Pani Popo (sweet coconut buns)

Recently, a Samoan friend of mine told me about pani popo (or panipopo). Pani popo are sweet coconut buns. They are his mother's specialty. He has been away from his family for a little over a year, and he misses this traditional Samoan dessert. Apparently, he tried to create his own version, but it wasn't as good as his mom's.

Well, I decided to try my hand at making pani popo. I don't know if they measure up to my friend's mother's, but I think they turned out well. Pani popo have a delicate coconut flavor and mild sweetness. The buns have a little bit of chew (like a dinner roll) and a little bit of stickiness (from the coconut sauce). If you want to try something new, these are just the ticket. 

Pani Popo 

Recipe by Sara (stuff-by-sara.blogspot.com)

1 cup coconut milk
¼ cup sugar
½ cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs, room temperature
¾ tsp salt
4 cups flour
1 Tbsp yeast

1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp corn starch

Start by warming 1 cup of coconut milk. You want it to be about the temperature of a warm bath (not a hot bath). Combine warmed milk with yeast until yeast is dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of sugar, then wait 10 minutes for yeast to bloom (it should get foamy). Add butter and eggs, then flour and salt. Mix until a soft dough forms, then knead for about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Cover the dough, and let it rise until double.

Form into rolls, place in greased pan(s), and let rise again. (I used two 9-inch cake pans, but you can use whatever you like. Just not sheet pans, since the sides aren't high enough to accomodate the sauce that will be poured over the rolls.)

To make the sweet coconut sauce, combine 1 can coconut milk with 1/2 cup sugar. Whisk in cornstarch. Pour this mixture over the rolls until it comes about halfway up the sides of the pan. You might have some sauce leftover (but you can pour that over the baked rolls later).

Bake at 350º for 15-25 minutes. Turn the pani popo out onto a plate. The bottom of the rolls will be a little soggy, but the tops should be golden. Pour any remaining coconut sauce over the buns. Enjoy!