Soft bread dough rolled around a sweet, bright red coconut filling flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla, a beloved Guyanese bakery classic.
Ingredients
3 cups flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter, softened
200ml warm milk
2 cups grated coconut
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Red food coloring
1 egg for wash
Instructions
1Mix flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add butter and warm milk to form a soft dough. Knead ten minutes until smooth and elastic. Rise one hour.
2Cook grated coconut with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla over medium heat until thick and sticky. Add red food coloring for the signature bright red. Cool.
3Punch down risen dough and roll into a large rectangle about a quarter-inch thick on a floured surface.
4Spread the red coconut filling evenly over the dough, leaving a one-inch border on all sides.
5Roll up tightly like a Swiss roll. Cut into eight equal pieces and place cut-side up on a greased baking sheet. Let rise twenty minutes.
6Brush with beaten egg and bake at 180C for twenty-five minutes until golden. The red coconut spiral should be visible from the top.
Did You Know?
The distinctive red color of salara filling has no flavor purpose but has become so iconic that a salara without it looks wrong to Guyanese eyes.