Pani popo

Recipes

Pani popo

By Michael Meredith

1 hour 20 minutes Preparation time

25 minutes Cooking time

16 servings Serves

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Ingredients

Dough

140g coconut sugar
250ml warm milk
10g fresh yeast
800g high grade flour
2 eggs
75ml vegetable oil
14g sea salt
2 tablespoon boiling water
½ cup raisins

Coconut sauce

500ml coconut cream
500ml water
1 vanilla bean
250g castor sugar

Method

Dough

  1. Soak the raisins in a small bowl with the boiling water for 10 minutes.
  2. Heat the milk in a small saucepan on a low heat, Induction setting 4, for 5 minutes.
  3. Pour into a small bowl and whisk in the coconut sugar. Keep whisking until the sugar has dissolved.
  4. Stir in the yeast and a handful of flour. Let the mixture stand for 10-15 minutes to activate the yeast.
  5. In a freestanding mixer bowl, mix together the flour and salt.
  6. Add the eggs, oil, yeast mixture and soaked raisins.
  7. Knead together in a mixer or by hand on a well-floured work surface for 10 minutes. knead until smooth and elastic, the dough will be quite wet.
  8. Transfer dough into an oiled bowl and cover. Place bowl onto an oven rack on shelf position 2 and prove for 45 minutes at 40°C, or until dough has almost doubled in size.
  9. Once risen, knock the dough back and then cut into 16 even sized pieces.
  10. Roll each piece into a ball and place onto a multi-purpose tray, leaving a 2-3cm gap between each piece to allow room to prove.
  11. Cover and prove for 45 minutes at 40°C, or until dough has almost doubled in size.
  12. Whilst the dough is proving, make the coconut sauce.
  13. Remove from the oven and pour the warm coconut sauce slowly over the buns. Reserve 100ml of the sauce to glaze the buns after cooking.
  14. Select Moisture Plus at 180°C with 1 burst of steam.
  15. Once the oven is up to temperature, place buns in the oven on shelf position 2 and release the burst of steam. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and sauce is bubbling up to the edge.
  16. Remove from the oven and brush with reserved sauce to glaze.

Coconut sauce

  1. Put all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a light boil, Induction setting 7. Once the sauce has reached a light boil, remove from the heat and let infuse for 10-15 minutes.

To serve

  1. Place the buns on a serving dish and pour the reduced sauce around the buns.
  2. Let cool for 30 minutes before enjoying.

Note

  • Pani popo is a type of Samoan bread cooked or soaked in a sweet coconut sauce. Popo means coconut in Samoan and pani means buns.

Applicance Functions

  • Induction Cooktop
  • Moisture Plus
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Michael Meredith

Michael Meredith is an acclaimed chef and restaurateur based in New Zealand. Born in Samoa, his earliest food memories are of his mother's pancake stall at a local market in Apia. His latest restaurant, Metita, which opened in late 2023, is a tribute to his late mother and is located in Auckland's SkyCity precinct. The menu at Metita offers a contemporary take on Polynesian and Pacific cuisine, inspired by his childhood. Throughout his career, Michael has been recognized for his inventive use of local and seasonal ingredients. He was the founding chef of The Grove in 2004, and later opened his own multi-award-winning restaurant, Merediths, which operated for a decade. He is also the owner of the Auckland eatery Mr Morris. Beyond his restaurants, Meredith has been involved in charitable projects. He was a co-founder of Eat My Lunch, a social enterprise that helps provide lunches to underprivileged children in New Zealand. He also lends his culinary skills to other causes, such as raising money for the Starship Children's Hospital.