Filipino bread rolls (the best bread rolls in the world…in my opinion!)
“This is the best pandesal I’ve ever had”
I’ve gotten this a number of times from family and friends who I’ve had the pleasure of sharing this pandesal recipe with. A few of them were born and raised in the Philippines, which makes me feel extra warm and fuzzy inside.
It’s a big deal for me to be able to replicate a nostalgic recipe, or make it even better than what they remember growing up in the Philippines.
I know this pandesal recipe is probably not exactly how the pandesal vendors in the Philippines make it because of the ingredients available to them versus the ingredients I have available here.
There’s just some things you can’t directly mimic, but I’m just ecstatic to know that my fellow Filipino and Filipinas LOVE this recipe!
I’ve been making pandesal for a couple of years now, and I wish I could show you my first batch of pandesal. They had pale tops, and not as fluffy and soft as I have them now.
Basically, I’m telling you to make this recipe, then make it again. By the time you’ve made your 10th batch, you’ll notice the improvement in your baking skills and your confidence around baking bread!
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast, OR 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 1/4 cup (285 g) whole milk, warmed to 100-105 degrees F
- 4 1/2 cup (585 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons (43 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup (70 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, lightly whisked
- 1/2 cup ground cream crackers, You can use Marie Biscuits, or even breadcrumbs
Directions
1. In a stand mixer, combine all-purpose flour, yeast, salt (make sure the salt doesn’t make direct contact with the yeast), and sugar. Mix all the dry ingredients together.
2. Add the eggs and milk. Add just enough milk to pick up all the flour at the bottom of the bowl, then add a splash more (I like my pandesal dough to be a bit wet and sticky!)
3. Add the butter, then put your stand mixer on medium speed. Knead for about 5-7 minutes, or until it passes the windowpane test. Make sure you don’t over-knead your dough!
4. Once it’s kneaded, scrape the sides of the bowl to combine the dough into one ball. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for about an hour or until it has doubled in size.
5. If you have not yet turned your cream crackers (or alternative) into a powder do so now. A blender will speed it up but you could grind it by hand with a mortar & pestle or just simply smashing them while in a plastic Ziploc bag.
6. Once you poke the dough and it doesn’t spring back, tip the dough out on a lightly floured surface and press out all the air bubbles.
7. Divide the dough into 24 even pieces, and shape them into balls. Then coat the dough balls with the powdered cream crackers (or alternative).
8. Place the dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, allowing a little room in between the rolls to puff up.
9. Let the shaped rolls rise for another hour, or until you poke the dough and it only springs back halfway.
10. Place your baking tray in a preheated 350ºF oven in the middle rack, and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the pandesal get golden-brown tops.
11. Remove the tray from the oven and allow the pandesal to cool down for about 5 minutes before eating!
Tips
- You can knead this dough by hand, which should take about 15-20 minutes of continuous kneading.
- For the powdered topping, my favorite thing to use are Diamond Bakery Royal Cream Crackers. Before I discovered those, I used Marie biscuits which is a rich tea biscuit. You could also use digestive biscuits or anything that has a slightly sweet flavor. If all else fails, simple breadcrumbs also works.
- When dividing into rolls, I weigh the whole dough and divide that by the number of rolls I want to make (usually 24). Then I’ll pull dough until that number is met and “tare” the scale after forming each roll.
Videos
I have a few different videos where I make pandesal in different varieties. I’ve linked a few here. Some are a bit…. older hahaha.
DID YOU MAKE THIS?!
Post on social media and tag @jeanelleats! I get so happy when I see people making these recipes at home!
Recipe
Pandesal
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast OR 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 ¼ cups (285 g) whole milk warmed to 100-105º F
- 4 ½ cups (585 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspooons salt
- 3 tablespoons (43 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs lightly whisked
- ½ cup ground cream crackers
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, combine all-purpose flour, yeast, salt (make sure the salt doesn’t make direct contact with the yeast), and sugar. Mix all the dry ingredients together.
- Add the eggs and milk. Add just enough milk to pick up all the flour at the bottom of the bowl, then add a splash more (I like my pandesal dough to be a bit wet and sticky!)
- Add the butter, then put your stand mixer on medium speed. Knead for about 5-7 minutes, or until it passes the windowpane test. Make sure you don’t over-knead your dough!
- Once it’s kneaded, scrape the sides of the bowl to combine the dough into one ball. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for about an hour or until it has doubled in size.
- If you have not yet turned your cream crackers (or alternative) into a powder do so now. A blender will speed it up but you could grind it by hand with a mortar & pestle or just simply smashing them while in a plastic Ziploc bag.
- Once you poke the dough and it doesn’t spring back, tip the dough out on a lightly floured surface and press out all the air bubbles.
- Divide the dough into 24 even pieces, and shape them into balls. Then coat the dough balls with the powdered cream crackers (or alternative).
- Place the dough on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, allowing a little room in between the rolls to puff up.
- Let the shaped rolls rise for another hour, or until you poke the dough and it only springs back halfway.
- Place your baking tray in a preheated 350ºF oven in the middle rack, and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the pandesal get golden-brown tops.
- Remove the tray from the oven and allow the pandesal to cool down for about 5 minutes before eating!