Soft and Chewy Coconut Milk Bread is so soft, fluffy, tender, and moist, thanks to the coconut milk, coconut oil, and oatmeal thatโs kneaded right into the dough. Total time from start to finish is about 4 hours, most of which is downtime.
This bread is like a big, soft, fluffy pillow.
A pillow that smells very softly of coconut.
The past 6 months Iโve been going gangbusters with coconut oil in breads, muffins, and cookies. The flavor it imparts is subtle, yet it lends such a soft and moist texture to everything it touches.
For this bread, I paired coconut oil with rich, creamy coconut milk and am thrilled with the results. Itโs adapted from Soft and Fluffy Sandwich Bread (vegan), which has been very popular with readers and is my husbandโs all-time favorite bread.
And this one is my new favorite bread for toasting, making sandwiches with, or just nibbling on.
The good news and the bad news about this bread is that it doesnโt have much coconut flavor. If youโre a fan, you may wish for more intensity, and if youโre not into coconut, youโre totally safe. Itโs usually shredded coconut, rather than coconut milk or oil, that has the pungent taste many people dislike. The bread is nothing like that.
The recipe makes one modest loaf, perfect for our family, and uses just two cups of flour for the entire loaf. When I read bread and roll recipes that begin with โAdd 5 to 6 cups of flourโ I tune out.
Begin by warming the coconut milk, just until it begins to boil. Then, add the special ingredient that keeps the bread soft, chewy, and moist: oatmeal. Youโd never know oatmeal was baked in and when mixing the dough, youโll think thereโs no way this whole cup of sloppy oatmeal is going to just disappear, but it magically does.
Let the oatmeal-coconut milk mixture cool to the proper temperature, about 15 minutes. I urge you to use a thermometer. You donโt want to add overly hot oatmeal to the yeast because youโll kill it. Yet it has to be warm enough so the yeast activates. For me, this is in the 120 to 130F range because I use Red Star Platinum yeast. The brand of yeast used dictates the temperature.
Combine the oatmeal mixture with all-purpose flour, yeast, brown sugar, and coconut oil. My stand mixer kneaded for about 6 minutes, and if youโre kneading by hand, knead for 10 minutes, or until the dough comes together, adding as little additional flour as possible.
This is a fairly moist and sticky dough, but manageable. With bread-making, the less flour added, and the more you tolerate sticky dough, the lighter and fluffier the bread will be. Sure, I could have added another half-cup or more of flour, but refrained and dealt with the stickiness. And I have a light, fluffy loaf in return.
I used all-purpose flour because I wanted really soft and tender bread. Bread flour will produce a loaf thatโs chewier. I donโt know how whole wheat flour would work. If you try it, I suggest not using more than 1 cup (50% of the total amount) for fear it wonโt rise well, and will become very heavy and dense.
After kneading, place the dough into a greased bowl, cover it, and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size. Create a warm environment by preheating your oven for 1 to 2 minutes to 400F, then shutting it off. This creates a 90F-ish warm spot. Slide the bowl in and wait while the yeast works. Just make sure your oven is off.
After the dough has doubled, punch it down, turn it out onto a floured surface or Silpat and knead it for about 3 minutes.
This is my puffball after the first two-hour rise, before being punched down. You can see itโs glistening and loose, cues that the bread will turn out soft and fluffy.
With your fingers or a rolling pin, shape it into a 10-inch by 6-inch rectangle, just eyeball it. Itโs being baked in an 8-inch pan and you want the long side slightly longer than the pan, so about 10 inches.
Starting with a long side, roll up the dough to form a tight cylinder. Tuck the ends in and place the cylinder in the pan. Cover it, and allow it to rise until doubled, 60 to 75 minutes. Optionally, when rolling it, sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, raisins, or dried fruit.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until domed, golden, and puffy. When tapped, it should sound hollow. Technically, the internal temperature should reach 210F, but I despise spearing pretty bread with the dagger-like thermometer probe, so I rarely do this unless Iโm very uncertain. I usually rely on visual cues and tapping.
