Pan De Coco

In love with da coco!

In 2020, my dad would often jokingly say they only sent me to pastry school so I could learn how to make his favorite bread: Pan De Coco. 

He said the best pan de coco he’s ever had was from a little bakery in Boracay Island, sometime in 2012. We later found out he was referring to Julie’s Bakeshop. (For our non-Filipino readers, Julie’s Bakeshop is the Philippines’ biggest bakery chain.)

Funnily enough, there’s nothing wrong with liking chain bakeries, or any chain for that matter. 

I think many chains are successful exactly because they deliver consistent experiences at scale, like the taste of traditional Filipino breads at Julie’s, or the feel of a typical Filipino children’s party at Jollibee. Likewise, this recipe aims to bring you a sense of home, wherever you are in the world. 

For years I thought I couldn’t (or shouldn’t) make pan de coco because I didn’t have fresh niyog, but I realized there are many other bakers who can’t easily access it as well, especially outside Asia. I then decided to recreate the taste and texture of traditional freshly grated coconut using coconut cream and other readily available ingredients you can find in most groceries, or even online.

A soft milk bun hugging the sweet coconutty filling, this Pan De Coco recipe hopes to turn your home kitchen into a Filipino panaderia, too—even for just a day.

Let me know if you try this recipe! Check out the quick tutorial on TikTok, too.

INGREDIENTS

Dough

• 380g bread flour
• 75g granulated sugar
• 8g salt
• 6g instant yeast
• 240g warm milk
• 55g eggs, beaten
• 60g unsalted butter, melted

Coconut Filling

• 160g coconut cream
• 110g desiccated coconut
• 100-130g muscovado, coconut sugar, or dark brown sugar*
• 50g unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 2g salt
  *Adjust to taste. See tips.

Egg Wash

• 1 large egg
• 1 tbsp. water

METHOD

1. MIX. In your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine bread flour, instant dry yeast, and sugar. Add milk, egg, and melted butter—making sure the butter is no longer too hot to touch. Knead on low speed, gradually increasing to medium-high. Once the dough forms into a rough ball, add the salt.
2. KNEAD. Continue kneading on medium-high speed until the dough is smooth, stretchy, and passes the windowpane test, about 10-15 minutes. See tips.
3. PROOF. Lightly dust your work surface with flour and shape the dough into a ball. Transfer to a greased bowl, cover with cling wrap, and proof for 60 mins. or until doubled in size.
4. FILLING. In a large heat-safe bowl, combine coconut cream and unsalted butter. Microwave in 30-second intervals until fully melted, then add muscovado sugar and salt. Stir until dissolved and caramel-like. In a large mixing bowl, pour the coconut caramel over the desiccated coconut. Stir until well-combined, and adjust filling to taste. See tips.
5. DIVIDE. After proofing, uncover the dough and punch down the gases. Divide into 16 equal pieces, about 45-50g each. Pre-shape into balls, then loosely cover with cling wrap while shaping one by one.
6. SHAPE. Gently flatten each ball with a rolling pin. Add a heaped tablespoon of coconut filling in the center. Flatten and seal the edges together and roll into a ball. Place seam-side down and spaced apart on parchment-lined baking trays. (I do 2 trays with 8 buns each).
7. PROOF. Cover the buns with cling wrap and proof in a warm area for about 30 minutes or until at least doubled in volume. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180°C.
8. EGG WASH & POKE. Once the buns have doubled in size, lightly brush with egg wash. Use a fork to poke the surface of each bun 3 times. (Only do this one tray at a time, right before baking.)
9. BAKE. Bake at 180°C for 15-20 mins. or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

TIPS

How do I know when to stop kneading?
There are many variables in making dough! Total kneading time depends on your arm strength, mixer speed, & more. As a rule of thumb, start slowly to incorporate the ingredients, and gradually increase speed to medium-high. Here are the main visual cues to know if your dough is well-kneaded:

• The dough is much smoother.
• The dough is very stretchy and less sticky.
• The dough forms a good windowpane.

How to make the dough less sticky?

The dough becomes less sticky as you knead it. You can use a spatula to gather everything into the center of your bowl, allowing the dough hook to reach the bottom of your dough. If necessary, you can also add a little bit of flour—no more than a teaspoon at a time! If you let the mixer do its thing, the sides will eventually clean up on their own.

For the filling: Muscovado, coconut sugar, or dark brown sugar?

You can use whichever of the three is most readily available to you. Here are their key differences and how they can affect your filling:

• Muscovado — Offers a complex toffee-like flavor and has the highest moisture and molasses content, which helps rehydrate the desiccated coconut.
• Coconut Sugar — Best at amplifying natural coconut flavor, but has the lowest moisture content among the three. You may add bit more coconut cream to the filling to make it less dry.
• Dark Brown Sugar — Most readily available ingredient among the three. It contains molasses which adds moisture. This is also the most commonly used sweetener in traditional pan de coco fillings made with fresh niyog.

notes Muscovado or coconut sugar is the best sweetener for the filling. Not only does it amplify the coconut flavor along with the coconut cream, but its higher moisture content helps rehydrate the desiccated coconut—making it resemble freshly grated coconut or niyog. Dark brown sugar, which also contains molasses, is a good alternative. As always, adjust sugar to taste. When making the coconut caramel, start with 100g sugar and add more as needed.

Don’t forget to poke with a fork!

The coconut filling contains moisture, so it will generate steam as it bakes (similar to the filling in apple pie!). The holes on the surface act as a vent for this steam to release, allowing the bread to expand properly and not trap any excess moisture.

Thank you for checking out my recipes! Let me know when you try them out. If you have any questions, comment below or reach me on TikTok / Instagram!

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