Sheep Sheep Sheep 🐏 Coconut Mini Bread, Success in One Try‼️
Isn't this shape so interesting? Looking upright, it's a sheep, upside down, it's an octopus, hahaha~ The finished bread is soft and fluffy, truly delicious. The filling is my latest mix!! The coconut aroma is even a level up compared to before. Such cute and yummy bread I couldn't wait to share with everyone!! The following recipe makes 6 pieces of bread, filling included for the same amount. If using dry yeast, the amount of dry yeast should be 2 grams. Key point: The water content of this dough is 62%. People who truly understand or know how to make bread will know this is a normal water percentage. Initially, the dough is sticky to work with because the sugar content is slightly higher in this bread dough, but this stickiness is pseudo. Kneading it longer with a stand mixer will resolve it! If you reduce sugar and water, the flavor and texture will be noticeably worse! If the weather is hot, use ice packs and icy liquids to control the dough temperature, which can also effectively prevent stickiness! Lastly, the given amount is for a typical stand mixer with a larger bowl, so with less flour, kneading time is longer. You can double the recipe, knead enough for two batches, and do one with cold fermentation and the other at room temperature fermentation with staggered timing! I kneaded one batch—even though it took longer, the result was still excellent! Dry Yeast: Fresh Yeast = 1:3 (note the conversion!)
Ingredients
Steps
First, make the coconut filling (for 6 pieces): Shredded Coconut: 50g Granulated Sugar: 25g Butter: 25g Egg Liquid: 30g Coconut Cream Powder: 22g Custard Powder: 5g If you don't have coconut cream powder or custard powder, you can replace both with milk powder. It still tastes good. But using coconut cream powder and custard powder will make it taste better and look more vibrant.
Kneading sequence suggestion: 1: Except for yeast, salt, and butter; Put all other ingredients into the mixing bowl. After low speed forms a dough, add the yeast and knead at medium speed for about 7 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, somewhat extendable, and can form a thick membrane.
Add butter and salt. Use low speed to let the butter absorb, then switch to medium to high speed. Knead until the complete phase: The dough has good extensibility, forms a thin, uniform membrane when stretched, with no jagged edges when poked. A smooth dough indicates it is well-kneaded.
Let the kneaded dough proof: Temperature: 28℃ Humidity: 75% Time: about 45 minutes. If using fresh yeast, proofing is faster, around 45 minutes, while dry yeast might take 60 minutes.
🔺Key: Proofing time is not fixed; judge by the state. Look for doubled volume, lightly press the surface with a floured finger. If it feels airy, and leaves a small indent that slowly rebounds, it's ready.
No need to deflate the proofed dough; directly divide it into 60g per piece.
Shape into smooth balls and let rest for about 20 minutes. Note: Do not overhandle; stop shaping once the dough is round to avoid damaging the gluten structure.
Flatten the rested dough as shown. Before rolling, dust the surface lightly with flour to prevent sticking. Apply even force to roll out into a rectangle about 15cm long and 8cm wide.
Flip over, adjust the dough, and spread about 25g of coconut filling evenly, then roll it up from top to bottom.
Roll into a cylinder shape, gently rub to make it 16cm long.
Slightly flatten it and cut two-thirds through the middle.
Twist each end inward to form spiral rolls.
Place the shaped dough pieces onto the baking tray. Final proofing: Temperature: 33℃ Humidity: 85% Proof until doubled in size. Brush with egg wash (I skipped this step). Use two high-temperature-resistant chocolate chips to decorate as eyes, pressing them slightly into the dough so they won't fall off during baking. If you don't have such chocolate chips, try using candied beans or dried fruits instead.
Put into a preheated oven: Lower heat: 175℃ / Upper heat: 195℃, bake for about 16 minutes. Note: Baking time is just a reference; adjust based on your own oven. Pay close attention in the last few minutes to avoid overbaking.
Once baked, let the small bread cool down to slightly hand-warm temperature, then immediately seal them in a zip-lock bag. This will ensure the bread stays extra soft.
By the way: right after taking them out of the oven, I brushed a layer of coconut oil on top. This makes the surface shiny and bright, and it also acts as a moisturizer, ensuring the bread remains soft for a longer time and adds extra aroma.