Coconut Rolls with Coconut Glaze

These soft, delicious coconut rolls are filled with sweet coconut filling and topped with thick coconut glaze for truly aromatic, tropical variation of cinnamon rolls. If you love coconut, you wouldn’t want to miss these!

These coconut rolls are made with a sweet coconut filling and topped with a thick coconut milk glaze for truly aromatic coconut flavored rolls.

There are 3 steps to making these coconut rolls. First, you make the bread. And then the sweet coconut filling. Finally the thick coconut milk glaze. The bread is rolled into a rectangle, spread with the coconut filling, rolled, cut, and baked to perfection.

The coconut glaze is added on as soon as the rolls are out of the oven to allow it to soak into the rolls. By the time the coconut rolls cool down, the glaze gets beautifully absorbed into the buns, making them soft and sweet, and aromatic.

Making these coconut rolls is pretty straightforward. The dough ingredients are basic, those that you need to make bread, i.e. yeast, flour, eggs, milk, sugar, salt, and butter; plus grated coconut and brown sugar for the filling; and coconut milk and icing sugar for the glaze.

Both the dough and the coconut filling can be made in advance and refrigerated, so you can literally make these coconut rolls anytime you want.

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How to Make

Ingredients

Dough

• All-purpose flour + salt
• Sugar
• Instant Yeast
• Milk
• Eggs
• Butter

Coconut Filling

• Freshly grated coconut
• Brown sugar
• Water
• Salt

Coconut glaze

• Icing sugar
• Coconut milk

Mixing the dough

1. Start by mixing the milk and yeast in your mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve the yeast lightly.
2. Add the sugar, egg, flour, and salt. Turn on the mixer to a low speed and mix for about 2 minutes until the dough comes together.
3. The dough will be sticky at this stage.
4. Add softened butter, and knead for a further 7 to 8 minutes until the butter is all incorporated into the dough.

First proof

1. By the end of the machine kneading, the dough should be elastic.
2. Turn the dough out onto your working space (lightly floured) and shape it into a ball.
3. Place the dough in a large bowl, cover with cling wrap.
4. Let it proof in a warm place until it doubles in size.

Making the coconut filling

While waiting for the dough to proof, making the coconut filling.

1. To make the filling, start by measuring the brown sugar, salt and water into a pan. Turn on the heat to a low flame and mix to dissolve the brown sugar.
2. Once the sugar is dissolved, add the coconut. Cook the coconut over low heat until it thickens slightly. Remember to keep the heat low.
3. Continue cooking and keep stirring until the coconut filling is completely thickened. At this stage, you should not be able to see any more liquid in the pan.
4. Turn off the heat and let the filling cool down before using. This filling can be made in advance and kept refrigerated.

Assembling the rolls

1. Once the dough has proofed, turn it out onto a floured surface. Press the air bubbles out.
2. And then roll it into a rectangle measuring about 30 cm by 23 cm.
3. Brush with some melted butter.
4. After that, spread the coconut filling. I find using a rubber spatula very helpful in spreading the filling to a thin layer. Don’t worry about having to press down the rolled dough as you spread the filling thin.
5. Once the filling is all done, start rolling the dough from one of the longer edges.
6. Roll it as tightly as possible and pinch the ends.

Cutting the rolls and 2nd proof

1. Divide the roll into 9 equal sections. To do this, first, divide the roll into 3 sections. And then divide each section into 3 additional sections.
2. Arrange the rolls in a greased deep 7 inches square tin. When placing the rolls into the tin, position them such that the ends are against the tin. That way, when they expand in size, the sides of the tin will stop them from unrolling.
3. Let the rolls proof until double in size.
4. Bake the rolls at 170 degrees Celsius for 25 minutes.

Making the coconut glaze

While waiting for the coconut rolls to bake, prepare the glaze.

1. Sift and measure icing sugar into a glass or jar. I prefer to use my measuring glass with a small spout as it is easier to pour the glaze onto the coconut rolls later.
2. Add coconut milk and stir until the glaze is smooth. This glaze will crust, so it is important not to make it too much in advance.
3. As soon as the coconut rolls are out of the oven, brush the top with butter and pour the coconut glaze all over them.
4. Let the glaze soak into the coconut rolls. The coconut rolls are ready to be served as soon as they turn warm. They are also good when served completely cooled down.

