Pan de Coco

Lalaine Manalo’s selected pan de coco is a soft, fluffy Filipino bread roll filled with sweetened coconut. This version uses desiccated coconut simmered with brown sugar, coconut milk, water, butter and vanilla.

Flour and sugar are sifted together, then instant dry yeast is mixed in. Lukewarm milk, vegetable oil and salt bring the dough together before it is kneaded and left to rise in a greased bowl under a cloth.

The coconut filling simmers over low heat until most of its liquid is absorbed. For a more compact, sticky filling, Manalo offers flour dissolved in milk as an optional addition before the filling cools slightly.

The dough is divided into twenty-four pieces and rested under a towel. Each piece is flattened around a spoonful of coconut filling, pinched closed and set seam-side down on the baking sheet. The rolls are rested again, baked, brushed with egg wash and returned to the oven until golden brown.

Manalo presents pan de coco as a breakfast or midday snack, served with coffee, tea or a favourite cold drink. Its filled centre distinguishes this selected sweet coconut roll from bread with coconut mixed through the dough.