Itโs so soft and fluffy, even without eggs and butter, and a great little vegan loaf. Thereโs a very slight chewiness, thanks to the oatmeal. But you definitely donโt think, oh thereโs oatmeal in this. Itโs a stealth operator.
The bread is moist and thereโs a richness to the crumb that I attribute to the coconut milk and coconut oil. Itโs slightly denser than this version of Sandwich Bread, which was made with water and canola oil.
Itโs wonderful to eat plain, or with butter, jam, or a smear of Homemade Peanut Butter. Toast it, make French toast with it, make PB&Js for lunches with it, or put a basket of it on the dinner table and watch it disappear.
If youโve not gotten on the coconut milk or oil train, please, hop on board.
This loaf lasted precisely 1 day.
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Soft and Chewy Coconut Milk Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut milk, I used Trader Joeโs Light
- 1 cup old-fashioned whole rolled oats, not quick cook or instant
- ยผ cup water, from the tap, not hot and not cold
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, bread flour may be used and will create a heartier, chewier bread
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (canola or vegetable oil may be substitued)
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 2 ยผ teaspoons instant dry yeast (one 1/4-ounce packet, I use Red Star Platinum
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
Instructions
- In a 2-cup microwave-safe glass measuring cup or small bowl, heat the coconut milk until it just begins to boil; likely just over 2 minutes.
- Add oatmeal to the milk and stir to combine. Set aside and let cool until temperature reaches about 120 to 130F, about 15 minutes. (I use Red Star Platinum Yeast which necessitates this temperature; allow mixture to cool to the ~100F range for other types of instant dry yeast, or to package directions). Stir in 1/4 cup tap water.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or a large mixing bowl and knead by hand for about 10 minutes), combine flour, oil, brown sugar, instant dry yeast, and oatmeal mixture. Knead for 5 to 7 minutes on low speed, or until a moist, shaggy dough forms. The dough is quite moist and sticky, but resist the temptation to add additional flour, unless itโs so moist that it wonโt combine. Conversely, if itโs too dry, add up to one-quarter cup water. Erring on the side of too moist is always preferable to too dry in bread-making.
- After kneading, turn the dough out into a large, greased bowl, cover with plasticwrap, and let it rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size. Create a warm environment by preheating your oven for 1 to 2 minutes to 400F, then shutting it off. This creates a 90F-ish warm spot. Slide the bowl in and wait while the yeast works. Just make sure your oven is off.
- Spray an 8-by-4-inch loaf pan with (coconut) cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
- After the dough has doubled, punch it down, turn it out onto a floured surface or Silpat and knead it for about 3 minutes.
- With your fingers or a rolling pin, shape dough into a 10-inch by 6-inch rectangle, just eyeball it. The long side should be slightly longer than the baking pan, which is 8 inches. Starting with a long edge, roll to form a tight cylinder. Thereโs not much to roll, about 3 turns. Tuck ends in and under, and place cylinder in prepared pan, seam side down. Optionally, when rolling, sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, raisins, or diced dried fruit.
- Cover pan with plasticwrap, and allow dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled, about 60 to 75 minutes. I use the oven trick to 400F for 1 minute trick again.
- In the last minutes of rising, preheat oven to 350F. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until lightly golden, domed, and puffy. Rotate pan midway through baking if desired. When tapped, bread should sound hollow. The internal temperature should reach 210F.
- Allow bread to cool in pan for 5 to 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. The cooling process is important and although itโs tempting, donโt slice into warm bread. I store bread by wrapping a fully cooled loaf in plasticwrap, and place it inside a gallon-size Ziplock, where it stays fresh for about 5 days. Bread freezes very well and can be made from start to finish, cooled, and placed in a freezer-safe airtight container or a ziplock for up to 3 months. I like this bread plain, or with butter, jam, or with homemade peanut butter. Itโs great toasted with butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon-sugar or Cinnamon-Sugar Butter. It makes great sandwiches and French toast.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Iโm linking this bread up to Lora the Cake Duchessโ #TwelveLoaves group
Do you have a favorite bread recipe? Do you like coconut milk or coconut oil? Do you cook or bake with it?
