Coconut Buns

I want to warn you that these soft and juicy coconut buns are extremely addicting. The secret is in the coconut sauce, which you pour on fully proofed, unbaked buns. As soon as you take the first bite of these sweet, melting in your mouth delicious buns you will definitely fall in love with this recipe.

Ingredients

Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter 

• 8 g sourdough starter
• 30 g water
• 60 g bread flour
• 5g sugar

Dough

• 250 g bread flour (100%)
• 75 g milk
• 50 g condensed milk 
• 75 g sweet stiff starter 
• 1 large egg
• 20 g sugar
• 50 g soft butter 
• 5 g salt (2%)
• 0.5 g dry yeast (optional, to reduce sourness)

Coconut sauce 

• 400g(1 can) coconut milk
• 90g sugar
• 1 tsp corn starch 
• Pinch of salt

Directions 

Day 1

Starter

• 10 pm dissolve sugar in the water, add starter and whisk together, add flour, mix well, form a ball, place in jar, cover let sit at room temp 74-78F until it increases in volume in 2 or more times.
• Stiff sweet starter will have lower hydration then regular liquid starter and will help us to lower the acidity of final product (learn how to make sourdough starter from scratch here).

Day 2

Dough

• 8 am in a bowl of stand mixer add milk, condensed milk, an egg, sugar, stiff sourdough starter (75 g) to the flour and let autolyse for 1 hour.
• During the autolyse period the flour becomes fully hydrated. This activates gluten development.

• 9 am mix dough on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 minutes, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 3-4 minutes until well incorporated.
• Add salt mix for a couple more minutes. The dough should form a ball.
• Add soft butter, increase the speed of mixer, mix for 10 more minutes until the dough is well incorporated and comes up together. You will be able to perform windowpane test.
• Cover and let it proof for 3-4 hours at 76-80F/ 24-28C.
• During that time perform 2 stretches and folds.
• The dough should become slightly puffy.

• 1 pm transfer the dough to the fridge for cold fermentation for 6-9 hours.
• 10 pm Remove the dough from the fridge.
• Divide on 9 equal pieces (about 60g each)
• Pinch all edges to the bottom of a roll, try to round it tightly.
• Transfer the shaped rolls into the square baking pan.

• Cover rolls and let them proof overnight for 8 -10 hours 70-74F /20-23C until they double in volume.
• Prepare the coconut sauce by mixing all ingredients together and boiling it over medium heat until it will get thickened. Cover and let cool off until next morning.

Day 3

• 7 am Preheat the oven to 375F.
• Pour coconut sauce over proofed buns. 
• Sprinkle some coconut on top of each bun.

• Bake 375F for 15 min, then 350F for 13-15 min more until golden brown.
• Serve buns while they are still warm, scoop some coconut sauce from the tray and pour it on top of the bun.

Enjoy!

Coconut Buns (Samoan Panipopo Style)

333kcal

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Prep 35 minutes mins

Cook 30 minutes mins

Rise & Rest Time 14 hours hrs

Total 15 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

These soft, juicy coconut buns are extremely addicting. The secret is in the sweet coconut sauce, which you pour over fully proofed, unbaked buns right before sliding them into the oven. As soon as you take the first bite of these sweet, melting-in-your-mouth delicious rolls, you will definitely fall in love.

Servings 9 Rolls

Cuisine Samoan

Ingredients

1x2x3x

The Sweet Stiff Sourdough Starter (Night Before)

• ▢ 8 g Sourdough starter culture
• ▢ 30 g Water
• ▢ 60 g Bread flour
• ▢ 5 g Sugar

The Enriched Main Dough

• ▢ 75 g All of the prepared sweet stiff starter Scale out exactly
• ▢ 250 g Bread flour
• ▢ 75 g Whole milk
• ▢ 50 g Sweetened condensed milk
• ▢ 1 Large egg
• ▢ 20 g Sugar
• ▢ 50 g Soft butter warmed completely to room temperature
• ▢ 5 g Salt
• ▢ 0.5 g Dry yeast Optional: include strictly to accelerate the rise and reduce natural sourdough sourness

The Rich Coconut Baking Sauce

• ▢ 400 g Coconut milk (1 standard can)
• ▢ 90 g Sugar
• ▢ tsp Cornstarch 1
• ▢ pinch Salt
• ▢ Shredded coconut flakes Optional, for an authentic bakery topping

Equipment

• ▢
  Stand Mixer Fitted with the dough hook attachment
• ▢
  Square Baking Pan 8×8 inch size
• ▢
  Small Saucepan For thickening the coconut glaze
• ▢
  Pastry Brush
• ▢
  Kitchen Scale

Method

Prevent Sleep ModePrevent Sleep Mode

Day 1 – Sweet Stiff Starter Ignition

1. 10:00 PM: In a clean glass jar, dissolve the 5g of sugar into 30g of water. Whisk in your 8g of starter culture, then stir in 60g of bread flour. Mix thoroughly and knead briefly with your hands to form a tight, solid ball. Cover loosely and let it ferment at room temperature 74–78°F (23–26°C) overnight until it expands to more than twice its original volume. Note: This sweet, stiff starter has a much lower hydration level than a standard liquid starter, which technically lowers the final acidity of your dough.

