Traditional coconut buns
A familiar, old-school bake worth bringing back.
Traditional coconut buns finished with a generous layer of Folláin red jam and coconut — the sort of thing made by the batch, with a few kept at home and the rest brought when calling to someone’s house.
Inspired by Donal Skehan’s jam coconut bun/doughnut-style content.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 225g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 75g cold butter, cubed
- 75g caster sugar
- 50g desiccated coconut
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 150ml milk
- For the Topping:
- 4 tbsp red jam
- 30g extra desiccated coconut (for dipping)
Method
- Prep the Oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan / Gas Mark 6). Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- Make the Breadcrumbs: Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add the cubed cold butter and rub it into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Stir the caster sugar and the 50g of desiccated coconut into the breadcrumb mixture until evenly distributed.
- Mix the Dough: Whisk the beaten egg and milk together. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and stir gently until it forms a stiff, slightly wet dough. Do not overmix.
- Shape and Bake: Drop heaped dessert spoonful's of the dough onto your prepared baking tray, leaving about 3-4 cm of space between each bun. Bake for 15–20 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped.
- Cool: Transfer the buns to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely before decorating.
- Decorate: Warm the jam slightly in the microwave for 10 seconds to make it spreadable. Brush or spoon a layer of jam over the top of each cooled bun, then immediately dip or sprinkle the top with the extra desiccated coconut.
Ingredients
- 225g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 75g cold butter, cubed
- 75g caster sugar
- 50g desiccated coconut
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 150ml milk
- For the Topping:
- 4 tbsp red jam
- 30g extra desiccated coconut (for dipping)
Method
- Prep the Oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan / Gas Mark 6). Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
- Make the Breadcrumbs: Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add the cubed cold butter and rub it into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- Add Dry Ingredients: Stir the caster sugar and the 50g of desiccated coconut into the breadcrumb mixture until evenly distributed.
- Mix the Dough: Whisk the beaten egg and milk together. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and stir gently until it forms a stiff, slightly wet dough. Do not overmix.
- Shape and Bake: Drop heaped dessert spoonful's of the dough onto your prepared baking tray, leaving about 3-4 cm of space between each bun. Bake for 15–20 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped.
- Cool: Transfer the buns to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely before decorating.
- Decorate: Warm the jam slightly in the microwave for 10 seconds to make it spreadable. Brush or spoon a layer of jam over the top of each cooled bun, then immediately dip or sprinkle the top with the extra desiccated coconut.