Since the glaze is made using coconut milk, the coconut rolls must be consumed within the same day they are made. If you wish to keep them longer, replace the coconut milk in the glaze with warm water.

To serve the coconut rolls, loosen the sides of the rolls in the tin with a butter knife. Place a parchment paper on top, followed by a wire rack, and turn the tin over. And then turn them back onto a serving plate.

The parchment paper helps to avoid the coconut milk glaze on the top of the rolls from cracking and sticking to the wire rack as you turn them out.

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Notes

Kneading the dough

• The dough in this coconut rolls recipe is kneaded in a mixer. If you wish to knead by hand, you will need to knead it slightly longer than the time mentioned in the recipe.

Yeast

• The dough recipe uses instant yeast. Unlike active yeast, with instant yeast, there is no need to dissolve the yeast in warm milk and let it froth before using (which can take up to 15 minutes if using active yeast).
• You can use room temperature milk to mix in the yeast and as soon as it is dissolved, you can add all other ingredients (except butter) and knead into a dough.

Making the dough in advance

• The coconut rolls dough can be made in advance. If you are planning to use the dough within 24 hours, you can place the dough into deep bowl, cover it with clip wrap and let it proof in the fridge . When ready to use, remove the dough from the fridge and let it warm up to room temperature. Give it a good knead for about 30 seconds and then roll the dough and proceed with the filling and baking as usual.
• If you do not intend to use the dough within 24 hours, as soon as it is mixed, wrap it tightly in cling wrap and place it in the freezer. Remove it from the freezer at least 24 hours before using and thaw it in the fridge. When ready to use, remove the cling wrap, place it in a bowl, and let the dough proof in a warm temperature until double in size. Remove from the bowl, knead, roll and fill with the coconut filling and bake as usual.
• The dough can be frozen up to one week.

Best coconut to make the coconut filling

• The coconut filling is best made with unsweetened freshly grated coconut. Coconut in shredded form (thin short strips) will not be as good as grated coconut. You can still use shredded coconut, just process it in a food processor to make it fine and use as indicated in the recipe.

Sugar for the coconut filling

• The brown sugar in the coconut filling can be replaced with white sugar, but you might have to adjust the quantity as white sugar tend to be sweeter than brown sugar.

Salt

• The salt in the coconut filing is very important as it really makes a difference to the taste, so do not skip the salt.

Storing the coconut filling

• This filling can be made in advance and refrigerated for a good 3 to 4 days. If you wish to keep it longer, the filling is best frozen. It can last for a good one month frozen. Thaw before using.

Coconut milk

• The coconut glaze is made using coconut milk. This is the milk-like substance squeezed out of the coconut flesh and not the clear liquid found inside coconuts. Coconut milk does not last well at room temperature and therefore needs to be consumed within 24 hours.
• If you wish to keep the coconut rolls longer, omit the coconut milk in the glaze and replace it with warm water.

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Like this recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out

• Crispy Coconut Cookies
• Coconut Candy - A Homemade Treat
• Coconut Candy - A Quick and Easy Treat
• Cherry Coconut Cookies - Easy Christmas Cookie Idea
• Coconut Loaf Cake with Lemon Glaze Topping
• Ube Rolls - Soft and Fluffy Twisted Buns
• Easy Yeast Rolls for Beginners
• Strawberry Rolls with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Glaze
• Coffee Rolls with Coffee Cream Cheese Glaze
• Cinnamon Raisin Rolls
• Coconut Jelly with Palm Sugar
• Pandan Jelly with Coconut
• Sago Pudding with Coconut Milk and Palm Sugar
• Pandan Cookies with Coconut and Gula Melaka

Recipe (Printable)

Here is the full printable version of my coconut rolls recipe with sweet coconut filling and coconut milk glaze. While you are at it, don’t forget my recipe notes right above for tips to making the best coconut rolls ever!

📖Recipe

And that's that. My truly aromatic coconut rolls with delicious coconut glaze.

Enjoy!