Fauchons Hawaiian Bread Recipe

How to make it

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• Four small (71/2 x 31/2) loaf pans, greased or Teflon.
• Note: Since much of the good taste of this bread rests on hazelnuts, they should be ground coarsely, preferably in a nut grinder, so that the particles are about the size of rice grains. Don't grind them so fine that they become like flour or they will disappear into the mixture.
• The nuts and coconut can be added after the first rising, rather than in the batter, but it is a little more difficult to get the dough to accept them.
• In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, the yeast, salt, sugar, dry milk and 1 1/2 cups of water to make a thick batter. Drop in the eggs, one at a time, and blend into the batter. Work in 2 more cups of flour. Break butter into several pieces rubber scraper or wooden spoon. Work in the coconut flakes to form a shaggy mass than can be lifted from the bowl. With fingers and scraper clean the sides of the bowl and add particles to the dough.
• Kneading (7 min.) Sprinkle the work surface with flour and turn out dough. With a rhythm of push-turn-fold. Knead dough until it becomes smooth (excepting the nut and coconut particles, of course) and elastic. Add sprinkles of flour if dough is sticky, but don't over-flour or dough will become dense and difficult to work.
• First Rising (1 hour) Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave undisturbed at room temperature (70-75 degrees) until doubled in volume.
• Shaping (15 minutes) Dough will weigh about 4 pounds--sufficient for four 1-pound loaves or a combination of others.
• Turn dough onto floured work surface and with knife or dough scraper divide into number of loaves desired. Roll each place into a ball and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes to relax dough. Press each ball into a flat oval--as wide as the pan is long--fold in half and pinch seam together. Tuck in ends and drop into prepared pan, with seam under.
• Second Rising (1 hour) Cover with wax paper and leave at room temperature (70-75 degrees) to rise until dough has risen about the level of the pan edge--about 1 hour.
• Baking (400 degrees, 30 min.) With razor blade, make one long slice down the center of the loaf with 4 or 5 short diagonal cuts radiating on either side, as fronds from the trunk of a coconut palm.
• Place on middle shelf. When loaves have been in the oven 20 minutes turn the pans around. Loaves are baked when golden brown with darker flakes of nuts and coconut in the crust. Larger loaves may need 10 additional minutes in oven. Turn baked loaves out of pans. Brush top crust with melted butter and return to oven without pans for 5 minutes.
• Final Step Place on metal rack to cool. Good toasted. Good cool. Good anytime.