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Pani Popo (Samoan Coconut Rolls)

Pani Popo is a Samoan sweet roll baked in a delicious coconut sauce. One of my favorite Pacific-Island dishes from my bakery days in Hawaii.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
40 mins
Servings: 20 rolls
Calories: 168 kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Hawaiian

Ingredients

  • 20 frozen dinner rolls depending on size (see note above for homemade rolls)
  • 10 ounces coconut milk
  • 1 cup sugar

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Coat a 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray and arrange rolls evenly to thaw (if doing homemade rolls, roll dough into golf-ball size balls and arrange the same way).
  2. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with cooking spray (to keep dough from sticking to the plastic wrap). Allow to rise until doubled in size. This can take 4-5 hours.  If you need the rolls to thaw quicker, follow the quick-rise instructions on the frozen roll packaging.
  3. Pre-heat oven to 350-degrees. In a small saucepan, combine coconut milk and sugar over medium heat and whisk until sugar is dissolved and sauce has thickened (about 5 minutes). If you want a thinner sauce, you can just whisk the sugar and coconut milk together in a bowl without heating.
  4. Pour about 2/3 of the coconut mixture over the rolls and bake for 20-30 minutes (or according to package/dough recipe instructions) or until golden brown and dough is baked through.
  5. Remove from oven and pour remaining coconut mixture evenly over the top of the rolls.
  6. The rolls should be sticky and gooey on the bottom (read notes above). Can be served upside down or right-side up.

Notes

  • Prep time listed on this recipe is listed as 10 minutes. This DOES NOT include the time it takes for the rolls to rise before baking.

Nutrition Information

Calories 168kcal (8%) Carbohydrates 30g (10%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 4g (6%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5g Monounsaturated Fat 1g Sodium 237mg (10%) Potassium 50mg (1%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 11g (22%) Calcium 76mg (8%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 20rolls

Amount Per Serving

Calories 168

% Daily Value*

Calories 168kcal 8%
Carbohydrates 30g 10%
Protein 4g 8%
Fat 4g 6%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5g 3%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 237mg 10%
Potassium 50mg 1%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 11g 22%
Calcium 76mg 8%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.