Enriched true-sourdough trial #2: ‘Kue putu’ babka (coconut 3 methods, kaya glaze, selfmade dessicated coconut)

Took me 4 makes an attempt to get this finished! The primary one was catastrophe (underbaked, too many parts, cloying candy, and too wealthy), the second I scraped the levain away (I went overboard with extraordinarily low hydration and intensely excessive osmotic strain starter, grew to become too proteolytic and had so little leavening energy), the third one was portioning situation, and right here is the fourth one!

So this bake is a celebration of Indo-Malay-Singaporean trinity: pandan, coconut, and palm sugar. Virtually all Indonesian tea muffins and sweets these haven’t any Dutch affect at all times revolve round these three. They arrive in numerous shapes, completely different sizes, completely different colours, completely different cooking strategies, completely different vesels, however at all times about these three.

These ones are principally coconut babka buns, I braided them, rolled them, and proved them in 8 cm spherical pans. I took inspiration from Indonesian tea cake, kue putu. Kue putu is pandan, coconut, and palm sugar flavored steamed cake. Often it began out as crumbly rice flour primarily based dough, tightly packed in tiny bamboo cylinders together with slices of palm sugar, then steamed on particular steamer, which normally is metallic barrel, with tiny holes poked on prime of the barrel. Crammed bamboo cylinders are placed on prime of the holes. The steam that comes out of the holes creates distinctively high-pitched, flute-like sound. You will know kue putu cart is across the neighborhood if you happen to hear the sound.

Illustration, kue putu

Ilustration, kue putu steamer

The unique concept was to make coconut dough; stuffed with selfmade dessicated coconut together with palm sugar, cinnamon, star anises, and cloves; crusted with macaroon crust on the backside utilizing leftover dessicated coconut and tapioca; encrusted with candied bamboo shoot slices round it; glazed with selfmade coconut jam; and topped with piped kaya cream.

First failed batch

I requested AI assistant what makes a babka dough, she mentioned 35% whole fats and 20% sugar minimal will do. It was too wealthy and cloying candy, possibly due to mature coconut flesh is already fairly fatty, and candy potatoes are candy on their very own. I needed to tone down to twenty% whole fats and 10% sugar to make them palatable. 

The dough is 75% hydration dough, 20% PFF. I used powdered coconut milk and further virgin coconut oil for further coconutty taste. I used candy potato puree to fight dough being too extensible which at all times occur each time I make enriched sourdough. I needed to cut back different sources of water (eggs and pandan water-sediment) to make room for liquid fats and to make the dough braid-able.
 

The filling is dessicated coconut made with freshly and finely shredded mature coconut, palm sugar, molasses, entire cassia sticks, star anise pods, and cloves. Cooked stovetop to infuse taste, then oven-dried till crispy. I supposed to place 40% of it within the buns (baker’s share), however did my math incorrect. So I ended up with 20% as a substitute.
 

I scraped the thought of utilizing selfmade coconut jam glaze. I do not know whether or not it is my pectin, however the jam was slimy and opaque, for the shortage of higher time period, jogged my memory of male bodily fluid (lol). So I switched to kaya thick syrup glaze, made out of coconut milk and palm sugar, infused with recent pandan leaves. It is primarily based on kaya unfold; an Indo-Malay-Singaporean unfold manufactured from coconut milk, palm sugar, eggs, and entire pandan leaves cooked on bain marie, meant to be slathered on toasts. It has lot much less significance in Indonesia in comparison with Malaysia and Singapore, however it at all times has presence in native groceries’ jams and spreads aisles.

Illustration, kaya unfold

I initially used a splash of rum as a result of in my expertise, rum works rather well with coconut. I had second thought, and determined to make all of it concerning the trinity as a substitute.
 

Oh, Cariah Marey settled on new ratio. I cease utilizing skim milk powder and opted for pure lactose as a substitute. She is at the moment 4:2:1:1 fine-bran:water:lactose:butter.
 

I put the dough system down right here for two days, in any other case it is deleted.

(correction: powdered coconut milk: 12%. whole flour additionally consists of estimated dry weight of potato puree. Water: roughly 75%)

Verdict

The buns have unmistakeable coconut taste. It tastes so new but so acquainted. Due to the oil and the potato puree, it is tender in texture. However I’ve to say, my favourite half is the kaya glaze! Style like butterscotch sauce! I can think about the syrup being drizzled on grilled bananas.
 

Subsequent, I’ll make posts about main overhaul on my roti gambang, attention-grabbing tackle cinnamon rolls involving fermentation that’s not bread associated in any respect, and updates on my two starters involving 2 styles of sugar these are usually not sucrose or desk sugar 🙂

Jay