Lemon Coconut Pull-Apart Bread (vegan)

Name: Lemon Coconut Pull-Apart Bread (vegan)
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients: 400 g (3 + ⅓ cups) white bread flour; 7 g (2 teaspoons) fast action yeast; 40 g (3 Tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon salt; 250 g ( 1 cup) full fat coconut milk; finely grated zest of 1 lemon; splash of water as needed; 40 g (3 Tablespoons) vegan butter (softened); 125 g (⅔ cup) caster or granulated sugar; finely grated zest of 3 lemons; 60 g (packed ¼ cup) unsweetened desiccated coconut; 40 g (3 Tablespoons) vegan butter (very soft); 80 g (¾ cup) icing (powdered) sugar; 1 Tablespoon coconut milk; 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice

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This lemon coconut pull-apart bread is the ultimate share-and-tear loaf. It is soft, sweet and sticky, with a bright, fresh, summery lemon and coconut flavour.

Serve it warm for breakfast or brunch and there's no need to slice it, just let everyone tear it apart!

Vegan lemon coconut pull-apart bread on a sheet of baking paper with bowls of coconut and icing and some fresh lemons.

This lemon coconut pull-apart bread is an updated and veganised version of one of my very old recipes and it is a real banger!

There is coconut milk in the dough which helps to make it wonderfully soft and gives it a delicate coconut flavour. The filling is comprised of butter, sugar, grated lemon zest and desiccated coconut and I topped it off with a zingy glaze made from icing sugar, lemon juice and coconut milk.

The butter and sugar in the filling melt and make the bread go all crunchy and caramelised around the edges, and soft in the middle. It pulls apart into pieces easily, so is perfect for sharing (although once you start pulling pieces off it is very hard to stop...) and the smell while it is cooking is fantastic - fragrant lemon mixed with freshly baked bread and nutty coconut... heavenly!

A labelled photo of the ingredients needed to make lemon coconut pull-apart bread.

Ingredient Details:

Coconut: You will need full fat tinned coconut milk to make the dough; light will work in a pinch but don't use coconut drinking milk instead. You will also need desiccated coconut for the filling, this should be unsweetened, not the sweetened kind as that will make the loaf too sweet.

Lemons: Finely grated lemon zest adds lots of fresh, bright flavour. You will need 4 lemons and make sure that they are unwaxed.

Bread flour: White bread flour helps to give this bread its soft, fluffy, chewy texture. Plain (all-purpose) flour will work though the texture isn't quite as good. I don't recommend using wholemeal flour as that will make the bread too dense.

Instant/fast action yeast: I always prefer to use fast action yeast when making bread as it can just be added straight to the flour and doesn't need to be activated first.

Salt: You simply cannot make good bread without salt. Don't omit it.

Vegan butter: While in most cases I only recommend using a block butter for baking, in this case a tub variety is fine as well (but not one of the low-fat ones!). I used Flora Original.

Sugar: Either caster or granulated sugar will work, I do not recommend swapping this for any other kind of sugar. You will also need icing (powdered) sugar if you choose to make the glaze.

How To Make Lemon Coconut Pull-Apart Bread:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Step 1: Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and lemon zest in a large bowl. Add the coconut milk and stir to form a rough dough, adding a splash of water as needed.

Step 2: Knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.

Step 3: Add the butter and knead until it is fully combined and the dough is smooth and stretchy. It will be messy at first but it will become smooth again eventually.

Step 3, a 2 image collage of the stages of kneading the butter into the dough.

Step 4: Place the dough in a bowl, cover and set aside to rise until doubled in size.

Step 4, a 2 image collage of the dough before and after rising.

Step 5: For the filling, rub the lemon zest into the sugar then stir in the coconut.

Step 6: Roll the dough out into a large rectangle and spread the butter all over the surface.

Step 6, the rolled out dough with the butter spread over.

Step 7: Sprinkle over the lemon coconut mixture and pat it down gently. Use a pizza wheel or sharp knife to cut the dough into 20 squares.

Step 7, the dough with the filling mixture added and sliced into squares.

Step 8: Stack the squares into 5 piles, each with 4 squares.

Step 9: Stack the dough piles upright in the tin. Gather up any coconut filling that fell off and scatter it over the top. Cover and leave to rise until puffy.

Step 9, a 2 image collage of the loaf before and after rising.

Step 10: Bake for 45 minutes.

Lemon coconut pull-apart bread pulled into pieces.

Top Tips:

As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

Make sure that your yeast isn't out of date! Old yeast can lead to dough that doesn’t rise.

The rising time of the dough will vary depending on how warm it is; on hot days it will rise much faster than on cold ones.

If you want, you can give the dough it’s first rise overnight in the fridge rather than at room temperature. This breaks up the workload and gives the bread an even better flavour.

Although it is best eaten fresh, this lemon coconut pull-apart bread is still soft and delicious the next day, best warmed slightly in the microwave before serving.

You can swap the lemon zest for orange or lime for a different flavour.

Lemon coconut pull-apart bread in a loaf tin.

FAQ's:

How should I store it?

Store the bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Can I freeze it?

Yes, the baked lemon coconut bread can be frozen once it has cooled completely. Freeze on the day it is baked to preserve freshness.

It should be frozen in an airtight container or well wrapped to protect from freezer burn. Allow to defrost at room temperature then refresh in a low oven for 10 minutes or in the microwave for 20-30 seconds before serving. I do not recommend freezing unbaked bread.

Can I knead the dough by hand?

This is a soft, sticky dough so it is easiest made in a stand mixer. You absolutely can knead it by hand if you don't have one, just be prepared to get a bit messy.

When kneading, you shouldn't flour the surface as you will end up incorporating too much flour and making the dough too dry. Instead, if the dough is sticking too much, you can lightly oil the worksurface and your hands to help, or just be prepared to get a bit sticky!
A bench scraper is incredibly handy when kneading dough by hand to unstick the dough from the surface.

How can I tell when the bread is baked?

The best way to tell if bread is baked properly is to check the internal temperature with a probe thermometer. It should reach at least 90°C/194°F in the centre.

If you don't have a probe thermometer, then the lemon coconut bread should be well-risen and browned. A skewer inserted into the centre should go in and out smoothly with little resistance and come out with no dough on it .

Can I make it gluten-free?

No, I’m afraid that you cannot use gluten free flour. Making gluten free bread is tricky and the entire recipe would need reworking. Gluten free baking is not my area of expertise so I cannot advise you. It is best to use a recipe that is designed to be gluten free rather than trying to adapt a non gluten free recipe.

More Vegan Sweet Bread Recipes:

The side of the loaf of lemon coconut pull-apart bread.

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