This twisted coconut bun is made with condensed milk bread and layered with coconut streusel. It tastes amazingly soft and rich in coconut flavor.
Ingredients : Bread dough
- 180 g (¾ cup) warm milk
- 4 g (1 tsp) granulated sugar for yeast
- 4 g (½ tbsp) active dry yeast
- 260 g (2 cup) bread flour
- 36 g (3 tbsp) granulated sugar
- 3 g (½ tsp) table salt
- 30 g (1½ tbsp) sweetened condensed milk
- 20 g (1½ tbsp) unsalted butter room temperature
Ingredients : Coconut streusel
- 35 g (2½ tbsp) unsalted butter room temperature
- 100 g (1 cup) desiccated coconut / unsweetened shredded coconut
- 40 g (2 tbsp) sweetened condensed milk
- 20 g egg (less than 1 egg, so keep the rest for egg wash)
Instructions : Bread dough
- Combine warm milk (about 110°F/43°C) and sugar. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let sit for 5-10 minutes until it gets foamy (active).
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Add condensed milk and the activated yeast. Mix until it becomes a dough.
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Flour the dough and your hand, then knead for 2 minutes.
- Wrap and knead the softened butter into the dough until it is fully incorporated. It will be messy at first but as long as we keep kneading, the dough will become less greasy and easier to handle. Knead until it becomes smooth, elastic, and not sticky (10-15 minutes).
- Shape into a dough ball. Grease it with some vegetable oil in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Let it rest in a warm area until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
Coconut streusel
- In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients thoroughly. Set aside until needed.
Assembly
- Punch down the dough to release the air inside, then transfer onto a work surface. Divide it evenly into 3 pieces.
- Take 1 piece and cover the rest aside. Using a rolling pin, flatten and roll into a 9×12 inch (23×30 cm) rectangle. Add ⅓ of the coconut streusel. Spread it evenly but leave ½-inch (1.27 cm) of the long edge bare.
- Brush the bare edge with water. Starting from the other long edge, roll the dough to form a log. Cut it equally into 2 logs. Rest them aside with a cover. Repeat with the remaining dough until you get 6 logs.
- Take the first log that has rested for the longest period of time. Cut it lengthwise into 2 strands. Braid the 2 strands of dough by placing the left dough over the right repeatedly until the end. Pinch both ends to secure the braid.
- Transfer onto a tray lined with parchment paper. Cover it and repeat with the remaining logs. Let them sit and proof for 1 hour in a warm area.
- Whisk 1 teaspoon of water into the leftover egg (from making the coconut streusel). Brush it onto each dough. Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (180°C) for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack.
