Soft and fluffy Coconut Twist Bread filled with buttery coconut filling all made from scratch. This is one bread that  will make you proud to share with your family and friends. 

I love coconut, from savory dishes, to desserts and homemade bread like this, I’m all in. Having grow up from Philippines where Coconut is one of our local product that we use in most of our home cooking. When I moved here in Canada and started baking, I also started using coconut not only in my savory dishes but also in my desserts and baking. This bread was one of the bread that I really love, and this was inspired from Apron. She makes amazing cakes and breads and I love it so much she’s become my go to channel when I want to be inspired on what to bake next.

This Coconut Twist Bread as she call it, caught my attention and I thought I should give it a try. I called it Coconut Twist Bread instead and gave a touch of light icing sugar on top. This bread is so soft, fluffy and absolutely divine! It’s great for coffee or tea, and you can have it for breakfast or snack. Let me show you how I made this. Let’s go watch the video and scroll down of you want a detailed written instructions. 

Today we are going to make another homemade bread. If you are scared in , making a homemade bread is not as scary as it sounds. Definitely it is not as easy as grabbing a loaf bread from a bakery, but I am telling you homemade bread is worth all try wait and effort. I’ve created a short video to help you on your bread making journey, I believe that seeing how it is done a great start on doing it by yourself. Video are definitely the way to go if you want to start learning how to make s homemade bread. It will how you the actual process and what to expect after each step. So I hope you will take few minutes to watch the video, and in the end I hope this will convince you to give homemade bread a try. I have plenty more homemade bread recipe in my website that you can choose from, depending on the level of your bread making skill. There something for every level, from simple to elaborate, the house is yours. Now let’s get started and make this bread!  

Can I Make this Without a Mixer?

Sandwich bread, dinner rolls or No knead Bread can be made using stand mixer or even without the mixer, same goes with this bread. I wouldn’t tell you though that it will be easy, because this dough requires long kneading after you have added the butter. the addition of butter will make the dough wet and sticky to handle, but with patience it is totally doable. The dough will break apart, and it will take quite awhile of kneading before it comes back together. So if you decide to do this manually, be ready for that.

Tips for a Successful Soft Homemade Bread

• Liquid Temperature – Yeast grows in temperature between 105 – 110F, so its important to have the water that you are using to “proof” it in this range. If you go lower or higher, the yeast might not proof properly. That means the bread will not rise as much, resulting to a flat and tough bread. 
• Check Yeast Expiry a Date – you might be wondering how come the bread did not rise when you followed exactly the recipe. Well, first thing first, make sure the yeast is not yet expired. Expired yeast is the common reason for flat and dense bread. If your bread did not expand or rise during the rest period, it is most likely that the yeast is not fresh or the water temperature is too hot or cold.
• Amount of Yeast – Just because you want a tall bread doesn’t mean you have to put as much yeast in the mixture. Sometimes adding too much yeast can cause the bread to collapse during the rest period. Just imagine putting more air than what is needed in a balloon, the balloon will explode. The same case with bread. 
• Right Type of Yeast – We’ve discussed the 3 types of yeast above. Make sure to use the right one for your recipe, and make necessary adjustments if you want to swap one from another. 
• Rest Period – Yeast bread needs time to rise. There are bread that uses less yeast but requires more rest time, the likes of No Knead Bread or Artisan Bread which usually require 8- 16 hours rest period to get the volume and to develop the flavor. There are 1 hour bread like my Rosemary Dinner Rolls which used this same bread dough. The point is, give it time to rest, don’t touch it just leave it in a warm place. The first rest period will normally tell you if your dough is good or not. If it rise and almost double in size, then your on the right track.  
• Expiration and Quality of the Flour – The quality of the flour greatly affect the texture of the bread. All-purpose flour could differ from country to country although they are all called as all-purpose flour. Sometimes it depends on the brand too. The closer the flour to expiration date or if it is already expired, the flour could tend to be drier, which means it would require more liquid than mentioned in the recipe. This is a common issue of way sometimes the dough tend to be tough and dry. This is why sometimes you have to add few more tablespoon from the suggested flour measurement to get the right texture. The dough should be soft, smooth and elastic. If it is too wet, add a bit more flour until it is no longer to sticky to handle. If it is too dry, a small amount of liquid helps provide moisture to the dough. A clean side of the bowl, with the dough slightly sticking at the bottom, a soft, smooth and elastic dough is what You are aiming for.

How Do I Know if I Made the Bread Dough Correctly?

• Activating the Yeast –  This is the first thing that you should get right, otherwise do NOT proceed. After 5 – 10 minutes you should see a foam forms on top of the water, this is an indication that the yeast is alive. If you do not get this, either the yeast is old or the liquid temperature is too hot or cold. The temperature should be 100F, lukewarm but not hot.
• Clean Bowl After Kneading – The sides of the bowl should be clean, while the bottom is slightly sticking to the dough. This means that amount of liquid to the flour is correct. Enough to make a clean bowl and still make a slightly wet dough.
• Soft Dough – Soft dough means the amount of flour to liquid is enough. Too much flour could make the bread dense and heavy, and too much liquid could make it too wet. Both will affect how the bread rise in the rest period. Try to push your fingers in the dough, it should leave a “dimple” on the dough and should gradually disappear.
• Smooth Dough Surface – Again, this is a sign of correct flour to liquid ratio. A “bumpy” surface could mean that the dough is dry and tough.
• Elastic Dough – A soft dough is usually elastic. If your dough is dry and tough, it wouldn’t be as elastic when you pull it apart.
• First Rest Period – The dough should almost double in size. This is a sign that the activation of the yeast work which is crucial to making a soft and fluffy bread. This also means the yeast is alive (not yet expired) and the liquid temperature is correct. I always use baking thermometer to check the temperature of the liquid.
• Second Rest Period – The bread dough should be really puff up. This is crucial and the final state of the bread before baking. If you are able to make it puff-up, that is a good sign that there are air trapped inside which will make the bread fluffy.

