Puerto Rican Arepas de Coco - Fried Coconut Bread Recipe
Made with flour and coconut milk, these sweet Puerto Rican arepas are so tasty, it will be hard to eat just a few!
Equipment
- 1 mixer with dough hook, or spatula and large mixing bowl*
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 1 round cookie cutter or glass
- 1 large frying
Ingredients
- 2-2 1/2 cup multipurpose flour
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup canned coconut milk
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients: 2 cups of flour, ½ cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt. If you are not using an electric mixer, blend the dry ingredients with a whisk.
- Add only 1 cup of your canned coconut milk and begin mixing with your spatula or spoon, then continue to knead with your hands. Please ensure the contents in the can are well mixed before pouring.
- Continue kneading the dough for about 5 minutes (with a mixer or manually), and if it feels too wet and sticky, add a tablespoon of flour at a time. If it appears to be too dry, add a tablespoon of coconut milk at a time. The dough should be a little tacky but still easy to manage.
- Once the dough forms into a ball, cover the ball with a towel and rest for 20 minutes.
- After resting the dough, roll it out onto a floured surface. Cut it in half, and with your rolling pin, begin to flatten out the dough until it is about 1/8 inch thin.
- Use a cookie cutter or a glass to cut circles in the dough. The size of the cutter is up to you (I used a 3.5 inch cutter for mine.) Continue to do this until you run out of dough.
- When you are almost done cutting, heat some vegetable oil in a large frying pan or skillet to medium heat. You will want to have about an inch of oil in the pan.
- Once the oil is hot enough, begin to carefully add your arepa dough to the skillet. As soon as the dough puffs and looks golden brown on the bottom, flip the arepas and fry bread on the second side until it is golden brown, too.
- Have a plate set with a paper towel on it so you can place your fried arepas on itas you remove them from the skillet.
- Adjust the heat in the pan as you move from one batch to another. The oil might increase as time passes causing your arepas to burn if you are not careful.
- Continue frying in batches until you have cooked all your dough circles.
- Serve warm with some Puerto Rican Picadillo, camarones criollos(shrimp stew), roasted vegetables or a pork dish. You can also add a sweet topping, or cut them and fill them with butter, or cheese.
- ¡Buen provecho from The Happy Wookiee!
Notes
Whole milk can be used as a substitute for coconut milk.
Begin with 2 cups of flour and add more only if necessary. You will also need extra for the kneading process and the surface on which the dough will be flattened.
Please ensure the contents in the can are well mixed before pouring. If it is separated you may get too much fat or too much liquid, which will change the texture and flavor of the arepas.
Do not attempt to substitute flour with almond or coconut flour because it will change the consistency of the arepa.
If you want to lean into the sweetness of the arepa, you can add a pinch of cinnamon and some nutmeg to the dough. It will be SO GOOD!
These can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about four days. You can also freeze them as well if you made a big batch and want to have them readily available for later.