Monday, October 25, 2010

Coconut Dinner Rolls

These light, airy rolls have a very a subtle flavor of coconut .  Paired with an Asian or Hawaiian main course, these tie the meal together.  If the size was altered, (this recipe yields 8 big rolls) the bread could be used as buns for the Teriyaki Pork Sliders (previous post). At this time, I am unable to track down the source of this bread recipe.

Coconut Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
1 cup of coconut milk
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs butter (melted & more for pan preparation)
3 1/2 cups flour (additional for dusting & kneading)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup warm water
1 pkg active dry yeast

Combine coconut flakes and sugar in a small bowl.  Then pour in warm water and sprinkle in yeast, mixing a few times.  Set aside about 15 minutes to let the yeast react.  The mixture should swell and become bubbly.

In the meantime, sift flour and salt together in another bowl.

Once the yeast mixture has completed the reaction time, add to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon.  Continue to stir and add butter and coconut milk until well combined.

Take dough out and place on floured surface. Start the kneading process and add flour as necessary.  The dough should become soft and elastic in about 5-6 minutes.  Once completed, form dough into a ball and dust with flour.  Put in a clean, dry bowl to rise.  Cover bowl with kitchen towel and place in warm area (I used 100 degree oven).  It should rise to double in about 1 1/2 hours.

While dough is rising, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and butter the paper (side facing up).

When the rise is completed, divide dough into eight pieces. Roll each piece into balls and place on baking sheet, spacing 3-4 inches apart.  They are now ready for the second rise.  The baking sheet should be placed in a warm place and the rolls are not to be covered.  The rolls should take about 45 minutes to rise to double their original size. During the rising time, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Bake rolls for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Serve warm or cool to room temperature.