My friend Steph asked me to join her book group a few weeks ago and last night was the first one I attended. I had a really great time! Met new people, talked about books, drank some wine, shared some Pan De Coco and felt very very civilised, indeed. I came home, got my pajamas on and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I look in the mirror, and WHAT THE HELL? A spot the size of an eyeball right underneath my nose. I went to book group with a zit. Dear God.
My first thought was "Oh jesus, how could you have left the house like this??".
My second thought was "You couldn't have left the house like this, you put make-up on right before you left and you would've noticed it."
My third thought was "OK maybe it just developed really quickly on the way home from book group, and the lovely new ladies I just met won't think I'm some sort of pre-teen hormonal freak who could bring ships into the shore with the beacon swelling off the side of her face".
My fourth thought was "Oh God, I brought food to this party, and I had a zit. What if they thought I touched the zit and then packed up my food to bring?" (which I did not, for the record).
So then I walked into the bedroom to go to bed, and I whine to hubs "Uggggh, I had a huge spot on my face the whole night, I am SOOOOO embarrassed."
And he says "Oh yeah I saw that earlier when you were getting out of the car."
F.M.L.
I'm not even sure I can tell you about this Pan De Coco and about how good it is, how light and fluffy the dough is and the sweet-but-not-too-sweet filling that oozes from each bite. And I don't know if I can even get out how everyone ate theirs and proclaimed their love for it, because I am still too m.o.r.t.i.f.i.e.d.
But I will say this, if you feel you should eat this Pan De Coco because it is delicious, and tender, and quite possibly the perfect thing to bring to an event where you are meeting new people, then I will say hands down, you will impress those new people. Unless you have a big zit, then all bets are off.
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Pan de Coco
I recently saw a recipe for Pan De Coco on the whole foods website and it was in the forefront of my mind and then after seeing Jun Belen's delicious looking version which I adapted here, I was convinced I had to make it. And I am so glad I did. They really were quite something, all things considered.
- For the yeast starter:
- 1 packet or 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1/4 cup / 60ml warm water
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- For the dough:
- 1/2 cup / 120ml milk - I used regular cow's milk but next time I will use coconut milk
- 1/2 cup / 4 oz unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large eggs
- 3 1/2 / 350g plain flour
- 1/3 cup / 63g sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- For the filling:
- 1 cup / 75 g finely shredded coconut (unsweetened)
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 1 egg yolk
- For the eggwash:
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- For the topping:
- approx 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
Begin by making the yeast starter; in a small bowl, whisk together the yeast, sugar, and water and let rest for 10 minutes to get all of the yeasties going. It should double in size in that time.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. In another smaller bowl, combine the milk, melted butter, and eggs and whisk. Add the milk combination to the flour, and finally add the yeast. Mix well and turn out onto a well floured surface. Knead the mixture into a dough, adding flour if it becomes too sticky. I kneaded mine for about 5-7 minutes, until it became springy, elastic, and smooth. It should bounce back when you push your finger into it.
Lightly grease a bowl with vegetable or canola oil and put the dough into the bowl, covered with plastic wrap. Let it rest for about an hour, or until it has doubled in size.
About 10 minutes before the bread is risen, make the filling by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl. It should stick together in a paste-like consistency.
To make the buns, preheat the oven to 375f / 190c. Punch the dough down and divide it in half in two equal pieces. Divide those pieces into 3oz measures, you should get approximately 5 pieces from each half. I went for round shaped buns in this case, and so shaped each piece into a small circle (approx 4 inches in diameter) patting down with my fingertips and using the rolling pin.
Put 1 Tablespoon of the filling into the middle of the circle and gather up the edges, folding them over and pinching to make sure the filling is sealed in. Place the buns, approximately 1-2 inches apart and seam side down on a greased baking tray. Let the buns rest for another 20 minutes once formed.
When they are ready to go into the oven, mix up the eggwash, and brush over the buns. Sprinkle on the sesame seeds, and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
Makes 10.
@noteaafter12
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