Pan De Coco

Pan de Coco is a Filipino soft stuffed bread roll, stuffed with mixture made with desiccated coconut, sugar, coconut milk, vanilla and salt. the bread is made with all purpose flour, warm milk, sugar, yeast and oil and has been coated with a egg and milk mixture before baking. Follow our recipe to make this soft and tansy bread in your home.

What are coconuts to the Philippines?

The coconut production in the Philippines remains as one of the most important crops to export. Aside from the fruit, other products such as coconut oil, palm oil, coconut water and coconut milk, many parts of the coconut tree are used, from the leaves as ‘packaging’ or plates, to the trunk used for fire and other furniture, and even the husk as a cleaning tool. The Coconut tree truly remains the ‘tree of life’ because of the significant gains you can produce with it.

There really is an underlying factor to how much the coconut tree remains incorporated in any way of life in the Philippines, from seeing them grow at coconut plantation or beaches, from being in the drink and food options from small to big businesses and grocery stores. The Coconut holds a major key in every Filipinoes life.

Pan de Coco history

Pan de Coco literally translates to “coconut bread”, Pan de Coco has a long history with its fellow ‘tinapay’ counterparts like pandesal, Spanish bread, ensaymada, pan de regla, and more. Spaniards brought in most bread ingredients during their colonization, and while may believe that the Pan de Coco originated from Spain, the Pan de Coco bread we know today in the Philippines came from Central America, Honduras brought over in the 1600’s by the Spaniards, which has then been re-created to suit Filipino taste.

This Pinoy Favorite buttery coconut filled buns have been around for more than 400 years. Made with the usual bread dough similar to most Filipino breads, bread flour, all purpose flour, sugar, milk, butter or oil, all mixed and kneaded into a smooth soft dough, risen, sliced to pieces and filled with a desiccated coconut ‘paste’ made from heating milk and sugar, with a hint of vanilla and salt, and cups of desiccated coconut. The filling then added to the middle of the dough, rolled and molded into a circle, baked to a golden brown cooled on a rack. Ready to be placed on the bakery window or on your plate.

Perfect for breakfast, dessert or any time of the day! Enjoy this with a freshly brewed cup of coffee!

Pan De Coco

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Course: Filipino Recipes, Pastry

Yields

20

pieces

A sweet & fluffy coconut bread

Ingredients

• Dough

• 1 teaspoon white sugar

• 2 teaspoons yeast

• 1 1/3 cup warm milk

• 4 cups all purpose flour (extra for dusting)

• ¾ cup white sugar

• ½ cup oil

• Filling

• 2 cups desiccated coconut

• 2/ 3 cup brown sugar

• 1 cup milk or coconut milk

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ½ tablespoon vanilla (optional)

• Egg Wash

• 1 large egg

• 1 tablespoon water or milk

Directions

• For the dough, mix together sugar, yeast, and 1/3 cup milk. Set this aside for 10 minutes.
• In another bowl, mix together flour and sugar. Add the yeast mixture, milk and oil. Keep mixing till it forms a shaggy dough.
• Place the dough on a smooth surface dusted with flour, knead, adding flour and kneading repeatedly till the dough turns smooth and less sticky, or it bounces back when poked.
• Place this in an oil greased bowl, cover and let it rise for an 1 hour & 30 minutes or till it doubles in size.
• While waiting, prepare the filling; in a pan at medium heat and add milk and brown sugar. Stirring till the sugar has dissolved. Take this out of the heat and add the desiccated coconut, salt and vanilla. Mix well and set aside to cool.
• Punch the dough and cut this to 20- 22 pieces. Or use a weighing scale to make equal pieces of 45 – 50 grams.
• Stretch the sides of a ball of dough, or use a rolling pin to flatten. Add 1 – 2 tablespoons of fillings, tug the corners towards the middle, pinching this to seal. Use your hands to roll this into a ball.
• Repeat for the other dough balls, placing these on a baking tray. Cover these for 1 hour.
• Mix the egg and water or milk to create the egg wash, before placing the bread in the oven; lightly brush the egg wash over these to create a nice brown shell when it’s baked.
• Bake the bread in a 190°C or 375°F preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes.
• Let these cool slightly before taking it out and cooling over a rack or serve this immediately.

Recipe Video

Notes

• You can use the remaining filling as a sandwich filling or on your next batch of Pan de Coco. Just make sure to keep this in a sealed container in the fridge. This can last in the fridge for a week to a month.
• If you find the dough hard to handle when molding it into a ball. Dust the surface, rolling pin or your hands with more flour. You can also use a silicon mat to get a smoother looking top.
• Use freshly grated coconut with coconut milk for the filling to give it a stronger and more aromatic taste.

Pan de Coco Recipe (tagalog):

Paano Lutuin:

1. Para sa masa, haluin ang asukal, yeast, at 1/3 tasa ng gatas. Itabi ito ng 10 na minuto.
2. Sa ibang mangkok, haluin ang harina at putting asukal. Dagdagan ng ginawang yeast na halo, gatas at mantika. Haluin hanggang pakaporma ng masa.
3. Ilagay ang masa sa makinis na paibabawan, wisikan ng harina, masahin ito, lagyan ng harina at imasa ng paulit ulit hanggang kuminis ang itsura nito at di na ito gaanong madikit, obumabalik ito sa porma kahit sundukin.
4. Ilugar to sa mangkok na nagrasa ng mantika, takpan at iwanan ng 1 oras at 30 na minuto, o hanggang dumoble ng sukat.
5. Habang naghihintay, ihanda ang palaman, sa kawali na nasa kalan ng may katamtamang init, initin ang gatas at asukal, haluin hanggang matunaw ang asukal. Tangalin ito sa inint, dagdagan ng desiccated coconut, asin at vanilla. Haluin ng maigi at itabi para palamigin.
6. Tangalan ito ng hangin at hatiin ng 20 – 22 na piraso, o gumamit ng pangtimbang para makakuha ng 45 o 50 na gramo na mga bola.
7. Ihila ang bola ng masa o gumamit ng rodilyo para patagin, dagdagan ng 1 – 2 kutsarang palaman, at ihila ang mga gilid papunta sa gitna, kurotin para matakpan ito at gamitin ang mga kamay para ma pormahan ng pabilog.
8. Ulitin ito para sa ibang mga bola, ilipat ang mga ito sa baking trey, takpan ng 1 oras.
9. Haluin ang itlog at tubig o gatas para magawa ang egg wash, ipahid ito sa mga tinapay bago ipasok sa oben, para magawa ang kayumanggi nitong kulay sa labas.
10. Ihurno sa 190°C or 375°F na oben ng 18 o 20 na minuto.
11. Palamigin sa rack o patungan pago kainin o I handa habang mainit pa.