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READY IN 40 mins

Pani Popo (Hawaiian Coconut Bread)

Read Reviews (75)

"Delicious Hawaiian bread that anyone will love--even those who don't like coconut! Eat it for dessert or with any meat hot off the grill. Tastes great warm or cool." — Kasey

Ingredients Edit and Save

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Sugar and Sweeteners

Original recipe makes 12 servings Change Servings

1 (12 ounce) package frozen dinner rolls, thawed
1 (10 ounce) can coconut milk

3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup white sugar, or to taste

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Directions

Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Coat your hands with cooking spray or shortening, and roll the dough balls in your hands so that they have a light coating. Place in the prepared dish. Set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled, up to 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together the coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk and sugar. Pour this mixture over the top of the rolls as evenly as you can.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before separating and serving.

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PREP 10 mins
COOK 30 mins
READY IN 40 mins

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This dish is SUPPOSED to be soggy on the bottom! It's meant to be a sweet, sticky dessert - that's the beauty of it. I grew up in Hawaii and all the professionals' pani popo is wet and sticky. So enjoy and don't get discouraged!

—Sunny M

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Jan 19, 2010

Pani Popo ((Samoan Coconut Bread)) the name Pani Popo is Samoan and this is a SAMOAN dessert!!! Never has & never will be a Hawaiian creation. Give credit where credit is due!

—samoanpride_808

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86 Ratings

Dec 11, 2006

This is so yummy! I agree that the amount of rolls called for is too few (or the pan should be smaller). I used 12 rolls in a 9" x 13" with the saucy mixture called for, and it turned out wonderfully; I can't imagine that much liquid for only 6 rolls. I will probably use a bit less sugar next time, but overall I loved it. Rich, but not overpowering.

—LISAKP71

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Jul 27, 2008

We made these to cook like our homemade cinnamon rolls. Coat bottom of the pan with 1 stick of softened butter. We use 12 of the Rhodes frozen rolls. Use the sugar in the recipe to roll the dough in. Place them in the pan and let rise. Meanwhile mix the coconut milk with 4 TBS of the sweetened condensed milk, pour only half of the mix over the rolls and bake accordingly. When you take them out of the oven use a fork to seperate the rolls and flip them over, so that the tops are facedown in the sauce. Remove rolls from pan and pour remaining coconut milk into the pan to "deglaze it" pour this over the rolls and serve.

—CARBLOVER

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Jan 02, 2007

This was unbelievably delicious! And SO easy! I agree with other reviewers, its much better when it's soggy on the bottom, which mine was. I keep eating the leftovers as they are good cold, or right out of the oven. I've even warmed them up and they are still tasty! Only one thing, I would really only serve these as desert and not with a meal, but that's just me.

—LIZZY9VOLT

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May 09, 2005

ONO! I am from Hawaii and my Samoan friend makes these for me a lot. I am going to give her THIS recipe because by far...it is better! I love Pani Popo. Mahalo!

—MISTYDAWNE

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Oct 01, 2009

I made this for a themed "Samoan" party we had last week and they were the best. If ever there was a more yummy, ultra simple bread to make, I don't know what it would be. I ended up making 36 and had to double all the ingredients and do two pans for obvious reasons. One of the other reviews said that the rolls should be "swimming" in the coconut mixture prior to baking so I made sure that they were. I did need to add a bit more regular milk to make sure I had enough liquid. It was perfect. One pan had coconut sprinkled on it, the other one didn't. The very few leftovers made a great breakfast with coffee the next morning. Will for sure make again.

—Avon- status quo PRO

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Jan 31, 2006

We really enjoyed this sweet (but not too sweet to serve with dinner) roll recipe. One thing in the recipe that was confusing though-it calls for a 12 oz. bag of frozen bread dough rolls. I couldn't find this size at the grocery store, so I bought a 48 oz. bag and weighed 12 oz. on my kitchen scale to prepare the recipe. Well, 12 oz. is just 6 rolls. They were swimming in the coconut mixture. I will be sure to use 12 rolls next time despite what the recipe calls for. Thanks for a great recipe!

—ELISAW

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Nutrition

Calories
194 kcal
10%

Carbohydrates
30.3 g
10%

Cholesterol
3 mg
< 1%

Fat
6.9 g
11%

Fiber
0.8 g
3%

Protein
3.9 g
8%

Sodium
159 mg
6%

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

Nutritional Information

Pani Popo (Hawaiian Coconut Bread)

Serving Size: 1/12 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 194
Calories from Fat: 63

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6.9g 11 %
Saturated Fat 4.8g 24 %
Cholesterol 3mg < 1 %
Sodium 159mg 6 %
Potassium 105mg 3 %
Total Carbohydrates 30.3g 10 %
Dietary Fiber 0.8g 3 %
Protein 3.9g 8 %
** Sugars 16.6g
Vitamin A < 1 %
Vitamin C < 1 %
Calcium 8 %
Iron 18 %
** Thiamin < 1 %
Niacin 17 %
Vitamin B6 2 %
Magnesium 7 %
Folate 18 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.