PANI POPO (Coconut Buns) – Parāoa Kokonati
My Samoan husband Paul introduced me to pani popo and I am so glad that he did! Are they the Samoan alternative to the cinnamon scroll? Tērā pea – perhaps! They are soft, sweet buns, cooked in a delicious, creamy coconut sauce. I have added coconut milk in to the dough to really drive home the coconut flavour. The aroma that fills your whare (house) when these are baking is just so divine, it will have your neighbours banging down the door!
Can I use plain flour instead of high grade flour?
Hmmm…yes, you can swap high grade flour for plain flour BUT only if you are desperate! High grade flour has a higher protein content and helps get that wonderful stretch in the gluten. I have made bread with plain flour (in times of desperation) but there is definitely a slight difference in the finished product.
How do I know when the dough is ready after kneading?
Firstly, follow the timings that I have stated in the recipe for the hand kneaded or machine kneaded dough. Kneading correctly and long enough is the key to the success of any yeasted dough. Knead the dough until it is stretchy and springs back when pressed. If you press it and it stays dented and doesn’t spring back, knead it for another minute and test it again. You can see I do this method in the video below. You can also try the window pane test to check whether it needs more kneading or not. Check out my how to knead dough post for a more in-depth look at kneading.
My dough is sticky, what do I do?
This recipe calls for a slightly sticky dough as the buns have the addition of an egg and butter in them. The egg is added first into the yeast and flour mixture. We knead the dough for 8 minutes without the butter. This releases the gluten and a soft dough starts to form. Then, the butter gets dotted on to the dough. As you knead in the butter it will get super sticky for a minute or so but stick with it as it will come together. As a rule, try and refrain from adding extra flour but if the sticky dough is getting you down, add a tablespoon extra flour and knead for 30 seconds before adding any more.
How do I serve a pani popo?
Serve these pani popo fresh from the oven for the best eating experience. As you serve them, flip each pani popo on to a plate and drizzle with the coconut sauce from the bottom of the tray. And no, in this video that is not what I did but I have since observed my husband and know this is the superior way!
Samoan Coconut Buns Pani popo
Ingredients
The Coconut Dough – Te Pokenga Kokonati
- 1 can miraka kokonati (coconut milk)
- ¾ C wai wera (hot water, from the tap)
- ¼ C huka one (caster sugar or brown sugar)
- 2 tsp īhi tere (instant yeast)
- 1 hēki (egg, size 6)
- 2 tsp wanira (vanilla)
- 1 tsp tote (salt, fine)
- 3 ¾ C puehu parāoa kounga (high grade flour)
- 50 g pata (butter, room temperature)
The Coconut Sauce – Te Ranu Kokonati
- 1 tbsp puehu kānga (cornflour)
- ⅓ C wai (water)
- Kini tote (pinch of salt)
- ⅓ C huka one (caster sugar or brown sugar)
- Remainder of miraka kokonati (coconut milk)
- 1 can kirīmi kokonati (coconut cream)
- 1 tsp wanira (vanilla)
Instructions
The Coconut Dough – Te Pokenga Kokonati
- Add ½ C of the miraka kokonati (coconut milk) to a large mixing bowl. Reserve the remaining for the coconut sauce. Add the wai wera (hot water), huka one (caster sugar), and īhi tere (instant yeast) to the bowl with the ½ C of miraka kokonati. Stir well and leave for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate.
- Add the hēki (egg), wanira (vanilla), tote (salt) and puehu parāoa kounga (high grade flour) to the yeast mixture. Stir it with a bread knife in the bowl until a shaggy dough comes together.
- Tip on to a lightly floured bench. Knead it for 8 minutes with your hands or for 6 minutes in stand mixer, using a dough hook attachment.
- Cut the pata (butter) in to cubes. Stretch out the dough to form a rough rectangle and dot the pata (butter) on to the dough. Fold the corners in and knead again. Knead by hand for 5 minutes or in a stand mixer for 4 minutes.
- To check whether the dough is ready, roll the dough in to a ball and press with your finger. If it springs back quickly, it s ready, if not, knead for another minute or so. Refer to the video for a reference.
- Add to a large, oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel or a reusable bowl cover and allow the dough to rise for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. The dough is ready when it has doubled in size.
