Plaited Coconut Pandan Bread / Aneka Kreasi Roti

Joining a group/ club could be very fun. It can be cheer up a bit our boring days sometimes (^,^) and sometimes we can find some new friends from those groups and of course a lot of new experiences we get from them. New point of view, new experiences, and who knows..new challenge! (^,^)
For that we must join a group which has same as our interest or hobbies. Just like recently I did-I join a group based on cooking and baking-- as my hobby, named "Your kitchen-My Kitchen" from Facebook page. It's a group to whom enjoying their time in kitchen cooking and baking. For culinary lover across the globe. This group wants to introduce especially Indonesian culinary to the world.
You must do same thing especially if you have a blog page, beside can increase your page's reader (stat), joining one or two or more group had more positive things more than I mentioned above (^,^)

What I like about this group is they regularly gathering an event challenge to their member. And more fun is they provide some gift/ reward for the winner!...yyyaaiiii ! (^,^) ...who doesn't like gift? But for me it's more on that challenge thing--as I always mentioned, I love challenge ^,^ And this time YKMK (Your kitchen-My Kitchen) make an event challenge: BREAD !

“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.” 

― Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym

What I am exciting about this event it's not just because I love challenge, but also making bread is like my kitchen daily "doing list" because we eat bread everyday--even tough I still eat rice once in a while. You can check some of my bread recipe here or you can choose "bread" or "breakfast and brunch" in category list.

But for this event challenge I will make a little different from daily bread I usually make. You know, mostly Asian (like me) are more familiar with soft and sweet bread. We vary them with different filling, topping and more. There are many technique and recipe for making sweet, spongy and 'long lasting soft' bread such as using bread improver (which now rarely use anymore), water roux/ Tang zong and gelatinized dough. Well, I'm so faaaarrrrr away for catch up things to learn and trial error using those recipe. It will be my kitchen homework ^,^ And if you are my readers want to share your knowledge about those, please feel free to share here ^,^

Back to event challenge. For this event challenge I will make sweet soft bread using gelatinized dough. The recipe I copy from "Nasi Lemak Lover". I know Nasi Lemak Lover blog from long time ago even I didn't know Sonia (the writer) personally but I admire her because she has many great post with many interesting recipe to try. Say Hai to her when you visit her page and tell I send you to her ^,^

Here is the recipe (with a tiny little change):

(making 10 pcs)

Ingredients for gelatinized dough:

• 100g bread flour
• 70ml hot boiling water

Making gelatinized dough:

Place flour in a mixing bowl and add hot boiling water, mix thoroughly with wooden spoon to form a rough dough.  Cover bowl with cling film and leave dough to cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour, and up to 48 hours before use.

Ingredients for sweet bread:

• 1 quantity of gelatinized dough above.
• 300 g bread flour→ I didn't have stock so I use all purpose flour
• 100 g plain flour→ I use all purpose flour
• 80 gr sugar
• 20 gr milk powder
• 1 tbsp instant yeast
• ½ tsp salt
• 175 ml cold water
• 1 cold egg → I use big size
• 60 gr cold butter, cubed
• whole milk for brush surface 

Method

1. Combine flours, sugar, milk powder, yeast and salt together in a mixing bowl.
2. Tear the gelatinized dough into pieces and add to the bowl along with the eggs
3. Using a stand electric mixer, mix on low speed, adding cold water gradually.
4. Mix until dough is well combined and leave the sides of bowl.
5. Add in the cold butter cubes and mix on medium speed until dough is smooth.
6. Shape dough into a ball, leave to proof for 40mins or until doubled.

(*) I didn't have standing electric mixer, so start from step #3 I use hand electric mixer with normal paddle, mix until dough well corporate with egg and cold water.

Mix all dry mixture then knead until smooth. Add in cold butter, continue knead until dough elastic and smooth. The dough a bit sticky but it's okay, it'll make the bread soft later. Shape it round then I keep in fridge because I made it at night. I think it's okay, slow proof make bread even tastier .

At morning next day, the dough proofed almost doubled in volume, the texture was great. ^,^

To prepare Plaited coconut bread

• 1 quantity of basic sweet bread dough
• 70 gr butter
• 120 gr sugar
• 1 egg → I use large egg
• 1 tsp pandan paste →I use 2 tsp
• a drop of green food coloring→ me, 4 drops
• 110 gr desiccated coconut
• 50 g milk powder

Method

1. Cream butter and sugar until light. Add in egg , pandan paste, green coloring, mix well.
2. Add in desiccated coconut and milk powder, combine well. Divide into ten balls (weight 45 gr each) and refrigerated till it is firmed.
3. Divide sweet bread dough into 10 pcs too ( I weight around 95 gr each) and shape it round. Let rest for another 10mins.
4. Wrap coconut balls into dough, flatten the dough then roll it up like Swiss roll (see illustrations above) , flatten a bit, cut into 2 right in the middle, twist the cuts (like picture), then join each end to form round shape. Place it onto paper line baking pan. Do same way to other balls. Let it rest again for about 45 mins.
5. Pre heat your oven at 180 C. Place in the middle shelve of the oven. Bake at 180c for 12-15mins ( with my oven, I bake them around 20 mins). Brush with whole milk once it's hot out from oven.

Note:

Recognize your oven condition, it may give different result.

The bread is so fluffy, smooth yet have nice fragrant. I love the idea using this coconut pandan for twist the flavor for this sweet bread. Definitely I will make this again and again....maybe with other basic bread recipe.
You should try this too..it's champion in my house. My little angel loves it as much as my husband. Great companion for your brunch or afternoon coffee time ^,^

Happy baking Everyone!