Please share recipe links to your favorites.
This bread!! Love it. 5-6 cups of flour freaks me out, too. I made a 3-loaf recipe once that started with โ11 cups of flourโ and I almost died. I always have coconut milk in the cabinet and I really donโt know why it never occurred to me to make bread with it, but Iโm doing it. This and those honey dinner rolls are at the top of my bread list!
And you have more kids than I do and you have boys (they eat more!) so an 11 cup recipe is almost laughable here. My daughter eats a half slice and tells me sheโs full. Lol Then again, bread does freeze well, but ya know.
Yes, I love using both coconut milk and coconut oil in my kitchen. This bread looks fantastic! I especially like the photos with the jam, reminds me to make some homemade strawberry jam this summer. Nothing beats homemade bread toasted and then slathered with some butter and homemade strawberry jam, yum, yum!
Homemade jam is the best and itโs strawberry season โ canโt beat it!
I LOVE coconut!! Need to test this one out!
Pillowy bread that smells like coconutโฆsounds like heaven to me!
Wowโฆthis bread sounds soooooo good! My family would love this! I love how light and fluffy it looks.
Thanks, Holly!
Coconut milk? Delicious idea! And it looks so soft!
I have started to get into more bread baking and this recipe sounds easy to handle. Cant wait to make it!
Oh, this is making my tummy grumble!! I am imagining it smothered with Nutella! Goodbye bikini! :) I love coconut milk and coconut in general, itโs so versatile!
A recipe that calls for over 3 cups of flour always scares me (and makes me want to run for the yoga pants!). This recipe sounds Perfect. It looks so pretty adorned with red jam! :D
That is one gorgeous loaf! I bet the coconut milk gives it great flavor. I donโt bake bread that often but all of these gorgeous pictures have me inspired!
I love the smell of coconut but not the taste of coconut (unless itโs fresh) so Iโm loving that this bread has the smell but not much of the taste! I really need to start using coconut oil/milk in my recipes!
Oh Averie. You KNOW how I love your homemade sandwich bread! And, since I have so many cans of coconut milk in my cupboard, I have already mixed up this recipe and set it on the stove to rise. I doubled it, however, as we will definitely need 2 loaves! My husband prefers to have the vegan breads, although he is not a vegan. He says when he eats it that it doesnโt produce the weight in his stomach like breads with dairy and eggs. I canโt wait to hear the results of this one. Fantastic and super easy recipe! I LOVE THAT!! :-)
Leave it to you, Michele, to have bread dough already rising on a post thatโs 8 hours old! And a double batch, AT THAT! My hat is off to you and I am so thrilled youโre already making this!!! I know you guys love the sandwich bread and this is just as good, if not better :) I prefer this one, for the itsy bitsy amt of coconut you can barely taste and the richness of the crumb. Keep me posted on what you think and how youโd compare the two! xo :)
I absolutely love coconut but never thought about mixing it to make bread, so genius Averie! It looks so yummy!
Oh wow, this looks fantastic. Definitely pinning this. Itโs funny because sometimes I like a really good crusty, sort of dense bread. But then there are times when you need something really light and fluffy like this.
Thanks for the pin my friend!
Oh my goodness, Averie! Each new recipe you post leaves me more and more astounded! This looks AMAZING!
You are too sweet, Kelly! Seriously โ thank you!
Canโt wait to try it! I am also on a coconut kick with my fiance! Have you every tried the coconut flour in baking or any other recipes? I have seen it listed in a couple of recipes, but havenโt tried it yet.
Coconut FLOUR is a very, very different flour than any other flour Iโve ever used. It absorbs tons and tons of liquid, itโs like Bounty paper towels inside a mixing bowl. It sucks out all the liquid and so you have to be very, very very careful with it or you will end up with hockeypuck dry food!
Coconut oil/milk โ yes, use them tons and love them!