Coo coo for Coconut Bread
Super light and fluffy coconut bread with a hint of sweetness.
When most people think about bread, they think of having bread with a sandwich or meal, but I like to enjoy bread as a dessert. I grew up in Chinatown, New York City which is full of bakeries on every corner. One of my fondest childhood memories was biting into a soft pillow-y coconut bread from the local bakery. It was lightly sweetened with the perfect hint of coconut flavor.
Unfortunately, being in the middle of a pandemic it isn’t quite as easy to commute into New York City, so I decided to make this bread at home. But of course, this recipe wouldn’t be on my blog if I didn’t change a few things to make it healthier. Don’t worry, you will still get that incredibly soft texture and delicious taste as if you ordered it from the bakery. An added benefit is, your home will smell like fresh coconut bread. Don’t you wish they made an essential oil of that scent?
Let’s talk about what’s healthy about this recipe.
Whey. An optional ingredient in this recipe since most people do not have it readily in the kitchen, but a wonderful addition to the recipe. I recently discovered the health benefits of whey after making a batch of yogurt and researching what I should do with the by-product. Instead of pouring it out like I used to, it works really well in bread. Yeast loves whey, so you will get a wonderful rise with your bread when you use it instead of water. Whey also contains loads of protein, vitamins and minerals.
Maple syrup. Bread needs some form of sugar to feed the yeast so it can rise. I opted for maple syrup since it is high in antioxidants and nutrients. Compared to regular sugar, it is lower in the glycemic index, meaning it raises your blood sugar more slowly.
Coconuts. Personally, I’m coo coo for coconuts. There is nothing that screams the tropics more than a lovely coconut. Not too long ago, coconut, mainly coconut oil was touted as one of the top superfoods, claiming that it helps burn fat and curb hunger among other impressive feats. This claim was then refuted by a Harvard professor stating that coconut oil is “pure poison.” I’m not here to take sides or to put the debate the rest, but I do believe in eating a variety of foods and to eat everything in moderation.
Now enough about the benefits, let’s talk about the technique to making this bread.
What makes this bread so soft and fluffy?
In this recipe we use the Tang Zhong method, which is an Asian baking technique where part of the dough is cooked before-hand with equal parts of water and flour into a slurry. Precooking some of the flour increases the amount of water the bread is able to absorb, giving the bread a softer chewier texture. In addition, making the dough hold onto the extra liquid throughout the kneading, baking, and cooling process creates more structure causing the bread to rise even higher.
The Tang Zhong method helps to create these beautiful strands when pulling apart the bread.
- Times
- Description
- Image
- Ingredients
- Method
- Notes
- Nutrition
Coconut Bread
- Prep time: 25 minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Total time: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Serves: 8-12
Ingredients
Starter
- 1/4 cup bread flour
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 cup whey or water
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cup bread flour
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast, or 1 yeast packet
- 1 tsbp dry milk powder
- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut shavings
- 1 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 tbsp sweetened condensed milk, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup coconut cream, at room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
Toppings
- 1 tbsp coconut milk or egg wash
Instructions
Making the Tang Zhong
- 1)
Combine all the starter ingredients into a small sauce pan and stir until fully incorporated. Then turn the heat to medium and stir continuously for 4-5 mins or until the starter thickens to a consistency of mashed potatoes. Turn off heat and let the starter cool to room temperature.
With a stand mixer
- 1)
Whisk together the dry ingredients until fully incorporated
- 2)
Using a dough hook attachment, add the all the wet ingredients, except for the coconut oil, to the dry mixture and beat on low for 5 minutes. Add in coconut oil and beat for 5 more minutes. Turn the speed up to medium and beat for the final 5 mins.
Without a stand mixer
- 1)
Whisk together the dry ingredient until fully incorporated
- 2)
In a separate bowl, whisk together all of the wet ingredients until full incorporated. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Use your hands to begin kneading the dough. Once the wet mixture is fully combined with the dry mixture, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface or a silpat and begin kneading. Knead for at least 15 minutes.
Next Steps
- 1)
Transfer the dough onto a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave undisturbed for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- 2)
Divide the dough into 4 equally sized pieces. On a lightly floured surface or silpat, roll each out to 8”x 5” and then fold the long sides in about 1”. Roll up the dough starting from one of the shorter edges and then place it into a lightly greased 9”x 4” loaf pan. Repeat with the other 3 pieces of dough.
- 3)
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 45 minutes or until the dough has risen above or at the height of the pan
- 4)
Once dough has risen, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the top of the dough with milk or egg wash.
- 5)
Bake for 25-30 mins or until the top is golden brown and the inside is 190 degrees F
- 6)
Remove from oven and let it sit in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack.
Notes
This bread is best eaten the same day. It can last up to 3 days in a sealed container or plastic wrap but will quickly begin to dry out.
I hope you’ll like this recipe and please if you make it, snap a pic and hashtag it #healthysuelutions – I’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter! Please stay in touch with me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for all the latest updates.