It is called Pandesal derived from Pan de sal a Spanish term that means “salt bread” is a type of yeast-raised bread. The taste is slightly sweeter than salty. The dough is shaped into long logs and cut, then rolled in fine bread crumbs made of stale bread. These popular Filipino bread rolls have become a staple in the Philippines since Spanish Colonial.
Nowadays, there are lots of variations and ingredients altered from the original pandesal recipe. There are filled pandesal like the “Ube Cheese Pandesal” that has been popular recently. The original pandesal during Spanish Colonial was made of whole wheat and baked in a wood-fired stone oven called “Pugon”.
The Ingredients of Pandesal
What is pandesal made of? It is made of flour, eggs, milk, oil or butter, yeast, sugar, salt, and bread crumbs. The flour can alternately be substituted with bread flour, all-purpose flour, or whole wheat flour. The liquid milk can be substituted with powdered milk and water, while the oil can be substituted with butter or shortening. Active dry yeast or instant yeast can be used in this pandesal recipe.
Flour– Bread flour is recommended but all-purpose flour is fine. I prefer to use bread flour for pandesal because it has more protein and produces more gluten making the dough more elastic. It stays soft longer than the all-purpose flour. Since I don’t have bread flour on hand, so all-purpose flour is also a good substitute. To substitute the ratio is the same as 1:1.
Whole wheat flour or integral flour for a healthier option.
Sugar– granulated white sugar
Salt– Fine salt, to add flavour
Yeast – You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast.
Milk– 2% milk or whole milk, evaporated milk or coconut milk
Eggs– large at room temperature
Shortening– Cooking oil or vegetable lard can be used or melted butter
Cooking oil– for greasing
Bread crumbs– The bread crumbs for pandesal that the bakeries normally use are made from toasted stale bread that is ground into fine crumbs. You can also use store-bought bread crumbs.
This Traditional Pandesal recipe has a crusty texture outside, soft and fluffy inside, with a milky taste. I think the combination of bread flour and wheat flour is a perfect combination of the traditional pandesal. Adding whole wheat flour to pandesal gives a nutty flavour, texture, and a darker brown colour. Similar or if not almost close to the traditional pandesal I remember.
However, you can easily make this traditional pandesal recipe into a 100% whole wheat bread roll or make a 2:2 ratio of bread flour and whole wheat or all-purpose flour and whole wheat.
This pandesal bread roll recipe has a quarter portion of whole wheat flour and three-quarters of bread flour. You can substitute it with all-purpose flour or for a healthier option just use whole wheat flour (your choice). Keep in mind that you might need to adjust the liquid measurement and the texture and taste will be different, especially if using integral four. Integral flour is produced from organic hard red wheat and absorbs a bit more water than whole wheat flour.
I found that more bread flour will extend the softness of the pandesal because it produces more gluten compared to all-purpose flour. Typically bread flour contains 14% gluten while All-purpose flour contains 11% gluten.
I still remember when I was a kid going to the busy bakery in the morning to buy pandesal. The smell of freshly baked pandesal from a stone oven gives extra flavour…hmm yum! I was eating it while walking back home. I don’t think any pandesal recipe can beat that baked in a seasoned stone oven nowadays it’s rarely found.
The fresh-baked pandesal is most commonly served hot for breakfast. Most people eat pandesal with butter/margarine, cheese, peanut butter, egg, hotdog, liver spread, eat it as is or dipped in coffee. Some people will eat the pandesal during snack or dinner with their favourite “Pansit” (stir-fried noodles) soup, stew or make a sandwich.
When I was working in a restaurant in the Philippines, the most popular on our breakfast menu was the Corned Beef Pandesal and Pandesal sardines breakfast sandwich served with a sunny-side-up egg. An open-face pandesal sandwich with tuna salad or chicken salad was also a popular choice.
How to make Pandesal
Activate the yeast. Sprinkle the active dry yeast in a warm liquid. Add the honey or sugar, then stir to dissolve. Let it stand until foamy for about 5 minutes.
Knead the dough.
