Jamaican Coco Bread: the traditional recipe for a tasty Jamaican bread

If you've never had Jamaican coco bread, you're in for a treat. This delicious staple bread is rich and buttery with just the slightest hint of sweetness courtesy of a coconut milk and a bit of sugar. With a light, fluffy texture, coco bread is perfect for sandwiches – Jamaican coco bread is folded over in shape, great for stuffing with your favorite fillings like in the case of Jamaican patties. This recipe is amazingly easy to make, using many common ingredients you probably already have on hand. It's so delightfully tasty, you'll want to make Jamaican coco bread all the time!

What does Coco Bread Taste Like?

Jamaican coco bread is a soft roll with a slightly sweet taste and subtle coconut flavor. The rolls are buttery and slightly dense, making it a great-tasting, versatile roll you can enjoy at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or as a tasty snack.

What to Serve with Jamaican Coco Bread

Coco bread goes with a wide array of dishes. You could do like the Jamaicans do and make beef patty (coco bread stuffed with gorgeously seasoned beef), or eat them with jerked chicken or fish. Jamaican coco bread is superb on its own with a generous pat of butter. They're lovely as dinner rolls served with soups and stews.

How to Make Jamaican Coco Bread

Lightly grease a parchment-lined baking tray with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix the coconut milk, sugar, salt, and melted butter together.

Stir in yeast, then whisk in the egg.

Sift in the flour, mix to combine. Lightly flour a surface, turn out the dough, and knead for 4 minutes.

Lightly grease a bowl with oil, put the dough in the bowl, cover, and leave to rise until it doubles in size.

Once doubled, punch it down, then place the dough on a lightly floured surface.

Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 10 equal portions.

Shape the dough into balls, then roll the dough out to form a circle about 6-inches in diameter.

Brush the dough with melted butter, fold in half, then brush the top of the dough.

Arrange the dough on the pan and leave for 15 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Bake the rolls for 15 to 20 minutes, or until browned. Remove the coco bread from the oven and let it cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

– Jamaican coco bread is easy to make ahead of time. You can store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat it, brush the bread with melted butter and bake at 350°F for 7 to 10 minutes.

– If you prefer sweeter rolls, add a little extra sugar. The same goes for if you want a stronger coconut flavor.

– Aim for a softer, more hydrated dough. This will yield fluffier, more tender rolls.

– You can brush the coco bread with more melted butter when they come out of the oven for a richer flavor.