Dilkush –  Coconut Stuffed  Sweet Buns

It  was  kind  of   exotic  in a  land  where  home  baking  never  caught  on.  But  the  flavors  were  entirely   familiar  to  the  coast. When  these  are baking  in thee oven  the  whole  house  gets filled   with the   warm, sweet  aromas. It takes me  back  to the   beaches,   warm  waters ,  and  gentle  breezes…    Over  the  years   these  memories have  inspired  me  to make  many   sweet buns  and  rolls.   But  nothing  beats  the  original  flavors .  Fresh from the  oven these  buns  are   simply  heaven !!!

The   recipe  calls  for a  basic  sweet   dough   and   coconut  filling.  Traditionally no binders   were used in the  filling.  Freshly  grated   coconut   mixed  with a   little  sugar   provides  just  enough  moisture  to keep  the light  stuffing in place. You might want to add a little softened butter/ coconut cream if using dried or desiccated coconut.

More often than not the bread dough will be a simple sweet dough, but I like  to bring  out  the   flavors  more  by infusing  the  dough   with   cardamom and  coconut  flavors.

The  first  step is  to  bloom the  yeast  .  Heat 1/4 C  milk  till just  warm to  touch (110°F).  Add 1 tsp  sugar  and  mix well .  Sprinkle  the  yeast on top  and  let  it rest  undisturbed for 5  to 10  minutes . A good   quality yeast  would  have  become  active  and  bubbled  vigorously by then .  It   should  look  similar  to   the  picture  above . Take a  large  mixing  bowl   and   add  the   flour   sugar , powdered  cardamom ,  salt ,  1/4 C grated coconut and  softened  butter .   Mix  well   ,  make a  hole in the  center  and add   the  activated  yeast  to it . Slowly add  the  milk to the   flour  and  knead  until all the  flour  comes  together and  forms a   dough . It   should  not  be  too  stiff.  Knead gently until the   the  dough  becomes  soft  and  elastic ,  about  10 to 15  minutes . If  the   dough is  sticky add a  few  more  tablespoons of  flour  and  knead  to  incorporate  . If  it  is  too dry add a few  more  drops of  milk   and  knead  to make  it  more  pliable .  Transfer to an   oiled  bowl  and   cover  with a  plastic  wrap  or   moist   kitchen  towel and set aside to  double in a  warm place.

While  the   dough is  rising , prepare  the   filling .   Mix  the   fresh  grated  coconut  a  sugar  cardamom  ,  and   the  dry fruits and  nuts  together .    Here  I have added dried  cranberries  for a  burst  of  color . Chopped  nuts  ,   raisins , candied peel  are all   good options  as well .  Thawed  frozen   grated  coconut   can be  substituted  for   fresh  as well  .Punch   down  the   dough  and   turn it  out   to a   lightly floured   kneading  surface .   Cut  into 4  equal  parts   form  into 4  balls   and return  3  of  the  pieces  back into the  bowl. Keep  it covered.

Roll out one  dough ball into a   circle  of   about 8 in in  diameter .   Transfer  the  circle onto a  baking  sheet  lined   with  parchment paper or  lightly sprayed  with oil . Spread  half  the   filling   evenly  on it  leaving  about  half  an  inch  from the   sides  uncovered .  Dip a  pastry brush in  water  and  lightly brush   along the  uncovered  side .  This  is   an optional  step .  Take  another  piece  of  the  dough  and  roll out  into  a  circle   just a  little  bigger  than  the   first  and  place on  top   of  the   first  one as  in  the   picture .  Press  along  the   sides   for a tight   seal .  Cover   with a  plastic  wrap   and  set  aside  to   rise in a  warm  place  until  almost   doubled   about  30 to 45  minutes .  Repeat   with the  other  pieces.

