Coconut bakes, coconut pot bake, roast bakes or pot bakes, as they are referred to, are nothing short of heavenly.
How to enjoy these bakes?
Full of coconut flavor, eating it with fried eggs, or slathered with butter or cheese, or breaking off a piece to scoop up smoked herring and tomatoes, saltfish and tomatoes, or buljol is quite a gratifying experience.
How were coconut pot bakes traditionally made in Trinidad?
Traditionally, coconut pot bakes were made in an iron pot over a chulha (wood-burning earthen oven).
I have already shared my rustic oven version, and today I am pleased to give you another delicious recipe for coconut pot bakes–video posted a while back on YouTube.
In Trinidad, my cousins are masters at making pot bakes and they use a special paella pan that is light enough to enable them to flip the bakes in the air. Luckily, you don’t need that skill here, as I have made this recipe more amateur-friendly and only requires a spatula to flip.
Which is best—fresh or frozen coconut?
I have made this recipe with both freshly grated coconut and frozen grated coconut (from the freezer section of your Caribbean-friendly supermarket) and I can assure you that fresh is best.
However, if you don’t have the patience or time to make freshly grated coconut, then fresh frozen is acceptable. Just thaw, grind in a food processor if too large, which is sometimes the case, and add to your flour.
How do I make freshly grated coconut?
Break the coconut, pry out the meat, grate using a handheld grated or food processor. See more details here.
Can this coconut pot bake be made in the oven?
While cooking it in a pot on the stove is the traditional method, I have made this coconut pot bake in the oven when I don’t have the luxury of time to watch it on the stove. It is much easier and tastes just as good!
To make it in the oven, once the dough is kneaded, place it on a prepared sheet pan, press out into an 8-inch round, set it in a warm place covered, allow it to double in size, pierce with a fork, and then bake 350F or until golden brown and fully cooked. That’s so easy, and many have shown the result so much love on IG!
Enjoy your coconut pot bake–oven or stove method and leave your feedback below!
Other related Recipes:
How to make coconut bake in the oven
COCONUT POT BAKE
Ingredients
- 4 cups unbleached all purpose flour sifted
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast or 2 tbs baking powder
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar or more to taste
- 1 cup grated coconut lightly packed, 3-4 ozs
- 1 ¼ cups coconut milk fresh
- 1.5 teaspoons himalayan salt I use himalayan salt, note that table salt is saltier so use less.
- 4 - 6 tablespoons butter organic, salted or unsalted
Instructions
Prepare Coconut Using Fresh Dried Coconut
- Break a whole dried coconut and remove the meat. Rinse, dry and cut into small pieces. Place in a food processor and process until fine, about 1-2 minutes.
- Measure and set aside 1 cup of the grated coconut---lightly packed.
- Place the remainder of the grated coconut in a medium bowl or measuring cup, add 1 cup warm water (picture on the left below). Let it sit for a few minutes and then strain-- squeezing out as much liquid as you can. I like adding it to the blender and blending for a minute or two to extract a more concentrated flavor. Set coconut milk aside. Discard coconut shell.
If Using Fresh Frozen Grated Coconut
- Alternately, use pre-grated coconut from the frozen section in the supermarket. Usually comes in 14 oz packages. If it’s not grated fine enough, you will have to grind it in the food processor. You will need 1 cup about 3 ozs, then take the remainder and blend with 1 ½ cups of hot water to make the coconut milk.
Knead Flour
- Place flour into a medium bowl.
- Add yeast, salt and sugar and mix to combine.
- Add butter to flour mixture and rub in, using fingers, until well incorporated.
- Add 1 cup grated coconut and mix until combined.
- Gradually add coconut milk and mix, with a wooden spoon or by hand, until the dough comes together, not dry or too sticky.
- Remove the dough from the bowl, place on a lightly floured counter. Knead dough by hand for 3 minutes by pressing dough down with knuckles to smoothen and folding the dough over itself and pushing out with the heel of your hands, not down. Rotate dough and repeat.
Shape Dough and Cook
- Shape dough into a large round ball, cover and allow it to rest for 15 minutes, minimum.
- To cook on the stove, heat heavy bottomed pot over medium heat and brush with butter. (Watch the attached video to see how to make it in the oven)
- Using a rolling pin, roll dough out into an 8-inch round (3/4 inch thick) using a rolling pin. Pierce dough with a fork.
- (Oven Method: Alternately, place dough on a prepared sheet pan, press out into an 8 inch round, set in a warm place covered, allow it to double in size, pierce with a fork, then bake 350F until golden brown and fully cooked.)
- Stove method continued: Place dough in pot and cook for about 5 mins or until the bottom is golden brown.
- Brush generously with butter and flip.
- Brush with butter and cook for 2-3 mins or until the bottom is golden brown, then flip.
- The bake is done cooking when it feels light, it doesn’t look or feel raw and the kitchen smells heavenly.
- Using a spatula, remove the bake from the pot or sheet pan and place in a paper towel lined tray. Butter a slice and eat immediately! Wrap in clean kitchen towel--while eating.
- Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap and place in a zip lock bag. Store in the refrigerator. Heat before eating. I like toasting leftovers—on a tawa-until it is crisp.
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A Trinidadian culinary connoisseur sharing recipes from Trinidad and the Caribbean with a modern twist.