Coconut Braided Buns
Recipe Published: June 16, 2020 | Updated: Aug 7, 2022
Written by: Jasma
RECIPE BREAKDOWN
Difficulty: medium | Time Note: poolish starter requires to be made 12 hours in advance, dough requires 1 hour to rise, buns require about 40 mins to rise the second time (basically…you need a lot of time) | Serving: makes 12 buns
INGREDIENTS
Coconut Filling:
200 g (2 1/4 cups) desiccated coconut
100 g (1/2 cup) white granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
60 g (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
Egg wash (optional):
2 tbsp egg white
1 tbsp milk
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Stand mixer & Hook attachment
Poolish Starter:
250 g (1 1/2 cups) bread flour
250 g (1 cup + 1 tbsp) room temperature water
1.5 g (1/4 tsp) instant yeast
Dough:
1 batch of poolish starter
1 large egg
175 g (1 1/4 cups) whole wheat bread flour
30 g (1/4 cup) flaxseed meal
35 g (1/4 cup) hemp hearts seeds
6 g (1 tsp) instant yeast
1/4 tsp salt
30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
Here's the video tutorial! For more go check out my Youtube channel!
LET’S BEGIN!
Poolish Starter
1. Combine equal parts room temperature water with bread flour and instant yeast. Mix until there are no more dry bits (note: it’s fine if it's not completely smooth).
2. Transfer the mixture into a large container, cover and leave at room temperature for 1 hour. You will notice bubbles starting to form.
3. After 1 hour, place the container into the fridge for 12 hours to ferment. The poolish is ready to be used when it has grown significantly in size and become super bubbly. (note: you can make the poolish starter up to 3 days in advance)
Dough
4. Once the poolish starter is ready, transfer it into a stand mixer bowl. Also add the egg, whole wheat bread flour, flaxseed meal, hemp hearts seeds, and instant yeast.
5. Begin kneading with a hook attachment at low speed. Pause the machine every once in a while to scrape down the sides and hook attachment with a spatula. (note: feel free to hand knead the dough as well)
6. Once the dough has come together and there are no longer dry bits, add the softened butter and salt.
7. Continue kneading for up to 10 mins until the surface of the dough is smooth, all the butter has been absorbed and nothing is sticking to the sides of the bowl.
8. Transfer the dough into a greased bowl. Cover and leave it someplace warm to rise until it has doubled in size. (note: it usually takes about an hour for me)
Filling
9. Meanwhile, make the coconut filling by combining the desiccated coconut, egg, sugar and unsalted butter. Set aside.
Assembling
10. Once the dough is ready, flip onto a floured surface.
11. Flatten with your hands into a rectangle then use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a slightly larger rectangle.
12. Spread the coconut filling onto the dough by dolloping it all over, then flatten with an offset spatula or butter knife. Do your best not to tug on the dough!
13. Fold the top 1/3 of the dough down, leaving only 1/3 of the filling still exposed. Then, fold the bottom 1/3 upwards to seal off the rectangle.
14. Pat down the layers to press it all together, then cut the dough into 12 equal portions. Feel free to alter the quantity based on how many buns you want to make.
15. Make two cuts in each portion, then braid the three strands and roll up the braid to form a bun.
16. Leave enough space between each bun on your parchment-lined baking tray. Cover everything with a damp towel while they rise for the second time. (note: it took me about 40 mins for the buns to grow slightly in size)
17. Begin preheating your oven during this time to 350°F/175°C and mix together some egg white and milk to form egg wash.
18. When the buns are done rising for the second time, brush the egg wash over top then bake in the preheated oven for 16 mins. The finished coconut buns should be puffy and golden brown.
Enjoy!!