Recipe adapted from Tastes Like Home
Recipe
8 tablespoon butter, semi soft
3/4 cup warm whole milk
1/4 cup water
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar for sprinkling
2 tablespoon sugar water for brushing (1 tablespoon sugar to 1 tablespoon water)
For the Coconut Filling
2 cups freshly grated coconut
1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon coconut essence
Directions
In a small bowl, add the 1/4 cup of water, sugar and active dry yeast. Set aside for 15 minutes for the yeast to become active.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, with a bread hook, add the flour and salt. Add the butter and using your finger tips, rub in the butter until it is the texture of small pebbles.
Once the yeast is frothy, start pouring it into the flour mix, while the mixer is on low.
Slowly add in the milk, mix until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. About 6-8 minutes.
The dough should be sticky and soft, but not sticking to your fingers.
Rub with a teaspoon of oil and cover with a damp towel. Leave in a cool place to rise for about 2 hours.
While the dough is rising, prepare your coconut filling.
Grate the coconut on the small side of the grater. Make sure you have ample filling as you do not want to have turnovers with little filling.
Add the sugar, essence and cinnamon to the coconut. Mix well and set aside for the flavors to develop until your are ready for it.
Once the dough has risen, lightly knead it for about a minute.
Make small golf size balls out of the dough.
On a floured surface roll out each ball to small round discs, add some of the coconut filling and spread it evenly out. The more filling you use the more you will have inside it, which is truly the way it should be.
Fold the two edges (left and right side) in about 1/2 inch (refer to pictures). Then start rolling it in until it forms a log.
Place it inside of a buttered baking pan, side ways, seam side down.
You should be able to get at lest 4-5 in each pan. Leave about a 1/4 of an inch between each roll so that it has space to rise.
Once all has been filled and rolled and inside the baking pans, cover and leave to double in size.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Brush each roll with the sugar water and sprinkle on some of the brown sugar.
Place in the oven to bake for 18 minutes. After 18 minutes remove from the oven and baste again with the sugar water. Replace to bake until the tops are evenly brown.
Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Enjoy!
