Pani Popo delicious Samoan Coconut buns made with fresh coconut and coconut milk and sugar, great as breakfast or dessert.
I am curious about international cuisine, and love to try them whenever I get a chance.There are some dishes that you just can’t go to the local restaurant and try; you have to make it to get a taste of it. Yes I saw this recipe in King Arthur flour blog the first time. When I saw it, I like it very much and planned to make it. But it stayed in my plans for a long time. Finally I got time this weekend I made it, we loved it.
Samoa is group of Islands in South Pacific Ocean. It comprises two jurisdictions, the independent country of Samoa in the western half of the islands, and the territory of American Samoa comprising the islands to the east. The two regions are separated by 64 km of ocean. Just like any other food culture, their also includes lot of locally available ingredients like, coconut, breadfruit, taro and other root vegetables, fish, lobster and chicken etc. If you want read more from here .
If you are interested know more about Samoan food then this site will be a good. I have a weakness to coconut and its derivatives, and love to try whenever I get a chance. Pani Popo (in Samoa, pani means buns and popo means coconut). Buns are baked with coconut milk sauce and the resulting baked buns have a coconut milk dunked bottom side. And it tastes great. I read lot of recipes and watched this you tube video.
Basically it is sweet milk buns dunked with coconut milk. I adapted the recipe from My kitchen snippets, also from King Arthur flour site and used both All-purpose flour and bread flour to prevent them from being extra chewy. I used a slightly increased the amount of yeast, water and sugar. Coconut milk sauce was made with equal parts of coconut milk and water and sugar to taste according this recipe. For sweetness I used powdered sugar as I found the recipe of King Arthur flour using cornstarch in the coconut milk. Since powdered sugar/ confectioners’ sugar contains cornstarch, I used 3 tablespoon of powdered sugar for ½ cup of coconut milk. You can increase the amount of sugar if you want a really sugary bun. I baked buns with sweetened coconut sprinkled on the top, even though it is not in traditional recipe.
These buns will be good with mixed vegetable stew. My hubby enjoyed it with spicy pickle. While both me and princess enjoyed it as such. I love it, and I am going to make more often. Try this when get hold of a can of coconut milk or you make fresh coconut milk at home.
I found that measuring everything in the kitchen aid stand mixer bowl seems to be easy. Measure flour, yeast, salt, sugar, then warm the milk and add butter in it so that it will melt easily. Gradually add milk and butter mixture to the flour mixture and form smooth dough. Add water if necessary. Set aside in a slightly greased bowl for first rise. It takes about 90 minutes at room temperature.
Once dough doubles in volume punch down, transfer to work bench and cut into 8 equal pieces. Grease a cake tin and set aside. Make balls out each piece by squashing the bottom to form a perfect round and place it in grease cake tin. Set aside for second rise.
At end of the rising time pre heat the oven to 350 F. Make coconut milk sauce by mixing equal parts of coconut milk and water and add 3 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar. Slightly warm it in microwave for uniform mixing.
When you are ready for baking, pour coconut milk sauce all over the raised buns. Sprinkle the top of buns with sweetened coconut.
And bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown or it register internal temperature of 190F.
Serve warm with coconut milk dunked part on top.
If you have any left overs for next day slightly warm before serving. Serve extra dose of coconut sauce if you want.
Pani Popo: Samoan Coconut Milk Buns
Pani Popo Samoan Coconut buns made with fresh coconut and coconut milk
Servings: 8 buns
Calories: 205kcal
Ingredients
- For bun
- 1 cup 160g Bread flour
- 1 cup 141 g All purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Instant yeast
- ½ tablespoon 8g Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ¾ cup 171g Warm Milk
- 1 ½ tablespoon Water
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon of sweetened coconut
- For Sauce
- ½ cup thick coconut milk
- ½ cup water
- 3 tablespoon of confectioners sugar or powdered sugar
Instructions
- If you are using active dry yeast you need to proof the yeast with milk and sugar. I used instant yeast so skipped that part.
- Heat milk in microwave safe bowl to 30 seconds or it reaches lukewarm temperature. In the warm milk add butter so that it melts and set aside.
- In bowl of kitchenaid stand mixer add in the 2 cups of flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Mix and knead the dough milk and water for form a smooth dough.
- Transfer the dough to lightly greased bowl for double in size, it takes about 90 minutes.
- Prepare and grease an a round baking pan and set aside.
- Once the dough is doubled in size remove from bowl and divide it into 8 round balls. Place them in the baking pan, cover and let it rest again until double in size.
- In the meantime, make coconut milk sauce by mixing the coconut milk with water and 3 tablespoon of confectioners sugar and set aside. ( if you want you can slightly warm the coconut milk in microwave for about 15 seconds for uniform mixing of sugar)
- By the end of second rising, preheat the oven to 350F.
- when you are ready to bake, pour the sauce all over the buns and sprinkle the sweetened coconut over the buns and bake for about 30 minutes or they become golden brown color and register the internal temperature of 190 F.
- Serve warm with upside down, that is coconut sauce side on the top
- It is delicious.
Notes
You can add more coconut .
