Pani Popo – dinner rolls smothered in a sweet sweet coconut syrup. The best way to eat pani popo is to eat it when it is warm. That way you can enjoy that ooey gooey yummy roll when it has been soaked with the coconut syrup.

Try out Pani Popo or Samoan Sweet Coconut Rolls. Pani Popo comes from Samoa and has been adopted to part of Hawaii’s food. It’s a sweet and gooey treat that anyone will go nuts for. Pani Popo is great to eat when it is hot with a sweet coconut sauce. I’ve seen this treat when I went to college at BYU-H. It was served at the cafe and at the PCC. I just had to share this recipe because it’s such a classic to Hawaii.

Video Tutorial

Check out this video to help you gain more insight on how to make Pani Popo. Also, subscribe to my YouTube to help support me so I can continue making more of these contents. Mahalo!

Pani Popo – Samoan Sweet Coconut Rolls

Pani Popo – dinner rolls smothered in a sweet sweet coconut syrup.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 3 5

Cook Time 30

Total Time 3 35

Course Dessert, Side Dish

Cuisine Hawaiian, Samoan

Servings 16 rolls

Equipment

Fryer

Ingredients

Sweet Rolls:

2 cups warm milk
2 tsp yeast
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp salt
6 tbsp softened unsalted butter
2 large eggs
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp melted butter for greasing the bowl

Coconut Glaze:

2 cans coconut milk
1 cup sugar
3 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

Rolls:

Mix together milk, yeast, sugar, salt, softened butter, and eggs in a bowl.
Slowly add in flour. Once dough starts to come off of the bowl, flour a flat surface and knead the dough. Sprinkle in flour when dough becomes sticky. Keep kneading until desired consistency.
Transfer dough to a lightly greased mixing bowl. Cover dough with a towel and let it rise for 90 minutes.
After the dough has risen, punch it to deflate it. Divide the dough into 12-14 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and add it to a 9×13 pan or skillet.
Cover the dough and let it rise again for 45 minutes. Halfway through the rise, preheat the oven to 350°.

Coconut Glaze:

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add in cans of coconut milk, sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Cook it by stirring constantly until it begins to thicken slightly. About 5-7 minutes to cook. Set aside.

Pani Popo:

Uncover rolls and add in enough of the coconut glaze to cover the bottom. Bake the bread for 25 minutes.
Pour remaining coconut sauce over the rolls or save some as a dipping sauce. Serve it hot and enjoy this onolicious Pani Popo!