Cook Islands Coconut Bread

About This Recipe

Coconut bread is sold at every bakery and roadside stall on Rarotonga. The crumb is pillowy and faintly sweet, the crust pale gold. It is perfect eaten warm with butter, or used to soak up the sauces from rukau and ika mata. The recipe is simple but the coconut cream gives it a moistness that keeps for days.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 3 cupsplain flour, plus extra for kneading
• 7 ginstant yeast (1 sachet)
• 200 mlcoconut cream, lukewarm
• 2 tbspsugar
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 tbspneutral oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Make dough

   Combine flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add coconut cream and oil. Mix until a rough dough forms, then knead on a floured surface for 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.

2. 2

   First rise

   Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled.

3. 3

   Shape and second rise

   Punch down dough, shape into a loaf, and place in a greased 900 g loaf tin. Cover and rise for 30 minutes.

4. 4

   Bake

   Preheat oven to 190 °C (375 °F). Bake for 30–35 minutes until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

Variations

• •

  Add 50 g desiccated coconut to the dough for extra texture.

• •

  Shape into rolls for individual servings.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Store at room temperature, wrapped, for up to 3 days. Freezes well for 1 month.

Frequently Asked Questions