October 18, 2017
Chocolate Coconut Tea Ring
A long time coming, we’ve finally replicated this tea ring recipe, a state fair blue ribbon winning yeast bread you’re going to love.
Tea rings are so classic! And so visually appealing, as in YUM to look at. This Chocolate Coconut Tea Ring was inspired by a 2010 “German Chocolate Ring” recipe from Dawn Dembrowski of Newton, New Jersey.
Fun fact: Dawn’s creation is what’s on the State Fair Recipes home page.
For our version, we upped the chocolate and coconut amounts, just because we’re such big fans of both. In the dough, we used coconut oil instead of butter, replaced the sugar with honey, and used half and half versus milk. (That all saved us a trip to the store. Yay!)
This ingredient combo gives you a bread that’s not overly sweet and perfectly complements the rich, sweet, and chewy filling. It also bakes up a beautiful golden brown.
Speaking of that fabulous filling, it starts with chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans. 
Into that you mix in one egg, and set it aside. The mixture will eventually go inside the dough that you flatten out first and roll to this shape.
For size, you want an 18×10-inch rectangle. Don’t forget the flour underneath or you’ll have a sticky mess.
Like with most yeast breads, this one is much easier to make than it looks. It just requires some patience. One of the key steps is after you’ve rolled it up and pinched the seams together. You cut openings across the outer ring, then twist and spread each section just a tish to expose the filling. 
Our other top tips with this recipe:
- Make sure your yeast proves it’s working. Look for tiny bubbles or a touch of foam as it “activates.”
- Knead the dough just enough to be blend the ingredients together.
- Mid-bake, cover the ring with tin foil, and watch it close to prevent over-browning.
We hope you love baking this as much as we did. I made mine for a potluck brunch. It was a huge hit and will be for you too!
-Cyndi & Nedra
Chocolate Coconut Tea Ring
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut, divided
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3 eggs, divided
4 to 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 packet yeast (1/4 ounce)
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup half and half
1/4 cup coconut oil + 1 tablespoon
In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup chocolate chips, 1 cup coconut, pecans and 1 egg; set aside. In large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour and salt; set aside. In small bowl, heat the half and half to 110 to 120 degrees F. Mix in the yeast; set aside 5 minutes, or until bubbles form. Add the coconut oil and honey. Mix well, then add to the flour mixture. Beat until smooth; then mix in remaining 2 eggs until blended. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead just until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.
Onto a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle (18 x 10-inches in size). Melt remaining tablespoon coconut oil and brush over dough. Spread with reserved chocolate-coconut mixture, leaving a 1-inch exterior border. Starting from the long side, roll the dough jelly roll style. Pinch seams to seal. Place dough seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Form a ring by pinching the ends together. With sharp scissors or knife, make cuts at 1 inch intervals, from outside edge to inside ring edge. Separate strips slightly to allow filling to show. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 50 to 60 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cover the ring with aluminum foil if needed to prevent over-browning. Fresh from the oven, press remaining 1/2 cup chocolate chips on top. Once melted, spread with a spatula. Top with remaining 1/2 cup coconut. Carefully remove from pan to a wire rack to cool before serving.
-Recipe from the Blue Ribbon Group