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Pan de Coco Recipe

Carrine Samantha Updated Filipino Kitchen

A soft and fluffy bread roll with a thick and sweet coconut filling usually made from fresh coconut meat.

Filipino Kitchen · Snack

Pan de Coco Recipe

A soft and fluffy bread roll with a thick and sweet coconut filling usually made from fresh coconut meat.

Prep
30 min
Cook
15 min
Total
1 hr 45 min
Yield
24 servings

Ingredients

Units

Method

  1. Let’s start by making the dough. In a large bowl, grab a sifter and sift together the flour and sugar. This helps to get rid of any lumps.

  2. Add the instant dry yeast to the bowl and give it a good mix.

  3. Pour in the lukewarm milk, vegetable oil, and salt. Take a wooden spoon or spatula and mix everything together until it forms a nice dough.

  4. It’s time to knead! Transfer the dough onto a flat surface and start kneading it for about 5 minutes. Remember not to add more flour, or your bread might end up too dense and crumbly. If the dough feels sticky, just apply a bit of oil to your hands to prevent it from sticking. If it feels too dry, add a little oil to the dough. As you continue kneading, the dough should become less sticky and easier to handle.

  5. Once you’re done kneading, place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with either plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Let it rise for around 30 minutes to an hour, or until it has almost doubled in size.

  6. While the dough is rising, let’s prepare the delicious filling. Grab a pan and combine the desiccated coconut, brown sugar, coconut milk, water, butter, and vanilla extract. Place it over low heat and bring it to a simmer.

  7. Keep an eye on the mixture and let it cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. If you prefer a more compact and sticky filling rather than a crumbly one, you can add 1 tablespoon of flour dissolved in 1/4 cup of milk after the liquid has been absorbed. Stir regularly and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the filling becomes thick and sticky. Once it’s done, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.

  8. Once the dough has risen, gently press it down to release the air. Transfer it to a flat surface and roll it into a log. Cut the log in half and roll each half again. Now, cut each log into two, and you’ll have a total of 24 pieces.

  9. Cover the dough pieces with a kitchen towel and let them rest for at least 3-5 minutes.

  10. Take one piece of dough and flatten it with the palm of your hand. Hold the flattened dough in the curve of your hand and spoon about 1 tablespoon of the coconut filling into the center. Pinch the corners together to fully enclose the filling.

  11. Arrange the filled dough pieces on a baking sheet, making sure to place them about 1 inch apart with the pinched side facing down.

  12. Grab a fork and gently poke small holes in the center of each filled dough. This will give them a nice texture. Cover the baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rest for another 20-30 minutes.

  13. Preheat your oven to 340°F (170°C). Once the dough has rested, place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

  14. After 10 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and brush the tops of the dough with an egg wash. This will give them a beautiful golden color. Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes or until the bread turns golden brown.

  15. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and let the bread cool slightly. Enjoy your delicious coconut-filled bread!

Pan de Coco Recipe – You will find that there is no shortage of bread recipes to try in Filipino cuisine. Bread is one of the most popular snacks in the Philippines and can vary from something savory to something sweet. If you are someone who likes buns or rolls with filling, there is a list of treats like munggo bread and pan de regla. For something on the sweet side, this is where you should try Pan de coco.

Pan de Coco is a soft bread roll filled with sweetened grated coconut meat. There are speculations on the origins of the bread roll but the name itself suggests its Spanish roots, as it originated from Central America, specifically Honduras, and was introduced to early Filipinos by Spanish settlers in the 1600s. However, it’s worth mentioning that the Honduran version of Pan de Coco differs from the Filipino iteration. In Honduras, the coconut flakes are incorporated into the dough itself, rather than being used as a filling.

The filling for Pan de coco is known as Bukayo. Bukayo is typically prepared by simmering freshly grated coconut meat in a mixture of water and muscovado or brown sugar until it transforms into a delicious caramel-like texture with chewy coconut shreds. Another way you can make the filling is by making what is called bocarillo. Bocarillo has a dry and crumbly consistency. Simply substitute desiccated coconut for freshly grated coconut. To enhance the flavor, rehydrate the desiccated coconut by mixing it with ½ cup of coconut milk. If coconut milk is unavailable, water can be used as a substitute. Having all this in mind, one pan de coco recipe you can use is as follows:

Additional Notes and Tips for a Pan de Coco Recipe

like with any bread recipe, there are different tips to making pan de coco. If you’re unsure about the freshness of your yeast, there’s a simple test you can perform before using it. Just dissolve a teaspoon of yeast in warm water mixed with a teaspoon of sugar. Allow it to sit for 3-5 minutes and observe the results. If you see a creamy foam forming, then your yeast is still good to go. When it comes to kneading dough, it’s important not to overdo it, as this can result in dry and hard bread. To check if your dough has been kneaded sufficiently, you can perform a windowpane test or a poke test.

When it comes to stuffing your bread rolls, be mindful not to press the dough too thin and avoid adding excessive filling. If the dough becomes too thin and the filling is too much, it may ooze out during baking. Lastly, before you pop your buns into the oven, remember to poke a few holes on top. This allows the steam from the coconut filling to escape and prevents the buns from puffing up unevenly or developing holes on their own.

Even with all this, not everyone gets it right on the first try. If your bread turned out dry, hard, or too dense, it might be due to over-kneaded dough. When using a mixer, it’s important to keep an eye on the dough’s texture. It should be smooth and elastic, neither dry nor too tacky. On the other hand, if your dough didn’t rise, it’s possible that the yeast is no longer active. These are just. Few notes to help you out.

For other sweet recipes, you should check out our Señorita Bread Recipe and Ube Cheese Pandesal Recipe. If you want to go for the classics, there is Pandesal. You can also check out other sweet recipes like our Kiwi Cheesecake Recipe. Otherwise, you can explore other variety of Filipino sweets like Bukayo and Suman Moron.

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