Sourdough Pan de Coco by Make It Dough (2024)

Published: Feb 22, 2023 · Modified: Mar 13, 2024 by Hannah Dela Cruz · This post may contain affiliate links

A soft, plush bread roll stuffed with a sweet homemade coconut filling, Sourdough Pan de Coco is a delicious snack and is my absolute favorite Filipino bread! This recipe puts a sourdough twist on this Filipino bakery classic, a healthy and vigorous starter ensures your bread tastes sweet and buttery with just a hint of tang.

Pandesal may be the most popular bread from the Philippines, but pan de coco is my favorite. One of my fondest memories of growing up in the Philippines was coming home from school to a brown paper bag full of fresh-baked pan de coco from our neighborhood bakery. To this day, I still remember the smell of buttery bread with coconuts and the texture of the pillowy soft rolls.

When I started baking my own bread I had to learn how to make pan de coco, and when I started making sourdough, of course, I wanted to make my own version using a sourdough starter.

What is Pan de Coco?

Pan de Coco is a soft bread roll filled with a sweet coconut filling made with milk (or coconut milk), sugar and coconut flakes. It’s a Filipino bakery classic that’s usually served during Merienda, a midday meal enjoyed between lunch and dinner in the Philippines. Yes, in the Philippines, snack time is an actual meal. Pan de coco is sweet and since it already comes with a sweet filling, it’s usually eaten on its own with a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate.

Pan de coco originated in Honduras and was introduced to the Philippines by the Spanish during the colonial era. Like Honduras, coconuts are plentiful in the Philippines, so this bread was easily embraced in our country. The Honduran ancestor incorporates coconut flakes in the dough and can either be served savory or sweet, while the Filipino version is decidedly sweet and only uses coconuts in the filling. Similar to most food introduced during the colonial period, the Filipino version has its own delicious, but distinct identity.

Want more Filipino bread recipes? Try my recipes for Sourdough Pandesal and Sourdough Ensaymada.

What makes this Pan de Coco Recipe Unique?

Pan de coco is usually made using commercial yeast, but this recipe uses a sourdough starter to leaven the dough. Since the dough includes a lot of enrichments, such as eggs, butter, and milk, fermentation will progress much slower. It’s essential to have a healthy, active starter. Although your starter will impart a little bit of tanginess to the dough, if yours is healthy, your pan de coco will taste pleasantly sweet with a deep and nuanced flavor.

This recipe also utilizes tangzhong, an Asian technique that precooks a portion of flour and milk which results in a thick roux. The secret to softer bread is more moisture, but adding more liquid to dough can make it difficult to handle. By precooking the flour, this dough has a hydration level of 75%, resulting in softer bread made with more manageable dough.

What You Need

All-purpose flour: Low protein content of all-purpose imparts a soft, pillowy texture do not substitute another type of flour or you won’t get the desired texture
Milk: Milk adds flavor and tenderizes the dough, substitute coconut milk or your favorite plant-based substitute
Sourdough starter: Make sure your starter is mature and active before making this recipe or your bread will not rise and will turn out dense and hard
Unsalted butter: Adds richness and softens dough, substitute coconut oil
Egg: I used 1 large egg for this loaf, if you’d like to make this loaf vegan, substitute mashed potatoes or simply add another 50 grams (about ¼ cup) of water
Cane sugar: I’ve taken to using organic cane sugar for my bakes since it is processed more sustainably than granulated sugar and works just as well in recipes, substitute granulated sugar or brown sugar if that’s what you have on hand
Salt: Use Kosher salt or sea salt
Desiccated coconut: Pan de coco is usually made with freshly grated coconut, which is easily accessible in the Philippines but quite difficult to come by here in the U.S.A. I used flake coconut, but desiccated coconut is finer, widely available and works much better, use frozen grated coconut if you can find it
Cornstarch: Thickens the filling, substitute all-purpose flour if you don’t have any on hand

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Whisk together flour and milk and microwave it 30-second increments 3 or 4 times until thickened

2. Combine ingredients into a shaggy dough and knead the butter in one tablespoon at a time

3. Knead the dough until the dough passes the windowpane test, ferment the dough until doubled in volume, about 2 to 4 hours, and ferment overnight in the refrigerator

4. Divide the dough into 12 portions and round each into a tight ball

5. Use a rolling pin to flatten each portion into a disc

6. Fill each portion of dough with 1 tablespoon of filling

7. Fold the edges of the dough towards the center to enclose the filling

8. Pinch the seam shut

See Also

Jamaican Beef Patties With Coco Bread Recipe by Tasty10 Health and Nutrition Benefits of Cocoa PowderCarbs in Filipino Pan De CocoTop 5 health benefits of coconut flour

9. Let the dough rise for 1 to 2 hours or until the dough looks puffy and well risen, brush the dough with egg wash before baking

10. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown

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