Pagipopo! (Samoan Coconut Cream Buns!)

Delicious. Fluffy, Coconut-ty Pagipopo - Samoan coconut cream buns!

My passion for making pagipopo stemmed from my pregnancy cravings for the delicious dessert pastry we as Samoans all grew up loving.  As a Sunday afternoon treat after a long, breezy ride in the back of our pick-up trucks, accompaniment to evening tea and koko Samoa with family and friends, or as a decadent dessert anytime of the week, Pagipopo is a Samoan classic that I will always have a special place for in my heart (and tummy :-)).

At one time, all bakeries in Samoa carried pagipopo, so growing up we never really had the need to make it ourselves.  A quick trip to the village bakery right down the road and we could have ourselves any amount of pagipopo we desired.  There was nothing quite like smelling the sweet aroma of pagipopo wafting all throughout the house even before seeing it, and then opening up that aluminum foil covering, breaking off a bun or three from the pan, and then ladling on the warm, sweet coconut sauce all over the pagipopo!

Sauced from top to bottom :-)

How did you eats yours?  Did you start from the bottom, enjoying the half that has been soaking and baking in the coconut sauce?  Or do you save that part for last?  Or were you like me and ate it so that every bite included both top and bottom portions? Mmmmmm!

Now that I live away from home, here in Hawai'i, I have searched high and low and all over for pagipopo just like the ones I grew up eating.  I've even spent hours online looking for recipes to replicate the pagipopo of my childhood, but nowhere could I find any pagipopo that lived up to my memories of that sweet, fluffy, creamy and coconutty bun that I just couldn't get enough of.  So I set out on a mission to make the perfect pan :-).

Large Pan featured here, holding about 28 buns total

I tried a bunch of different recipes, even ones from the internet renowned pagipopo makers but none lived up to the pagipopo I remember eating as a little girl.  It's been about 3 years now since I ventured into the art of making pagipopo, and I am happy to say after the first year of making it and improving upon it with each new batch...Mission is Accomplished, the perfect pan was made!

So for all of you out there feening for a taste of our childhood Sundays, check out the recipe below and make yourself a pan of coconutty goodness.  I truly believe that Pagipopo can easily rank up there with Hawai'i's malasadas, if not higher!  Yes, you heard that first..here from me, this one 808 mom.  I mean, who doesn't like hot bread and warm coconut sauce (to all locals, it is very much like haupia sauce).

2 of the smaller pans, each holding a dozen pagipopo

With this said, my next mission is to bring pagipopo to the world, and place it on the counter of ultimate baked goods in every kitchen and bakery in America.  Ok, maybe not every bakery, but at least on your kitchen counter :-).  Samoans can rock out desserts too you know?!  Hehe.

Here is the Pagipopo recipe:

Click here for the bread dough recipe, it is the same one you will use to make pagipopo.  Instead of olive oil though, use melted BUTTER!

Follow the directions for making the bread dough.  Once you are done with Step 8, free form the dough into individual buns like you see here:


TIP for forming the buns:
With a ball of dough in your hands, fold the dough over and tuck underneath the ball until you create a smooth top for the bun.

Place the buns into a pan.  The dough recipe will yield about 16-18 buns, depending on how big you make your buns.  I always double my dough recipe so that I will always have enough.  There is nothing worse (at least when it comes to pagipopo) than not having enough! So the more the better!

Allow the buns to rise one more time in the pan, for about 30 minutes or until they have doubled in size.

While the buns are rising, prepare the sweet coconut (haupia) sauce:
- 1 can of coconut milk (fresh is best so if you have access to freshly squeezed pe'epe'e or coconut milk, use about 1.5 cups)
- 1 can of water
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup of sugar (depending on how sweet you want the sauce.  Usually my family likes the sweeter sauce so I go for 3/4 most of the time)
- 3 tablespoons of corn starch

I find that NOT adding the cornstarch makes for a very thin sauce.  In the beginning, I never thought about adding cornstarch but after making pan after pan of thin coconut sauce, I took my dad's advice and mixed in a little cornstarch to get the sauce nice and thick.

And for the coconut milk, feel free to add ONLY coconut milk without the water.  Here in Hawai'i, cans of coconut milk are a bit pricey so if I can save a little money by using a little water, well I'm doing it lol.  But if I'm feeling rich, well I forego the water and go all coconut milk.  And personally, I have never tasted a difference in adding water to the sauce.

Combine all the ingredients and whisk to incorporate the corn starch into the sauce.  No need to cook the sauce.  Pour the sauce directly over the buns up until halfway up the pan.  Save a little bit of sauce to brush over the tops of the buns so that when they bake up they will be golden brown on top.

Place into a 350 degree F preheated oven and bake for about 30-45 minutes.  The baking time will vary depending on your oven and the size of your pans.  If you use a large pan, it will take closer to 45 minutes or more.  If you bake only one small pan of pagipopo, it will take closer to the 30 minute mark.

TIP for baking:
Set a timer for the lower end, in this case 30 minutes. When timer is up, this will be your cue to check on the buns constantly until they are a DEEP, golden brown on top. This will allow you to determine the EXACT baking time by your oven, for the EXACT size pan that you are using, without risking OVERBAKING the buns.  After the first couple of times of doing this, you will know exactly how long to bake the pagipopo.  Also, baking 2 smaller pans is better than baking in one large pan because it allows for more even baking of all of the buns, without the middle ones coming out a little under.  

Allow the pagipopo to sit for about 10 minutes before eating.  It will be hard, I know, but the resting time will allow the buns to come together perfectly before you tear right into it.  It might also save you from burning your mouth.  Yes I am talking from experience :-).

ENJOY!

And please do share your thoughts or questions about the pagipopo.  I will be glad to help you get it right so that you too can appreciate and enjoy a great Samoan dessert!

I rolled the dough into a very large sheet, then rolled it up like a cinnamon roll log before cutting them into individual buns.  This spiral vs classic bun did not yield any taste difference.  But it does look prettier!