Coconut Buns

This recipe was a delightful accident in my attempt to mimic coconut arepas using sourdough. They are absolutely nothing like arepas but are none-the-less delicious. These buns make a wonderful breakfast pastry. They pair beautifully with a fruit or chicken salad. They make excellent sandwich buns too.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total time: 1.5 days

Yield: 12 buns (hamburger bun size)

Ingredients

  • 3.5 cups organic all-purpose flour, sifted

  • 1 (12oz) can of full fat coconut milk (Taste of Thai)

  • 1/2 cup active sourdough starter

  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar

  • 2 teaspoons of salt

  • Water

  • Coconut flour (optional)

  • Coconut oil, melted (optional)

    Instructions

    Feed your starter 4-8 hours before making the dough.

    Sift flour into a larger bowl with salt. Set aside

    Wisk the active starter together with the coconut milk. Add to flour and mix together until all of the flour has been absorbed. If the dough is too dry, drizzle in water as needed. Do not over work the dough.

    Let the dough rest for 30 minutes before returning to a stretch and fold session. Grab one edge of the dough, stretch and fold the dough over itself. Give the bowl a quarter turn and repeat the stretch and fold 4 times or until the dough is smooth. Roll the dough in a tight ball and allow it to rest for 30-60 minutes.

    Repeat the stretch an fold sessions with the dough 4 times over the next 2-4 hours. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and allow to rise for 10-12 hours or overnight.

    The next day:

    Pull the dough out of the bowl with both hands for another stretch and fold session. This time fold the dough over itself like a letter 1-2 times. Wrap the dough into a smooth ball, and drop it back into the bowl. Give it a spritz of water to keep it from drying out and let it rest for another 2-4 hours or until it has doubled in bulk.

    When the dough has doubled in size, dust with coconut flour and move to a floured work surface. Using clean hands, divide the dough into 12 buns. One way to do this is shape the dough into a rectangle and cut the dough into 3 rows. Divide each row into 4 buns each. Gently roll each dough against the floured work surface to round out the corners. Try not to overwork the dough.

    You can also try pinching off dough by the handful. If needed, drop each handful of dough into a 1/2 cup measure to be sure the buns are approximately the same size. Gently roll the each handful into a loose ball with your hands and drop onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Be careful not to overwork the dough.

    Allow the buns to rest on the cookie sheet for at least 30 minutes or as long as 1 hour.

    Preheat your oven to 350

    bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. Allow them to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

    Notes:

    Store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Freeze for up to 1 month.

    Reheat in the oven at 250-300 degrees for 5-10 minutes. Day old buns are perfect for sandwiches. Slice buns in half with a bread knife, and toast cut side up, in a 300 degree oven for 10 minutes.

    For a sweet bun, increase the amount of sugar used in the dough to 1/2 cup and sprinkle with buns with coconut sugar before baking.

    The coconut flavor in the buns goes well with pork or chicken as well as tropical fruit, BBQ, Thai, and Indian spices.