Why is My Dough too Wet or too Dry?

Don’t get frustrated if your dough did not turn out immediately as what you see in the photo or video. Most likely It is not because you did not follow the recipe. When it comes to bread making, the amount of flour and liquid is not always 100% precise. This is why often times you will encounter recipes that says, if your dough is dry, add a bit more liquid. If your dough is too wet, add a little bit more flour. This instructions are not meant to confuse you, they are meant to guide you on how to adjust as you work through your dough. The reason for this is that  although the measurement of water and flour are specified in the recipe, it still could slightly vary depending on many factors. For instance, all-purpose flour could very from country to country, or even from brand to brand. Don’t be surprise if you find that some brand tends to require a bit more liquid as the others. On top of this, the amount of liquid is also affected by the state of your flour. How old is the flour that you are using? Older flour nearing expiry tends to be drier and this requires more liquid. Humidity also affects baking. The more humid it is, the more likely the dough will be sticky and wet. Bread making requires patience, and practice. Once you learn how to feel the right texture of the dough, everything will be quick and easy. You can instantly tell if you need to add more water or flour to get the dough in right state.

Ingredients:

Bread Dough

• 1 3/4 cup Bread Flour
• 3 tablespoon Caster Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Egg – room temperature
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1 teaspoon Instant Yeast or 1 1/4 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast

Coconut Filling

• 2 tablespoon softened Butter
• 3 tablespoon Icing Sugar
• 2 tablespoon Powdered Milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Egg
• 1/3 cup Unsweetened Dried Coconut

Instructions:

1. Knead the Dough: In mixing bowl, transfer the bread flour, caster sugar, salt, milk , egg and instant yeast. Knead for 15 minutes (speed 2 if using KitchenAid mixer). Watch out for the consistency, you want as soft, smooth slightly sticky dough. However, If you notice that the dough is dry, add 1/2 teaspoon of milk at a time and continue kneading at least 3 minutes after every addition of additional milk. In my case, I did not need to add additional milk.
   • If using Active Dry Yeast: Activate the Yeast first: Pour warm milk in the mixing bowl and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Add the active dry yeast, stir, and let sit for 10 minutes until it foams up. Then add the flour, caster sugar, salt and egg and knead for 15 minutes.
   • Bread Making Tip: The amount of liquid is not always 100% precise every time due to several factors (age of the flour, brand of the flour, humidity, etc.) The key is to gradually add small amount at a time until you get to the texture that you are aiming for.
   • To Check: The dough should be smooth, soft, elastic and sticky.
2. Add the softened butter and knead for another 15minutes (speed 2 if using KitchenAid Mixer). When you add the butter, you will notice the dough will break apart and it will look like it is too wet. Do not panic, this is expected. Continue mixing (even if longer than 15 minutes) until the dough comes together completely (it will), the side of the bowl is clean and the dough still sticking at the bottom of the bowl. Do not stop mixing until you get to this stage. It takes time to fully incorporate the butter to the flour mixture, be patient.

Let Rest 1st Time: Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning it to coat with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or warm towel, and then let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour (minimum) or 1 1/2 hour (maximum), or until doubled. (Rising time is dependent on the temperature of the room; let rise until the dough is doubled).

Trick: Pre-heat the oven to 110F then turn it OFF. Put the covered dough inside for 1 hour.

6. Make the Coconut Filling: In a bowl, add the softened butter and sugar. Mix to combine. Add the powdered milk and mix again until combined. Add beaten egg and mix until liquidy, then add shredded coconut and vanilla extract (if using). Mix until it forms into a light sticky paste. Set aside while waiting for the dough.

7. Shape and Fill the Dough: Lightly floured the working surface, and your hands too as this is going to be a soft an sticky dough. Punch the dough down and transfer in the working surface. Spread to a 12 x 12-inch size. Spread the coconut filling on the half side of the dough. Fold the dough into half and pinch the sides to seal the dough.

8. Divide & Twist: Divide the dough into 6-portions. Twist each portion 3 times then pinch the ends to seal. Do this for the rest of the portion an arrange in a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover.

9. Let Rest 2nd Time: Cover and place in a warm place to rise for 60 minutes. They will be puffy when ready, if needed extend until the bread is fully puff-up.

10. Pre-heat the Oven: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350F in the last 10 minutes of 2nd rest time. If you are using the oven to rest the dough, do NOT forget to take the dough out before pre-heating.

11. Brush Top with Egg Wash: Add 1 teaspoon of water to the remaining egg. Brush the bread with egg wash or you can also use milk to brush the top.

12. Bake for 15 minutes, until deeply golden brown. Turn the tray half way though for even baking.

13. Let Cool completely to allow the bread texture to get better

Makes 6 pieces

Recipe Adapted from Apron

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