Faʻapapa (Sāmoan Baked Coconut Bread)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •8-inch square metal baking pan
• •Box grater or coconut scraper for fresh popo
• •Banana leaf or parchment liner
• •Strong wooden spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the pan

   Heat the oven to 350F. Grease an 8-inch square pan and line it with banana leaf if you have it, glossy side up, or parchment if that's what your kitchen gives you. If the banana leaf is stiff, pass it over a warm burner or hot pan just until it bends without cracking.

   Banana leaf gives a little green aroma and memory. Parchment is fine for a weeknight. Eat what you have.
2. 2

   Mix the dry

   Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together. Add the grated popo and rub it through the flour with your fingers so the coconut separates and every strand gets coated. It should smell sweet and nutty before any liquid touches it.

   If you use 2 cups self-rising flour, leave out the baking powder and salt. No need make it precious.
3. 3

   Bring it together

   Pour in the coconut cream and stir with a strong spoon until the flour disappears. The dough should be thick, sticky, and heavy, more like wet clay than cake batter. If dry flour is sitting at the bottom, add coconut cream 1 tablespoon at a time. Stop when it comes together; working it too long makes it tough.

   Very dry desiccated coconut will steal moisture from the bread. Soak it in a little of the coconut cream for 10 minutes before mixing if that's the coconut you have.
4. 4

   Press it flat

   Scrape the dough into the pan. Wet your hands with coconut cream or oil and press it to the corners, about 1 inch thick, smoothing the top without polishing it into cake. Scatter the optional grated popo over the top if you want that rough coconut crust.

5. 5

   Bake it gold

   Bake 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is pale gold, the edges are deeper brown, and the center feels firm when you press it lightly. A skewer should come out with moist crumbs, not wet paste. If the edges brown before the middle is set, lay foil loosely over the pan for the last 10 minutes.

6. 6

   Rest and cut

   Let the faʻafapapa rest in the pan for 20 minutes so the coconut fat settles back through the crumb. Cut it into thick squares and serve warm or room temperature with koko Samoa, black coffee, or tea. It should be dense and chewy. If it eats like cake, no blame the bread, that's another loaf.

Chef Tips

• •Fresh coconut cream is the best version here, especially if you can squeeze it from grated mature coconut. A good can does the weeknight job. Stir it smooth first, because the fat settles.
• •Faʻapapa is supposed to be dense, close-crumbed, and a little chewy. Don't chase height with extra baking powder. That road takes you to cake, and cake already has its own work.
• •Use unsweetened coconut if you can. Sweetened bagged coconut works in a pinch, but cut the sugar back or the bread turns too sweet for the koko Samoa beside it.
• •Leftovers are not a problem. Toast a square in a dry pan until the cut sides go golden, then eat it with a little butter, coconut cream, or just a cup of something hot. We no waste good food.

Advance Preparation

• •Grate fresh popo up to 1 day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, or freeze it for longer storage. Squeeze fresh coconut cream the day you bake if you can.
• •Bake the faʻafapapa 1 day ahead, cool it completely, then wrap it tight. It keeps well at room temperature for 2 days, or refrigerated for 5 days.
• •Once the coconut cream touches the baking powder, bake the dough right away. Mix the dry ingredients ahead if you want, then finish close to oven time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 95g)