequently asked questions
What is Salara?
Salara is a bread & pastry from Guyana: sweet bread roll spiralled with red-dyed sweetened coconut. A Guyanese bakery classic also called red cake, sold beside pine tarts and cheese rolls.
How long does Salara take to make?
Salara takes 40 min plus 2 hr rising of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 rolls. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Salara?
Yes, within limits. Desiccated coconut soaked briefly in warm water. Beetroot powder for colour, if you would rather avoid food dye.
What is the most important thing to get right in Salara?
Make the filling first and let it cool completely. Put the sugar and water in a pan and dissolve over a low heat, then add the colouring. Add the colouring to the syrup rather than to the coconut, which colours it far more evenly. Add the coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter and cook over a medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes.
