French-Asian Fusion Coconut Brioche

☽ I N G R E D I E N T S (bread)
-250g all purpose flour
-120g warm milk
-3g yeast
-30g organic sugar
-2g salt
-1 room temp egg
-20g room temperature/softened unsalted butter

☽ I N G R E D I E N T S (coconut filing)
-50g coconut shredded
-20g butter
-30g sugar
-1 room temp egg

☽ I N S T R U C T I O N S (Bread)

1. Warm milk in microwave or over stove top till warm to touch
2. Combine milk, yeast, and sugar and set aside to activate. I've found leaving it a non-heated oven with the lights on + a glass of steaming water works the best.
3. In another bowl mix together flour, salt, beaten egg, soften butter, and activated yeast mixture.
4. Go in with your hands and kneed in bowl until combined
5. Pour out onto a lightly floured work surface and kneed by holding with one hand and pushing the dough away with the other. A sign of a well-kneeded dough is that it

• (a) doesn't stick to your hands
• (b) is smooth in texture without little bubbles or tears
• (c) can pass the window pane test by pulling out gently with both hands to create a screen with the dough
• In a lightly oiled bowl, place dough and cover with cloth and set aside to proof for 1hr or til doubled in size

☽ I N S T R U C T I O N S (Filing)

1. Crack one room temperature egg and whisk
2. combine melted butter, sugar, and coconut flakes with egg and mix until evenly combined
3. set aside in fridge to settle

Now the fun part!

1. Take your proven dough and roll out into a rectangle approximately 8in wide - 16in long
2. spread coconut filing evenly across 2/3 of the dough sheet. Do your best to get as close to the border as possible
3. Create a letter fold by first folding over the un-filled portion of the dough and then taking the opposite 1/3 (filled) dough and fold it over itself
4. Seal all edges tightly
5. Roll out dough into approximately the same size again: 8in wide by 16in long. If you have air bubbles, take a sharp knife, fork, or toothpick to poke out the air. The goal is to keep the filing inside the dough...and not on your work surface. But no worry if there are a few leakages! 
6. Repeat the book fold again
7. Roll the double-folded dough out into a 6in-11in rectangle
8. Cut into 3 long and even strands leaving a little connected piece at the top
9. Braid strands. Grab the right section and place in the center of the middle strand and left strand. Take the left section and bring into the center of the middle and right strand. Now you have a new right, left, and middle. Repeat that process until entire dough is braided.
10. Pinch ends
11. Set in baking tin to proof a second time until doubled. Don't worry if it takes longer. Since you have filing, it will inhibit the dough from growing as quickly.
12. Preheat oven to 350F/180C
13. In the middle rack, place proven dough
14. Bake until lightly brown and golden!
15. Enjoy with your favorite spread or plain!

***Tip...best when eaten toasted even after a couple of days!