How to Make Pandesal (Filipino Rolls) (2024)

Why It Works

  • Milk, oil, and eggs contribute flavor and color, and increase the tenderness of the crumb.
  • A coating of plain breadcrumbs gives the pandesal its signature sandy exterior.

What Are Pandesal?

Besides water, milk, and rice, pandesal has been a mainstay in my diet since I was an infant. Filipino pandesal, which means salt bread in Spanish, is reminiscent of the American-style dinner roll but it leans more sweet than savory, with a pillowy interior and a golden, sandy exterior dusted with breadcrumbs. A popular breakfast choice, pandesal are also eaten as a snack throughout the day and can be slathered with copious amounts of butter, stuffed with cheese or eggs, spread with jam or peanut butter, and used as the base for a simple yet tasty sandwich.

Wheat isn't indigenous to the Philippines, so bread is a relatively recent addition to the cuisine. Wheat was introduced by the Portuguese during the 1500s, and with the arrival of Spanish colonizers and the opening of the country’s first panaderia, or bakery, in the mid-1600s, bread production flourished. Back then, bread had a sturdier crust and firmer structure, a result of being baked directly on the floors of wood-fired ovens. Over time, it incorporated cheaper, lower protein flour and commercial yeast, and was baked on baking sheets (brought over by Americans)—all of which contributed to the modern version of pandesal.

This everyday staple is typically bought fresh from the panaderia, not baked at home. Growing up, my mom always returned from grocery shopping with a bag of pandesal. Prior to developing this recipe, the idea of baking my own pandesal never crossed my mind, my thinking being, basically, how can I improve on perfection. But after perusing quite a few ingredient lists and conducting my own tests, I’ve successfully created a version of pandesal at home that I'd proudly serve my mom.

Pandesal's Ingredients

My initial test batches started out with all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, instant yeast, milk, eggs, and butter. Although I liked the richness from the addition of butter, those first batches tasted more like crusty dinner rolls than pandesal. I swapped out the butter for vegetable oil, added in an extra egg yolk, and increased the quantity of milk and sugar (here, oil provides tenderness, eggs add structure, flavor, and color, and milk and sugar contribute color while improving shelf life), and I ended up with what I think of as my ideal pandesal—airy, plush, and slightly sweet with a bit of chew. My next step was figuring out how to shape it.

Oval vs. Round

Traditionally, the dough is rolled into a log, cut into individual oval-shaped pieces, and dipped in breadcrumbs. However, I’m accustomed to eating pandesal that are uniformly round in shape, a type that is widely available. The dough is divided into equal portions, formed into smooth balls, and rolled in breadcrumbs. I baked up batches both ways but found that I preferred the aesthetic of the smooth, round pandesal (directions for which I’ve included below) over the irregularity of the sliced ones.

Ways to Enjoy Pandesal

Since its fluffy texture diminishes as it cools, pandesal should be eaten hot, straight out of the oven (they also reheat well). I’m a fan of eating pandesal just smeared with butter, but they're excellent when paired with something salty and meaty, like when they're stuffed with crispy Spam or Filipino-style sautéed corned beef. Plate up two, maybe even three, of these rolls along with a steaming hot mug of coffee and you’ve got one satisfying breakfast.

June 2021

Ingredients

  • 555g (19 1/2 ounces; about 4 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour, such as Gold Medal

  • 115g (4 ounces; 1/2 cup) sugar

  • 8g (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast, such asSAF

  • 5g (1 1/2 teaspoons) Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for table salt use half as much by volume or the same weight

  • 225g (8 ounces; 1 cup) whole milk

  • 60g (2 ounces; 1/4 cup) vegetable oil

  • 2 large eggs (100g)

  • 1 large egg yolk (15g)

  • 60g (2 ounces; 1/2 cup) plain breadcrumbs

Directions

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Mix on low speed until well combined. Add milk, oil, eggs and egg yolk, and mix until a shaggy dough forms, about 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium and continue to mix until dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl (it will remain attached to bottom of bowl and be sticky), about 10 minutes.

    How to Make Pandesal (Filipino Rolls) (1)

  2. Using a bowl scraper, transfer dough to a lightly oiled large bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let sit at warm room temperature (75°F/24°C) until roughly doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

    How to Make Pandesal (Filipino Rolls) (2)

  3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill a wide shallow bowl with breadcrumbs. Turn dough onto a clean, floured surface, but do not deflate. Divide into 16 equal portions (2 1/3 ounces; 65g each). Working with one portion at a time, cup dough beneath your palm and work it in quick circular motions to form a smooth ball. Transfer portion to bowl with breadcrumbs, roll to evenly coat with breadcrumbs on all sides, and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining portions of dough, spacing each about 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and allow to rise at warm room temperature (75°F/24°C) until almost doubled in size, about 1 hour. (Alternatively, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight until puffy and soft, between 10 and 12 hours).