- As the dough rises prepare the coconut sauce.
The Coconut Sauce – Te Ranu Kokonati
- Add the puehu kānga (cornflour), wai (water), tote (salt) and huka (sugar) in to a pot. Stir so the ingredients are combined.
- Add in the remaining miraka kokonati (coconut milk) from the dough, kirīmi kokonati (coconut cream) and wanira. Boil gently over low-medium heat for 5 minutes until thick.
- Allow the sauce to cool while the dough is rising.
Pani Popo Bun Making
- Once the dough has doubled in size, tip it on to a bench. Divide it in to 15 equal pieces, you can do this by weighing the dough on a scale and diving the entire weight by 15 or you can simple eye ball it. Either way is fine.
- Now roll each piece of dough in to a sausage shape that is a 8-10cm long. Then hold one end in place and use the other end to wrap around and around in a spiral shape. Pinch the end to seal it in place.
- Place the buns on to a 25cm x 35cm tray making sure you allow equal space around each bun.
- Once you have filled the tray with the buns, cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 45-50 minutes.
- Pre-heat the oven to 165 °C on the bake setting.
- After the buns are risen, reserve 1 ¼ C of the coconut sauce for drizzling over the hot buns. Pour the rest of the sauce all over top and around the pani popo. Baste the sauce on top of the buns so each one has an equal chance of absorbing the coconut sauce goodness.
- Bake them in the pre-heated oven for 30 minutes. As soon as they come out of the oven pour over the reserved coconut sauce. Eat them warm for the taste sensation of a life time.
Tried this for the first time during the long weekend and they were a hit with the whānau!! Best receipe will keep this one for future whānau gatherings 🙂
Oh that is so wonderful to hear, so glad that you and the whānau enjoyed them! 💗
Bread was lovely and fluffy but i was not a fan of the sauce. This is my personal opinion but if you like Vanilla this is right up your ally! Overall its a great bake and would encourage you to give it a try. Will certainly try this again but with a coconut cream sauce only.
Kia ora, sorry you didn’t like the sauce. We love it but everyone has different preferences aye! Thanks for trying my recipe.
My first time making these, easy to follow instructions. My work colleagues and family enjoyed the panipopo. Have to agree my mixture was sticky too but next time will try follow the exact measurements. Faafetai Naomi.
Oh that is so awesome to hear! If your dough is a bit sticky that is ok! Better than dry! So glad that you work mates and whānau enjoyed them! E mihi ana!
Best Panipopo hands down! Sauce is bomb so I totally disagree with above commenter lol. Adding vanilla and simmering it really adds a nice depth to it I reckon! I’d give more stars if I could lol
Oh my brother – e mihi ana e hoa! Love that you made this recipe the most popular one of my website! TRUE STORY!
The panipopo was super rich in taste with that never ending aroma. The coconut sauce enhances the flavor and makes it very moreish.
Woo hoo – what an awesome description of these pani popo! Thank you for the awesome feedback!
“Around the world” family dinner for Matariki & my son got Samoa & asked if we could make these. My first time ever cooking with yeast & these turned out amazing. Lots of compliments from Samoan friends. Recipe is very easy to follow & video super helpful
Oh this is so awesome to hear Melissa and what a fun idea for dinner! Around the world – I love it!
About to try these today! I was wondering, since I imagine the corn flour is meant to thicken the sauce, would cornstarch work as well? The cornflour sold here in the US is often quite coarse, so I’m worried that might affect the texture of the sauce! Also, any thoughts on doing the second prove in the fridge overnight? That way they’d be ready to bake first thing in the morning.
Thanks!!
Kia Alice, so lovely to hear you are making the pani popo! Oh, that is a good point. The cornstarch is used to thicken the sauce but it would still work if you just left the cornflour out of the recipe, it is only a small amount.
If you want to do an overnight version, make the dough, put it in a bowl and cover it, then rise it for one hour on the bench. Then transfer in to the fridge for up to 15 hours (I wouldn’t leave it for too much longer than that). Then you can make your pani popo the next day but the second rise before baking needs to be 1 1/2 hours or until they are doubled in size as the dough needs to come back to life before baking. I hope this helps and I hope you enjoy the pani popo!