Alternately    the   dough  can be  divided into 12  equal  pieces  .  Flatten   each piece  into  about 4 inch  circles .    Divide  the   filling  into 12  equal portions . Place one  portion of the  filling  in  the center of  the    flattened  circle  and   bring  up  the    sides  to  close  in the  middle .   Turn  the ball  upside   down  , place on the  baking  sheet  and   cover  and  let  it   rise  till  almost   doubled . Preheat  the  oven to  400 °F (200 °C ).  Add 1 Tsp  warm  water  to  2Tbsp  honey  mix  well  and  brush  the  top of  the  buns (Egg Free Version).   Transfer  to the  preheated  oven  and   turn  the  heat  down to 375°F (190°C)  Bake  20 to 25 minutes  until  the  tops  golden   brown . Remove   from the oven  ,  cool on the pan  for  5  minutes . Transfer  to  a  cooling  rack .

Dilkush

By Syama

These are  popular  snack breads  sold  in South Indian  bakeries.   These are soft   circular  loaves  of  bread  filled  with  coconut  aromatic  spices  and  sometimes  dried  fruit.   

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 2 hrs 30 mins

Course Snack

Cuisine India

Servings 6 Buns or Two 8" round loaves

Ingredients

  

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Bread Dough

• 400 g Bread/ All Purpose Flour (3 1/4 - 3 1/2 C)
• 45 g Butter (3 Tbsp)
• 8 g Salt (1 Tsp)
• 50 g Sugar (4 Tbsp)
• 30 g Grated Coconut Fresh / Frozen (4 Tbsp )
• 210 g Milk (About 1 C)
• 8 g Active Dry Yeast (1pkt / 2 1/4 Tsp)
• 1 Pinch Cardamom Powder (1/8 Tsp)

Filling

• 1 1/2 C Grated Coconut Fresh / Frozen loosely packed
• 100 g Sugar (1/2 C)
• 1/2 Tsp Cardamom Powder
• 3/4 C Raisins / Dried fruits

Egg Wash (Optional - See Notes)

• 1 Egg
• 1 Tbsp Water

Instructions

 

• Warm 1/4 C milk (50 gms) of milk to 100°F (warm to touch) and mix with1tsp sugar . Sprinkle the yeast on top and set aside to bloom for 5 to 10 minutes .
• In a large mixing bowl take all the remaining ingredients for the bread dough , except the milk , and stir to combine . Make a well in the mixture and add the activated yeast as well as half the remaining milk .Knead to make a soft pliable dough , adding the remaining milk slowly as required.Knead for 10 to 15 minutes until the dough is soft and elastic .Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl , cover and set aside to rise in a warm place till doubled (about 1 to 1.5 hrs).
• Mix the ingredients for the filling and set aside (See notes).
• Punch down the dough and divide into 4 equal pieces . (For buns see notes). Keep the dough covered .Roll a piece of dough into a disc of about 8" in diameter. Transfer the disc on to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Spread half the filling on the disk leaving about 1/2 " gap from the edges .Dip a pastry brush in water and brush uncovered portion .Roll out another piece of dough into a disc slightly bigger than the first one .Place over the first disc, pressing on the sides to seal .Cover with a plastic wrap or moist kitchen towel.   Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough . Set aside to proof until almost doubled.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°Beat the egg  with 1 Tbsp water  well to make the  egg wash.  Brush the tops of the bread with egg wash and transfer to the oven.  Reduce temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake for 15 to 20 minutes , until the tops are turn light brown.Remove from the oven .
• Cool in the tray for 5 minutes . Transfer to a cooling rack.

  Serve  warm or  cooled,  if  slicing  wait  for  the  bread  to cool  completely. 

Notes

• If avoiding eggs  use  2 tbsp honey mixed with 1 Tbsp hot water  instead of  egg wash. 
• For  buns - divide  the  dough into  double  the  number of  buns to make.  Divide the  filling   equally into  the number of  buns and  proceed as in the  recipe. 

Keyword Coconut Bread

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Notes :

• If  you are using desiccated  coconut  for  the   filling ,  add about 3 Tbsp  hot  water  and  1 tbsp butter/coconut cream  to  the   filling  mixture and  mix  well .
• This   dough  makes   wonderful  coconut   buns  –  without  the   filling.

Here is  another  sweet  bun to  try 

Check out  similar  recipes  here –

Bread  | Kerala