Nutrition
Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 81IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @nidhinikhil or tag #zestysouthindiankitchenrecipes!
This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread. All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.
Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez says
I love the sound of these buns, Swathi! They look so tender and addicting. And for some reason they make me think of Spring, so I make make them next Easter...they sound just right. Thanks so much for adding them to the BYOB bread basket this month =)
Ameya says
Hi Swathi! It's been a while 🙂 These coconut buns look so tasty, great for breakfast or a snack. Hope all is well!
Sadaf Afshan says
At first it looked like honyeycomb buns to me (a family favourite) but on reading further I found it to be a very different recipe. I'm sure it must be delicious.
tadkapasta says
These buns sound and look so good, Swathi! I'm not usually for of sweet buns but these just might be an exception
Archana says
Amazing! love these buns.
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The 21st Century Housewife© says
I love the sound of these lovely Samoan Coconut buns and they look so tasty too! What a lovely recipe; thank you for sharing it, Swathi!
Rebecca Subbiah says
wow these look divine and love your passion for conquering the world in your kitchen
Hema says
Awesome Swathi, have to try this out..
Lizzy Do says
Oh, these must taste wonderful! So moist...and the coconut must give an amazing flavor! Beautifully done~
Renata says
Looks wonderful and sounds delicious!
rahul says
Wow cool and unique thing here I found.
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Zoe says
These buns looks very moist and fragrant. I'm imagining the soaking up of the coconut sauce onto these buns... Yum!
Balvinder Ubi says
They look great with coconut in it. I almost stopped doing yeast baking after going gluten free but I want to slowly catch up again.
Connie of My Discovery of Bread says
Hi Swathi, today I just dried 1 kg of fresh coconut in the oven. I enjoyed your recipe of these buns. They look delicious. I love your step-by-step pics.
Ramya says
Coconut is my weakness too! Loved the milk soaked bread!! Yummmm
Shabbu says
yummy and nice preparation..
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radha says
Fabulous. Bookmarking for future use.
Divya Pramil says
Looks so soft and flavorful!! must be too good..I love coconut too!!
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Candace says
We are huge coconut lovers here. Those look so good. I'm still "yeast phobic" and have yet to make anything using it. My husband is completely comfortable with doing that so I'm going to pass this recipe to him and hope that he makes some for me. 🙂
Reeni Pisano says
I am a coconut lover too Swathi! These buns sound incredibly delicious! Putting them on my list of recipes to make.
Julie says
wow,fabulous & yummy ..bookmarked,love the coconut flavor!!
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Shailaja Reddy says
Tempting & mouthwatering. Thanks for sharing step by step pics.
ANU says
very nice and yummy!
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lata raja says
I am bookmarking this Swathi. Lovely bread.
lata raja says
I am bookmarking this!
Mely says
Oh, mine! this look so delicious, Swathi. King arthur website is also my go to place to get reliable recipes for yeast breads but never saw this recipe. It must taste so yummy with the coconut.
I am taking this recipe with me, thank you for sharing.
Mely
Elisabeth says
Love the name...Pani Popo...so utterly cute, but mostly delicious. Also love the step-by-step photos instructions, as always! A definite keeper for me to try this yummy soft sweet bread rolls!
Suja Manoj says
I am going to try this, seriously it is awesome,great recipe.
kitchen queen says
lovely yummy soft buns with an awesome presentation.
Treatntrick Treat and Trick says
What a beautiful and yummy bread!
mjskit says
These rolls look delicious! I LOVE the addition of the sweetened coconut! This is a keeper!
Navaneetham Krishnan says
Fabulous and more fabulous. I can't take my eyes of the pics. You really can bake greatly and these buns are gosh!!! Seem cannot find more words to describe.
divya says
I am drooling here seeing your picture..Very appealing..
Premalatha Aravindhan says
Oh my god am drooling here,luks so perfect and yum...
Vijayalakshmi Dharmaraj says
very different akka... bookmarked it... thanks for sharing...looks so yumm...
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Guru Uru says
They look more ish my friend I would love to try a delicious bun like this!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Priya R says
Swathi this is so yummy and looks perfect. I think i can have them all, like you I also have a soft-corner for coconut and love your write-ups, too patient but you do get things to perfection. Nevertheless an amazing baker.
Priya
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PT says
tempting and inviting 🙂 liked all your clicks..
Priya says
Omg, am gonna make this buns soon,seriously makes me drool.
Mich PieceofCake says
We are very big on coconut in this part of the world too, we love coconut buns! And these look delicious!
Swasthi says
very well explained and excellent step by step clicks Swathi! Buns looks delicious.
Beena.stephy says
Yummy bun nice presantation
Vimitha Anand says
Very new one... Looks so soft and the sauce so tempting
Chandrani says
Bun looks soft and yummy.
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Sanoli Ghosh says
Amazing! Bread with coconut sauce, looks so perfect and surely very delicious dear.
Reshmi Mahesh says
These breads should have tasted great with the coconut sauce...They look soft and yummy Swathi...
srividhya Ravikumar says
looks tempting and mouthwatering swathi.