Hard dough bread
Jamaican hard dough bread is a firm, close-crumbed yeasted wheat loaf with a thicker crust and a soft, chewy interior. Roll the dough tightly and bake it in a loaf tin.
Modern adaptation
Coco bread (Immaculate Bites version)
Coco Bread · Jamaican coco bread
Jamaican-style folded rolls made from sweet coconut-milk yeast dough and brushed with butter.
A Jamaican home recipe
Imma Adamu's Coco Bread page dates to 2020 and was updated in 2021. It labels the cuisine Jamaican and describes coco bread as popular in Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean. This entry follows that author's particular formula rather than treating it as a single standard for the region.
The dough is made with coconut milk, butter, egg and rapid-rise yeast. The source uses a 3½–4 cup flour range and directs the baker to stop adding flour when the dough is soft. It shapes about 10 thin rounds into folded rolls.
Sources for this section
Timing in the source
The page lists 40 minutes of preparation, a one-hour resting time and 20 minutes cooking for a total of two hours. The detailed method allows a 1–2 hour rise, then a separate 10–15 minute rest after shaping, so the steps can take longer than the listed total. The dough is not left to a fixed fermentation duration beyond the source's rise cue.
The recipe says to warm the coconut-milk and butter mixture until the butter melts, without boiling or overheating it, then add yeast. No liquid temperature is stated. The source's freeze-and-reheat suggestion gives no storage duration.
Sources for this section
History
Imma Adamu published this coco bread formula in 2020 and updated it in 2021. The author describes coco bread as popular in Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean, and this page identifies its cuisine as Jamaican. It does not establish an origin date or a universal Caribbean formula.
Ingredients
Yield 10 folded rolls · Scaling: source batch only
237 mL1 cup as recorded
240 ml30 mL2 tbsp as recorded
source range 2–3 tablespoons (25–37.5 g)Unsalted butterfor the dough
59 mL4 tbsp as recorded
56 g4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
5 gRapid-rise yeastor 1 envelope (packet)
11 mL2¼ tsp as recorded
source gives one packet or 2¼ teaspoons1 large
All-purpose flouradd enough to make a soft dough
828 mL3½ cup as recorded
source range 3½–4 cups (437.5–500 g)Unsalted butter, meltedfor brushing before folding and optionally after baking
44 mL3 tbsp as recorded
42 g or moreMethod
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
The source says not to boil or overheat the coconut-milk and butter mixture before adding yeast, but gives no liquid-temperature target. Follow the source's bake instructions; they do not give an internal-temperature safety endpoint.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment and spray it with baking spray. Set it aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the coconut milk, sugar, salt and 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Microwave for about 30 seconds or longer until the butter melts. Do not let the mixture boil or overheat.
- Pour the warm mixture into a large bowl, stir in the rapid-rise yeast, then add the egg.
- Stir in 3½ cups flour to start, adding only enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3–4 minutes.
- Put the dough in a greased bowl and turn it once to coat. Cover it loosely with a clean cloth and let it rise in a warm place for 1–2 hours, until doubled. Punch it down.
- Move the dough to a lightly floured board. Divide it into about 10 pieces and roll each into a ball.
- Roll each ball into a 6–7-inch round about ⅛–¼ inch thick. Brush the top with melted butter, fold the dough in half, brush again, then set it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces.
- Let the folded rolls rest for 10–15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°F (about 177°C).
- Bake for 15–20 minutes, until browned on top. Cool on the pan for about 5 minutes. Brush with any remaining melted butter if desired, then serve warm or cool completely.
- Once cool, freeze the rolls if desired and reheat them in the oven before serving. The source gives no frozen storage duration.
Conditions
Yield10 folded rolls
Active time40 min
Fermentation1–2 h
Temperature177.8°C
Temperature controlMulti-stage
Places
Jamaica
Documented use · Country evidenceThe author describes coco bread as popular in Jamaica and labels the recipe Jamaican. This records the source's association, not a birthplace or exclusive formula.
Caribbean
Documented use · Region evidenceThe author says coco bread is also popular in other parts of the Caribbean but does not identify further countries.
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Sources
Immaculate BitesRecipe · Modern adaptation · Geography
Coco BreadThe source gives the ingredient amounts, one packet or 2¼ teaspoons rapid-rise yeast, 3½–4 cups flour, and a yield of about 10 pieces.
It gives the microwave warming instruction, mixing, kneading, 1–2 hour rise, shaping dimensions, buttered fold, 10–15 minute rest, 350°F bake for 15–20 minutes, and cooling.
It says coco bread is popular in Jamaica and other Caribbean parts, calls the recipe Jamaican, and offers freezing after cooling without a storage duration.
Cited in: A Jamaican home recipe; Timing in the source