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Soft & Chewy Pandesal

I owe a lot of my taste in bread to Pandesal. 

If I had somehow grown up in a sourdough kind of home somewhere in Europe instead, I likely wouldn’t have this Filipino sweet-salty tooth I do today.

Soft. Chewy. Literally “salt bread” by name, with nearly ten times the amount in sugar. A staple in many Filipino homes, with my version just being one of many. 

This recipe is an enriched version containing milk and butter for more chew than airiness—great on its own, but flexible enough to pair with your favorite sweet or savory jams and fillings.

Don’t forget to see my tips and check out the process on TikTok!

RECIPE: PANDESAL

Yield: 32 pieces
Work Time: 30 minutes active, 90 minutes wait
Bake Time: 12-16 minutes

Note: This recipe makes 32 pieces. I suggest doing half if it’s your first time!

INGREDIENTS

  • 500g bread flour
  • 100g brown sugar
  • 12g fine salt*
  • 10g instant dry yeast
  • 55g unsalted butter, softened
  • 55g egg (1 large)
  • 18g egg yolk (1 large egg yolk)
  • 100g whole milk
  • 150g water, room temperature
  • Fine bread crumbs for coating

*You may increase salt by 1-2g if pairing with sweet jams.

METHOD

  1. MIX. In your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine bread flour, brown sugar, and instant dry yeast. Mix for a few seconds, then stream in your egg, egg yolk, milk, and water. Knead on low speed until it forms a dry dough, then gradually add your softened butter. Knead on low-medium speed until the butter is absorbed, then add salt.
  2. KNEAD. Starting on medium speed, knead for about 5 minutes until it forms a smooth, stretchy dough. See tips.
  3. PROOF. Shape the dough into a ball, then place into a large bowl. Cover with cling wrap and allow to proof in a warm area for 45-60 minutes or until at least doubled in volume.
  4. DIVIDE & PRESHAPE. After proofing, punch down the gases. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions, about 490g each. Flatten each piece with a rolling pin to form rectangle about 8×16 inches wide. Starting from the top, roll each piece to form a log at least 16 inches long. Sprinkle fine bread crumbs on the 2 logs, rolling as needed to cover all sides. Cover with cling wrap and rest for about 5 minutes.
  5. SHAPE. Prepare a bowl with about 1 cup of fine bread crumbs. Cut the two logs into 16 portions each, for a total of 32 pieces. Roll each piece into the bowl of bread crumbs to cover completely, then place on parchment-lined baking trays.
  6. PROOF. Cover and rest for 20-30 minutes or until about doubled in size. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C.
  7. BAKE. Bake at 180°C for 12-16 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

TIPS

How do I know when to stop kneading?
The total kneading time is highly variable. Factors such as the strength and size of your mixer, the brand of your bread flour, and more can affect this step. It’s important to note that the main objective of kneading is to build structure through gluten development. Follow these visual cues, you’re in for a successful batch:

    • The dough is much smoother.
    • The dough is very stretchy and less sticky.
    • The dough passes the windowpane test.

Unlike milk bread which has a much higher fat content, pandesal can be kneaded on low to medium speed only. It won’t take long to reach a good windowpane, just about 5 minutes for me!

Different ways to shape pandesal!
Pre-shaping the dough into logs creates thin layers of dough that provide a soft and airy texture in the end result. By slicing the logs, you are forming pandesal the traditional way—kind of similar to cutting cinnamon rolls! However, you can also roll these buns into balls, or even add a filling of your choice. Make sure to seal and smoothen the seams before final proofing!

Thank you for checking out my recipes! Let me know when you try them out. If you have any questions, comment below or reach me on TikTok/Instagram!

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