BBB: coconut for a tropical feel

And then there was summer in Holland yay!! A few weeks with real summer holiday weather, we had to wait until september, but it came (last hot day was only yesterday). So these buns I choose for our challenge this month, takes the summer vibe a little further. I didn't know that in advance of course, but it's just a happy coincidence. I took on another month of being Kitchen of the Month and didn't have a lot of time to find a more challenging recipe. It's quite an easy recipe, but the taste is good (as long as you're into coconut). I've changed the original recipe by doubling the amount of filling and added a pinch of cinnamon in it.
The way the shaping is in the recipe is a bit strange in my eyes, but you can do it your own way and make your own style. The long bun is a way to have some filling with each bite. Comments from my husband (he had one in his lunchbox): "that was good, like have dessert after lunch". Wanna bake some too and become our Bread Baking Buddy, knead, shape and bake, post and tell about your coconut adventure. Send your details to me (notitievanlien (at) gmail (dot) com) and I put the entries together in a round up and you'll receive the Bread Baking Buddy Badge to add to your post (if you want). Hope you feel like baking!! Deadline 29th of September. Happy Baking!

Coconut rolls

(makes 12)

(PRINT recipe)

dough

2 TBsp sugar

160 ml lukewarm water

2 tsp dry instant yeast

300 g bread flour

50 ml vegetable oil

3/4 tsp salt

filling

80 g + 2 TBsp dried, unsweetened, grated coconut

(or sweetened coconut, reducing the light brown sugar with 4 TBsp)

120 ml boiling water

150 g light brown sugar

4 TBsp corn starch

2 TBsp butter
pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Combine all the dough ingredients and stir them together. Knead the dough until smooth and souple. At first it’s very sticky, but after kneading it shouldn’t be very sticky anymore. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover and leave to rise fora bout 1½ hours or doubled in volume.

Now make the filling. When using dried coconut (80 g), it needs to soak in a bowl with boiling water. Leave soaking for 10-15 minutes.

Mix the cornstarch and sugar in a seperate little bowl before adding it to the coconut.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the coconut-sugar mixture and keep it on a low heat until it thickens, a few minutes. Keep stirring to avoid it burning.

Take it of the heat and leave to cool. When cooled, place in the fridge.

About 30 minutes before assembling the roll, take the filling out of the fridge.

Stir in the remaining 4 TBsp of coconut in. At first the filling might be a bit stiff, but a little stir will soften it enough. Set aside.

Divide the dough in two parts. Start with one piece, and roll it out into a rectangle of 30 x 16 cm. Now cut it lenght wise in two equal parts, so you have two long thin strips.

Place a quarter of the filling evenly over the middle of the strip. The filling should be fairly dry, don’t place wet filling on the dough.

Flip over one long side of the dough over the filling, then flip over the other side. The two sides should slightly overlap. Close the seam by pinching the dough together.

Turn the roll seam side down. Cut the roll in three equal parts. Push the filling back a little, so you can close the cut sides, so the filling is no longer to be seen and can’t leak out.

Adapted recipe with twice
the amount of filling and
a pinch of cinnamon

Original recipe
with half the amount of filling

Repeat with the other three strips (the one that you have rolled out and the two strips you make of the remaining dough). Place the rolls, 4 cm apart, on parchment paper placed on two baking sheets. Cover them with lightly greased plastic and leave to rise for 35-45 minutes. They are ready when a light indentation, you make with a finger, stays visible.

While the dough proofs you should preheat the oven to 190ºC.

Bake the rolls for about 15-18 minutes until they are golden brown.(If you bake on two sheets, exchange them after 8 minutes, so they bake evenly)

Let the rolls cool on a wire rack. Eat them luke warm or at room temperature.

(Adapted from: “De kunst van het bakken” – J. Alfort & N. Duguid)