Find yourself flown to the comforting warmth of the tropics with the delicate and subtle sweetness of this delicious pie. The moist and silky cream filling enclosed in a flaky crust is the essence of coconut pie, a much-celebrated coconut dessert in the Philippines. Just a single bite is reminiscent of the sea, crisp salty air, and a piña colada in hand while swaying in a rattan hammock.
This is a familiar take on coconut pie, an item that is extremely popular for those living in and visiting Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. Several local bakeries become the iconic destination for this delicious pastry. For the love of anything tropical, Barth Bakery shares this recipe you will surely hold on to.
This Philippines' Authentic Coconut Pie is Barth Bakery's very first guest post! Thank you so much to Ann Gapasin for her awesome contribution! To be a guest writer on Barth Bakery, please email barthbakery@gmail.com.
Recipe and photo by Ann Gapasin
Ingredients
Pie Crust
3¼ cups gluten-free flour in bulk, sifted
½ cup butter, cut and frozen
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp lemon zest
3.4 oz water or milk
Coconut Filling
½ cup gluten-free flour
¾ cup sugar
½ cup powdered milk
⅛ tsp sea salt
1 large egg
½ tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)
½ cup coconut water
4 cups young coconut meat, big chunks
Egg Wash
1 small egg
2 Tbsp milk
Directions
Pie Crust
In a blender, place the sifted flour, butter, and salt. Blitz for 10-15 seconds, or enough to have a bread crumb mixture.
Transfer the mixture into a cold bowl and make a well in the center.
Add the egg yolk and lemon zest into the well, whisking with a fork until entirely mixed with the bread crumb mixture.
Add the water (or milk) in small amounts while whisking it with your hand until the dough comes together.
Knead it gently on a floured surface forming a nice, soft dough.
Using a rolling pin, shape the dough into a flat disc.
Cut the dough in half and separately cover each disc with cling wrap.
Place the two discs in the fridge for 30 minutes to let the dough relax.
Assembling the Pie Crust
Take one disc of chilled dough, put it on a floured surface, and roll it out thinly to the desired thickness (0.2 inch) and size of the pie plate, ensuring it has a 1-inch allowance on the edges.
With a rolling pin, gently unroll it on top of the pie plate.
Smoothly fit the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate without tearing it. To make sure the dough fits snugly, cover it with cling wrap, pour in baking rice, pat it down, and fill the pan with the baking rice to serve as a mold.
Trim the dough to a 1-inch overhang and chill for 30 minutes. Once chilled, remove the baking rice.
Form the remaining half of dough as the pie cover and refrigerate for later use.
Coconut Filling
Combine the flour, sugar, and powdered milk. While stirring, add the sea salt into the mixture. Set aside after thoroughly mixed.
In a small bowl, add the egg and vanilla (optional) to the coconut water, and mix well.
Pour the liquid mixture little by little into the dry ingredients until the texture is not too thick nor thin.
Set aside the coconut meat for the assembly.
Assembly and Baking
Preheat the oven to 425⁰F.
Poke holes into the bottom (avoid poking holes on the sides) of the pie crust using a fork. This is to allow the heat to escape while baking.
Spread about 2-3 spoonfuls of the filling into the crust.
Arrange the coconut meat into the crust.
Pour the remaining filling all over the coconut meat and gently tilt the pan to fill in any gaps.
Cover the pie with the remaining dough disc.
Even out the top by cutting the excess dough on the sides. Pinch the sides to seal the top and the crust.
Crimp the edges of the crust to make a decorative edge, as desired.
Prick holes on top of the crust using a fork. This serves as vents for the steam while baking.
Bake the pie for 10 minutes.
While the pie is baking, mix the egg wash by whisking together the milk and egg in a small bowl.
Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool enough for the filling to set in. Brush the top with egg wash. Lower the oven temperature to 350⁰F.
Bake the pie for another 30-40 minutes.
Once done, allow the pie to cool before slicing.
Coconut pie is often plain, but nowadays flavorings such as vanilla, almond, or pandan are added to enrich its taste. Barth Bakery crafts unique recipes, taking you to a whole new level of baking. There are over a hundred creations you have got to explore and try.