Pan de Coco and Azuki Beans Rolls

Since I was a little girl, I always loved to eat Pan de Coco and Pan de Monggo. I'd rather have either one rather than any fancy breads and rolls. Until now, I still love anything with coconut.  Pan de Coco is a bun or dinner roll with sweetened coconut fillings. It is very popular in the Philippines, commonly sold in Panaderya (bakery) and usually served during snack time, especially in the afternoon, or can be served for breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea.
As I mentioned before, I'm not really fond of baking bread, cakes and pastries because I feel like I'm not free to add whatever I want to add. I'm not allowed to experiment, and I have to follow the exact measurements, which I'm not good at. Be that as it may, I still want to learn. I started with Pandesal which turned out okay, or should I say... Not too bad for a first timer. Then my second attempt were these Pan de Coco and Azuki Beans rolls. I thought it wasn't bad at all. I just needed to work more on the softness of the bread. My husband and I  brought some to work to share with my office mates and his co-workers. Thank goodness, they liked them.
In this recipe, I used desiccated coconut flakes and azuki beans instead of mung beans for fillings. Freshly grated coconut is ideal to use, however, it wasn't available when I made this and frozen coconut is not an option for me.
On the other hand, I opted for azuki beans instead of mung beans. Azuki is a Japanese word which means small beans. It has uniform red color, however, white, black, gray, and variously mottled varieties are also known. I used red azuki beans or anko in this recipe. Anko is referred to as sweet red bean paste, and can be purchased in any Asian grocery stores. If it is not available, just purchase the red beans and make your own red bean paste. That's what I did in this recipe. Although, here where I live, there's a lot of Japanese and Asian stores that sells anko. And then again, I just want to learn so I made my own by boiling the red beans until soft, then add sugar to sweetened and finally, mashed the beans until it turns into paste.

Ingredients:

     For Dough:

• 3-1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1/4 cup Extra All-Purpose Flour (for dusting)
• 1 pkg. (4g) Instant Yeast
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Warm Water
• 1 Fresh Egg (beaten)
• 3 tbsp. Melted Butter 
• 1 tsp. Salt

    For Coconut Filling:

• 1 cup Dessicated Coconut Flakes
• 2 tsp. Melted Butter
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract  

               * In a mixing bowl, combine all the filling ingredients. Set aside. *

   For Azuki Filling or Anko: Needs to be made a day before.

• 200 g. Azuki Beans
• 1 cup Granulated White Sugar
• Water
• Pinch of Salt

               * Soak the azuki beans overnight. After soaking, rinse thoroughly. When cooking azuki beans, use a big sauce pan or pot , because the amount of the beans will double when cooked. Put washed beans in the pot and add water 1-2 inches above the beans. Turn the heat on high. When boiling, turn off the heat and cover with lid. Let is stand for 5 minutes. Throw away water and put azuki beans in a strainer. Put the azuki beans back in the pot. Add enough water just to cover the beans and turn the heat on high. Once boiling, turn down the heat to medium low and keep it simmering. Put the azuki beans back in the pot. Add enough water just to cover the beans and turn the heat on high. Once boiling, turn down the heat to medium low and keep it simmering. Once in a while push the azuki beans under the water with slotted spoon. Water will evaporate so you need to keep adding water to cover just above the beans. If you put too much water, the beans will move and break. If you need to leave the kitchen, make sure to turn off the heat. You will be cooking for 1+ hour. Pick one azuki bean and squeeze it with your fingers. If it is smushed easily, it’s done. Turn up the heat to high and add sugar in 3 separate times. Stir constantly. When you draw a line on the bottom of the saucepan and see the surface for more than 2 seconds, add salt and turn off heat. Anko will thicken more when it cools. Pour into a container to cool down. Do not leave it in the pot. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge to store after cool down. If you aren't planning to use it all at once, you can divide it into 100g packages. Wrap in plastic bag and store in Ziploc Freezer bags and can store in fridge for a week and freezer up to a month.

  For Egg Wash:

• 1 Egg (beaten)
• 1 tbsp Milk

Let's Bake!

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine water, yeast and a teaspoon of sugar. Stir until well blended. Set aside in a warm place for about 10 minutes or until foamy.
2. In a bigger mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, salt and the remaining sugar. Mix well.
3. Pour in beaten egg, warm milk, melted butter and yeast mixture. 
4. Mix until it forms a dough. Add more water if the dough is too dry and flour if it's too wet.
5. Place the dough on a floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic ball is formed.
6. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in warm place for at least an hour or until doubles its size.
7. While waiting for the dough to rise, start making the filling. (see above for procedures)
8. After an hour, punch the dough in the middle to let the air escape.
9. Place the dough onto a floured surface and divide into four equal parts. 
10. Form each piece into a log shape about 10-12 inches long.
11. Divide the log into 6 individual pieces, depending on the size of the bread you like. 
    
12. Form each piece into a ball. Flatten it using your palm. Roll it out with a rolling pin to 1/8 inch thick and 4-5 inches in diameter.
13. Scoop up about 1 tablespoonful and a half of filling and put it in the middle of the dough.
14. Pull up the edges of the dough, pinch and twist to seal.
    
15. Place the pinch side down on the baking pan with a greased sheets on the bottom or parchment paper.
16. Make about 1/2 inch spaces between each dough.
17. Let them rest for 20 minutes in a warm place.
    
18. After 20 minutes, lightly brush the tops with an egg wash. 
19. Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF for at least 20-25 minutes or until light brown.
20. Remove from the oven.
21. Best serve with your favorite hot or cold drinks. 
22. Share and enjoy!

After an hour, punch the dough in the middle to let air escape. Place the dough onto floured surface and divide into four equal parts. Form each piece into a log shape about 10-12 inches long (like an embutido). Divide the log into 4 individual pieces (Depending on the size of the bread you like). - See more at: http://cooknshare.com/recipe/pan-de-coco-buns/#sthash.hoAa8RRo.dpuf