    How to Make Pandesal (Filipino Rolls) (3)

  4. Thirty minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Bake pandesal until puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

    How to Make Pandesal (Filipino Rolls) (4)

  5. Transfer to a serving platter, and serve immediately.

    How to Make Pandesal (Filipino Rolls) (5)

Special Equipment

Stand mixer, bowl scraper, rimmed baking sheet

Make-Ahead and Storage

Baked pandesal can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature. To reheat pandesal, preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Transfer pandesal to a baking sheet and reheat until hot, about 5 minutes.

How to Make Pandesal (Filipino Rolls) (2024)

FAQs

What is the mixing technique used in making pandesal? ›

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Mix on low speed until well combined. Add milk, oil, eggs and egg yolk, and mix until a shaggy dough forms, about 2 minutes.

Why is my pandesal so hard? ›

If the dough did not have enough time to rise, then the bread might come out dense and hard. What is the best flour for pandesal? The best flour for pandesal is a combination of all-purpose flour and bread flour.

Can I leave the pandesal dough overnight? ›

pandesal. provide gaps between dough as this will rise later on. towels, then refrigerate them overnight. up” 60 minutes before baking.

What are the 4 dough mixing methods? ›

  • Mixing Methods. for. Yeast Breads.
  • Straight Dough Method.
  • Fast Mixing Method.
  • Sponge Method.
  • Batter Method.
  • GLUTEN.
  • Carbon Dioxide. gives bread volume.
  • Successful Yeast Bread Depends:

What are the 3 major mixing methods used in baking? ›

Mixing Methods:
  • Muffins Method. This method is used for batters that are low in fat and sugar. ...
  • Creaming Method. This is used for batters that are higher in fat and sugar because it gives a more complete mix of the ingredients. ...
  • Biscuits Method. This is used to make biscuits, scones and other similar quick bread products.
Aug 25, 2023

How do bakeries make bread so soft? ›

Consistency: Bakeries often use machines to ensure consistent kneading and proofing times. This consistency is key to producing the same soft texture batch after batch. Special Ingredients: Many bakeries use dough conditioners or enhancers, which improve the texture and extend the bread's shelf life.

Why won't my dough roll out? ›

Under-proofed pizza dough is hard to stretch and dense. An over-proofed dough will stretch too thin and won't spring up when you put it in the oven. Warm-up your dough: Cold dough is hard to stretch and more prone to tearing. Let your dough warm up to at least room temperature before stretching for best results.

How to make dough less stiff? ›

3- Use dough softeners
  1. The Mix Quick Fimo: mix at most 2 / 3 of Fimo paste with 1 / 3 of Mix Quick. ...
  2. Sculpey Dough Softener: add a few drops to soften the dough and knead until you get the desired texture.
  3. Cernit's Magic Mix: mix it little by little with the dough until you have the desired consistency.
Oct 28, 2021

Why is my Pandesal dough not rising? ›

It's Too Cold

That's because doughs proof best in warmer temps—around 80º is just right for yeast. If your kitchen is too cold, the yeast doesn't have the right atmosphere to help the dough rise.

Is pandesal healthy? ›

HEALTH BENEFITS OF PAN DE SAL: Pan de sal has 4 grams of protein, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, and 3 grams of fat. Pandesal also has iron, which is necessary for developing hemoglobin, for carrying oxygen in the blood. This is helpful for people with anemia and pregnant women.

How do you keep bread soft and fluffy? ›

The solution is to put your lovely bread into a zip lock storage bag, then place that bag into a second plastic bag. Place a moistened, damp paper towel in between the two bags and zip it shut. Using this little trick should help your bread stay fresh for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

What makes bread light and fluffy? ›

Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.

What is pandesal in english? ›

Pandesal, also known as Pan de sal (Spanish: pan de sal, lit. "salt bread") is a staple bread roll in the Philippines commonly eaten for breakfast. It is made of flour, yeast, sugar, oil, and salt.

What are the mixing techniques used in bread making? ›

Once the ingredients have been selected and measured, often the next step is to mix them all together. What does that mean? Mixing is a general term that includes stirring, beating, blending, binding, creaming, whipping and folding.

What is the mixing method of loaves? ›

Three common mixing methods are the muffin mixing method, the creaming method and the biscuit mixing method. The muffin method suits muffins, loaf breads, pancakes, and waffles. Biscuits and scones benefit from the biscuit method, while the creaming method offers an alternative for muffins and certain bread types.

What is the biscuit mixing method used to make? ›

The biscuit-method, also used for scones, is prepared by sifting together the dry ingredients including flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder, the fat is then cut into the dry ingredients, and the mixture is folded together with the liquid producing a dense yet flakey texture.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Otha Schamberger

Last Updated:

Views: 6354

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (75 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Otha Schamberger

Birthday: 1999-08-15

Address: Suite 490 606 Hammes Ferry, Carterhaven, IL 62290

Phone: +8557035444877

Job: Forward IT Agent

Hobby: Fishing, Flying, Jewelry making, Digital arts, Sand art, Parkour, tabletop games

Introduction: My name is Otha Schamberger, I am a vast, good, healthy, cheerful, energetic, gorgeous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.