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Freshly made Portuguese Coconut Buns (Pão De Deus) on a white plate.
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Portuguese Coconut Buns (Pão De Deus)

These Portuguese coconut buns use an easy milk bread dough that bakes into extra light and fluffy buns. Topped with a sweet coconut mixture, you'll fall in love with this flavorful Pão De Deus recipe!
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Portuguese
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Resting time 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 262kcal
Author Lizet Bowen

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • ½ cup warm milk (120g)
  • cup water at room temperature (80g)
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (25g)
  • 1 tablespoon dry yeast (7g)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon dark rum
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
  • 3 -½ cups all-purpose flour (450g)
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (40 g)
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For coconut crust

  • 1 cup grated coconut, unsweeted (93g)
  • ¼ cup sugar (50g)
  • 3 eggs

Additional:

  • 1 beaten egg for brushing
  • icing sugar

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, add milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, water, and dry yeast. Mix and let stand for 5 minutes. Add eggs, rum, vanilla, the rest of the sugar ¼ cup, and lemon zest to this.
  • Wisk the liquid mixture for 3 minutes with one cup of flour. Add the rest of the flour and salt. Mix with a wooden spoon.
  • Place the dough on a flat surface and start kneading.
  • Add the butter and continue kneading. The dough will be very sticky, but the more you knead it, the less sticky it becomes. Knead for 10 minutes.
  • Place the dough in a large greased bowl. Cover with a cloth and let rest for 1 hour (in a warm place in the summer) or 1 hour and 45 minutes (in the winter).
  • Coconut Crust:
  • While the dough is resting, in a medium bowl mix all the ingredients for the coconut crust, and mix until it resembles a paste. Set aside.
  • Divide the dough into 10 equal portions, about 90 g each, and form buns. Place them on a greased baking sheet and let it rise for 30 to 45 minutes, or until double in size.
  • 15 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 180C / 350F.
  • Brush each bun with beaten egg. After brushing, add the leftover egg to the coconut crust mixture, and mix well.
  • With the help of a spoon, spread evenly amounts of coconut paste to each bun, being careful not to flatten them.
  • Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Allow to cool completely before sprinkling with icing sugar.

Notes

  • It's a very sticky dough, but after 10 minutes it becomes very soft and less sticky. If you find it difficult to knead, add a little more flour, about 2 tablespoons.
  • If you know your oven, you have an idea of ​​how long it takes to reach the temperature you need. Thinking about that, turn on your oven ahead of time.
  • Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 97g | Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 34.05g | Protein: 6.76g | Fat: 11.12g