Pumpkin Pani Popo - #BreadBakers

Joining Bread Bakers was probably the best decision that I made this year. It's definitely shaking me out of my bread baking rut. I have bookmarked several bread recipes but seem to just scroll past them when looking for something to bake. Take for example, pani popo. A friend sent me a link to this bread some time ago. I loved the sound of it. Pani Popo is a Samoan bread baked in sweetened coconut milk. (Pani means bun and popo means coconut.) When finished, there is a coconut jelly/jam type mixture at the bottom of the baking pan. It's often served for upside down with extra coconut sauce scooped on top.

Sounds great, right? So what was I waiting for? Why didn't I bake it immediately?! I suspect that it was the roll factor. Soft sourdough rolls are difficult for me and at the time, I only used my sourdough starter. Thankfully, pani popo sounded just perfect for this month's Bread Bakers' theme - Thanksgiving/Celebratory Dinner Bread. Let's celebrate with some delicious rolls!

I added some fresh pumpkin to make it more seasonal. Oh and some spices. Let's be honest, depending on the variety of pumpkin that you use, pumpkin by itself can be pretty bland. The flavour can definitely get lost in a bread dough. The spices liven things up. Feel free to use even more than I did. Now as I said, I used fresh pumpkin. Fresh pumpkin has a much higher water content than the stuff in a can. It was also a different variety.  If you use canned pumpkin, you will need to add milk to get the dough to the right consistency - soft and tacky.

This may be my new favourite bread. It's unbelievably soft and fluffy. The coconut sauce is amazing - I actually wanted more of it. I will definitely use more coconut milk next time. And there will definitely be a few more times. I can't wait to try the original plus other additions. Sweet potato, perhaps? My mother visits me in a week and I still haven't decided what kind of bread I am making for her. Sweet potato pani popo could be it.

My pani popo is just one of the many rolls that would be great at your Thanksgiving dinner table. Be sure to scroll down to see the list. Thanks for hosting, Holly!

Pumpkin Pani Popo

Recipe by: Kelster

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients Dough 320 grams all purpose flour 1 teaspoon active dry yeast 160 grams cooked and pureed pumpkin 28 grams oil 24 grams sugar 1 large egg 5 grams salt ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon ginger ¼ teaspoon cloves milk as needed (see notes) Coconut Sauce ¾ cup coconut milk ¼ cup sugar, or to taste

Directions Combine all the dough ingredients, except milk, in the bowl of a stand mixer. Knead on low speed for 7 – 10 minutes. Dough should be soft and tacky but not sticky. It will clear the sides of the bowl but still stick to the bottom of the bowl. If necessary, add milk by the tablespoon. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover and allow to rest at room temperature until doubled. This could take 1- 2 hours depending on the room temperature. After dough has risen, divide the dough into 10 equal pieces. My pieces were approximately 57 grams each. Roll each piece into a tight ball and place in a greased round 9.5” baking pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise until almost doubled. This may take as little as 30 minutes. While dough is rising, blend the coconut milk with the quarter cup of sugar and preheat the oven to 350 F. When dough is ready, use a tablespoon to pour coconut milk over each individual roll. Bake for 18 – 25 minutes or until the rolls have reached 190 F.

Notes I used fresh pumpkin which has a higher water content than canned pumpkin. As water content of pumpkin may vary, it's best to wait and add milk only if the dough seems dry. Here's a great visual for tacky vs sticky dough .

• Brown Butter Sage Biscuits by Sophia at Sweet Cinnamon & Honey 
• Butterflake Rolls by Anshie at Spice Roots 
• Buttermilk Rolls by Renee at Magnolia Days 
• Cast Iron Parker House Rolls by Veronica at My Catholic Kitchen 
• Cheese & Mustard Pull Apart Bread by Laura at Baking in Pyjamas 
• Classic Anise Dinner Rolls by Kathya at Basic N Delicious 
• Crusty French Bread Rolls by Robin at A Shaggy Dough Story 
• Gruyère Gougères by Nicole at The 2nd 35 Years 
• No Knead Dinner Rolls by Heather at Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks 
• Parker House Rolls by Tara at Noshing With The Nolands 
• Parmesan Garlic Knots by Lauren at From Gate to Plate 
• Pumpkin and Rosemary Bread by Rocío at kids&chic 
• Pumpkin Pani Popo by Kelly at Passion Kneaded 
• Pumpkin, Sage & Cheddar Pull Apart Rolls by Mireille at Chef Mireille's East West Realm 
• Overnight Rosemary Rolls by Holly at A Baker’s House 
• Soft and Tender Dinner Rolls by Stacy at Food Lust People Love 
• Sourdough Cornbread Rolls with Sage by Karen at Karen's Kitchen Stories 
• Sweet Potato Rolls by Cindy at Cindy's Recipes and Writings 
• Tomato Herb Loaves by Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla 
• Zopf - Braided Swiss Milk Bread by Carola at En la Cocina de Caro

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme.  Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send Stacy an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.