Coconut buns, called Dilkush are very famous in the bakeries in India. These popular soft buns are stuffed with sweetened coconut, nuts, tutti-frutti, and sultanas. These bring a smile to everyone's face. It just makes you happy just as the name means. I was keen on making this as soon as came to know the theme for the BreadBakers event.
I made these for my friends too, enjoyed these soft delicious buns with friends and family. It sure took every one of us to that period of time buying from the neighborhood bakeries and enjoying them. My dad used to buy this as a surprise for us. We enjoyed the delicious buns with our cousins and guests (we used to have always surprise guests). We shared and ate but never complained that we got smaller portions because of sharing, but we eagerly waited for the next turn of the surprise dilkush that brightened us. There were a couple of bakeries near the bus stop where we used to alight to go to our home, and one can see small hill-like mounds of these buns on the bakery counter that gets sold very quickly. The sweet aroma of them making successive batches fills the entire area. We go home after inhaling the aroma, requesting our parents, and waiting for the dilkhush to come home as a surprise. After moving far away from home, I just long for these buns (and many more........) and make now and then to satisfy the cravings.
My version of this bun uses milk powder and all-purpose flour. The flavor of the bun enhanced by milk powder coupled with the coconut filling in my words - a trip to heaven. Any regular bread dough can be used to make these buns. Also, I have used brown sugar, and that too 1/4 cup. It can be increased to 1/2 cup if you are a person with a very sweet tooth. This sweetness works for many of us, as the sugar intake has been reduced over years. One other thing to keep in mind is that when mixing the dough initially, it's very very sticky. Mix with a spoon and rest for 5 minutes. Then knead to a smooth dough. This is the way I make and every time it gave perfect results. In the bakeries, they make it bigger. I have made kind of single serve or two serving portion sized buns.
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.
APF/Maida - 1.5 cups plus 2 tbsp
Nonfat dry milk - 1/2 cup
Yeast - 1 tap
Sugar - 2 tbsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Butter - 1 tbsp, room temperature
Milk - 2/3 cup, warm
Melted butter or ghee - 1 tbsp, for brushing
Milk - 1 tbsp, for brushing
1-2 tbsp for dusting
Filling
Coconut - 1.5 cups, fresh or frozen
Tutti-fruity - 1/2 cups
Sultanas - 1/4 cup
Nuts (cashews, almonds) - 1/4 cup, broken and toasted
Brown sugar - 1/4 cup
Candied cherry - 1/4 cup, sliced
Method
In a bowl, add sugar, warm milk, and yeast to activate the yeast. In the meantime, add all the dry ingredients for the dough and mix. Add the activated yeast to the flour mixture and mix it with a spoon. Rest for 5 minutes and then knead to a smooth dough. Apply oil and cover with a towel or wrap and let it set aside for an hour to double in size.
In the meantime, toast the coconut on a medium flame, stirring continuously for about 8-10 minutes. Cool. Add the rest of the filling and mix well.
After an hour, punch the dough, fold, and punch. Transfer to a flour-dusted surface. Repeat a couple of times and divide the dough into two equal portions. Roll and flatten a portion of the dough and divide it into 4 portions. Repeat the same with the other half of the dough.
Take a ball of dough, roll it into a 6in circle. Dust with flour if necessary. Keep a heaping 1/4 cup of filling. gather the ends, slowly starting from one end, pinching continuously to form a ball. Place the seam side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Repeat the same with the rest of the dough. Press a couple of tutty fruity bits on top of the buns.
Cover with a towel and let it rise for 30 min. Preheat the oven to 350degrees F. After the second rise, brush the top of the buns with milk.
Bake for 15-16 minutes till it is golden brown on top and the bottom sounds hollow. Remove from the oven, brush with melted butter or ghee. Cool for 10-15 minutes on a cooling rack.
Serve with tea or as such.
This month, our theme is Stuffed Baked Breads and our host is Renu of Cook with Renu. Thanks Renu for hosting.
Coconut Bun by Magical Ingredients (you are here!)
Callaloo Loaf by Passion Kneaded
Double Cheese Fatayers by Ambrosia
Meatball Stromboli by Palatable Pastime
Pepperoni Rolls by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Ricotta Calzones with Spinach and Sausage by Karen's Kitchen Stories
Rolled Pepperoni Pizza Loaf by Food Lust People Love
Sourdough Custard Buns by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
Stuffed Potato Kulcha by Sneha's Recipe
Sweet Potato and Apple Braid by What Smells So Good?
Taco Tuesday Calzone by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Whole Wheat Vegetarian Calzones by Cook with Renu
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