Day 2 – Dough Autolyse & High-Speed Mixing

1. 8:00 AM: In your stand mixer bowl, combine the 75g of whole milk, 50g of sweetened condensed milk, 1 large egg, 20g of sugar, and 250g of bread flour. Add exactly 75g of your active overnight sweet stiff starter. Stir briefly with a spoon until a shaggy mass forms, cover, and let autolyse undisturbed for 1 hour to fully hydrate the flour starches.
2. 9:00 AM: Attach your dough hook. Mix the dough on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or if using a KitchenAid mixer, run it on speed 3 for 3 to 4 minutes) until well incorporated.
3. Add the 5g of salt and continue mixing for 2 minutes until a clean ball takes shape.
4. Increase your mixer speed to medium-high and begin adding the 50g of soft butter a tablespoon at a time. Knead continuously for 10 minutes until the fat incorporates completely. The dough will look incredibly glossy, smooth, and easily pass a windowpane test.
5. Cover and let bulk ferment for 3 to 4 hours at a warm 76–80°F (24–28°C). Perform 2 separate rounds of structural stretch-and-folds during this window; the dough will become slightly puffy.
6. 1:00 PM: Transfer the covered dough container directly into the refrigerator for a cold fermentation retard lasting 6 to 9 hours.
7. 10:00 PM: Remove the cold dough from the fridge and divide it cleanly into 9 equal pieces weighing roughly 60g each.
8. Pinch all the outer edges tightly into the bottom center of each piece, then roll them firmly against the counter under a cupped hand to form a tight, smooth round roll. Arrange the 9 shaped rolls evenly into a greased square 8×8 inch baking pan. Cover and let them proof on your counter overnight for 8 to 10 hours at 70–74°F (20–23°C) until they double in volume.
9. The Coconut Sauce: In a small saucepan, mix together the 400g of coconut milk, 90g of sugar, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until it thickens slightly. Cover and let it cool completely on your counter overnight.

Day 3 – Pour-Over Sauce & Staged Baking

1. 7:00 AM: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Stir your cooled coconut sauce, then pour it generously directly over the tops of the fully proofed buns inside the pan—do not hesitate, use all of it! Scatter a handful of shredded coconut flakes across the top of each sauce-drenched bun.
3. Slide the pan into the oven and bake at 375°F (190°C) for exactly 15 minutes.
4. Lower the oven temperature down to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for an additional 13 to 15 minutes until the tops turn a beautiful, uniform golden brown. Serve while warm, scooping up extra hot coconut sauce from the bottom of the tray to pour right back over the top of each roll!

Nutrition

Calories333kcalCarbohydrates43gProtein7gFat16gSaturated Fat12gPolyunsaturated Fat1gMonounsaturated Fat2gTrans Fat0.2gCholesterol34mgSodium99mgPotassium182mgFiber1gSugar16gVitamin A195IUVitamin C1mgCalcium44mgIron2mg

Notes

• The Sourdough De-Acidifying Sugar Secret: Adding a tiny touch of sugar directly into your stiff starter build serves a vital biological purpose. Sugar slows down the rate at which organic acetic acids build up during the overnight fermentation phase, ensuring the final culture provides incredible structural lift and a purely milky, sweet bakery profile without any sour tang.
• The Magic of the Baked Coconut Bath: Do not get nervous when pouring a full can of liquid coconut sauce straight over your raw, puffed dough pieces. This traditional Samoan Panipopo technique essentially cooks the lower half of the rolls in a rich dairy bath, resulting in a unique texture that is half-baked and half-steamed—melting into an unbelievably juicy, custard-like crumb.
• No-Starter Instant Yeast Conversion: If you don’t maintain a live sourdough culture but want to bake these immediately, you can comfortably adapt this to a straight commercial yeast process. Simply omit the overnight stiff starter steps entirely, increase your total flour weight to 310g, add 75g of water, and add 2 to 3 grams of dry instant yeast straight into your mixing bowl.
• The Dairy-Free Ingredient Alternative: If you are sensitive to dairy or prefer to keep this pastry plant-based, you can safely modify the ingredients. Swap out the whole milk for equal parts almond or oat milk, and substitute the 50g of condensed milk with a dairy-free cream alternative or a splash of additional coconut cream mixed with a teaspoon of sugar.

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