In a stand mixer. In a bowl of the stand mixer, add bread flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, and salt. Mix with the dough hook attachment on low speed until well blended. Add the yeast mixture, beaten eggs and canola oil. Knead for 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
By hand. In a medium-sized bowl, add bread flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, and salt. Mix to combine, then add the yeast mixture, eggs, oil or butter. Use your hands, a bowl scraper or a silicone spatula to mix and fold. Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface. Start kneading by pushing and stretching the dough away from you with the palm of your hands. Knead for about 10 minutes or until smooth and the gluten is developed.
It’s all about the Yeast. In any bread recipe, if using active dry yeast, it is important to prove the yeast to make sure it has been activated properly. This will tell you if the yeast is still well and alive. You don’t want to waste all the ingredients after adding the yeast and find out that your yeast is not alive. Your dough will not rise and you will have dense and heavy bread.
What makes the bread soft and fluffy?
Proofing the Yeast. Proofing is the term used by professional bakers to describe the initial process of activating the yeast. To be activated and multiplied, sprinkle the yeast and sugar into the liquid. The yeast eats the sugar and it will multiply faster, become bubbly and foamy.
The ideal liquid temperature in activating the dry active yeast is between 100°F to 120°F, and instant yeast’s ideal liquid temperature is 120°F to 130°F. It is important to remember that too much heat will kill the yeast, and the bread will not rise to maximum capacity.
Without a thermometer, test a drop on the inside of your wrist, the feel should be warm and not uncomfortably hot. If the liquid is too cool the yeast will be slow to activate.
Proofing the Bread is the second step for a light, soft, and fluffy bread. Let the dough rest and rise in a warmer place (24° – 36° C ) until it doubles in size.
For softer and fluffy pandesal, it is recommended to knead it until you get the formation of the gluten and let it rise for at least 2 hours in a warm place. The longer fermentation of the yeast will develop a deeper flavour.
You can also add tangzhong or water roux to this bread dough recipe if you want to extend the softness of pandesal. Adding this to the bread dough recipe helps to trap the moisture in the bread that will keep your bread moist and soft longer.
More Bread Recipes:
Pandesal- Filipino bread rolls
Watch How to Make It
Equipment
- stand mixer
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk at lukewarm 110F 2% milk or evaporated milk
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast or instant yeast
- 1 tbsp honey or substitute with sugar, to activate the yeast,
- 3 cups bread flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup canola oil or vegetable oil (substitute 5-tbsp melted butter)
- 2 eggs beaten, at room temperature
- ¼ cup bread crumbs for coating
Instructions
- Activate the yeast. Sprinkle the active dry yeast in a warm liquid. Add the honey or sugar, then stir to dissolve. Let it stand until foamy for about 5 minutes.
- Knead the dough. In a stand mixer. In a bowl of the stand mixer, add bread flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, and salt. Mix with the dough hook attachment on low speed until well blended. Add the yeast mixture, beaten eggs and canola oil. Knead for 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic.By hand. In a medium-sized bowl, add bread flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, and salt. Mix to combine, then add the yeast mixture, eggs, oil or butter. Use your hands, a bowl scraper or a silicone spatula to mix and fold. Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface. Start kneading by pushing and stretching the dough away from you with the palm of your hands. Knead for about 10 minutes or until smooth and the gluten is developed.
- Test the dough. To test the dough, lightly press with a finger. When the indentation springs back immediately, then you know it's been kneaded enough, and it's ready to rise. Windowpane test by stretching part of the dough without tearing.
- Proofing the dough. Form into a ball. Drizzle with oil around the bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Place in a dry warm place and let it rest to rise for about an hour to 2 hours or until it doubles in size.
- Cut and divide the dough. Apply canola oil or vegetable oil on your hands and a clean flat surface, or use a large chopping board. Deflate and divide the dough in half. Roll the dough into 12 inches long. Use a ruler as your guide, and cut into 12 pcs.
- Coating the pandesal with bread crumbs. Roll each dough in the bread crumbs and place it on a baking sheet, at least an inch apart. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for an hour.
- Bake the pandesal. Bake in preheated oven at 350F for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
- 30 g flour
- 1/2 cup water or milk
Hi do I add rhe roux apart from the ingredients?
Hi Evette,
Thank you for reaching out. Yes, it’s separate from the ingredients and it’s optional. However, adding this will make the pandesal stays soft and fresh longer. The water roux can be added before or while mixing the dough.
Regards,
Maricel