Pandesal That Tastes Like Home

Pandesal, which translates to "salt bread," is a sweet and slightly salty roll that’s incredibly versatile. You can enjoy it plain, with butter, jam, cheese, or even stuffed with savory fillings. My favorite way to enjoy pandesal is with a pancit canton, egg and tocino sandwich.

For this pandesal recipe, you'll need the following ingredients:

• 6 cups all-purpose flour, more as needed
• 2 cups warm water, more as needed
• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• Butter or vegetable oil for greasing
• 1 cup breadcrumbs for coating

Instructions:

1. Start by getting your water warm, not hot, and adding your yeast in to activate it. This can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes, you'll know its working when you see bubbling on the surface. 

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt.
2. Mix the ingredients until a soft dough forms. You can use a wooden spoon or a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment for this step.

1. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 8-10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
2. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let it rise in a warm place for about 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until it doubles in size.

1. Once the dough has risen, punch it down to release the air.
2. Flatten out the dough into a large circle and cut this into equal quarters.
3. Roll each quarter of dough into a long cylindrical shape and cut this into 4 equal parts. 

Step 5: Shape and Coat the Dough

1. Roll each of the cut pieces into a ball and dip this into the breadcrumbs.
2. Repeat this step for as many rolls as you've cut and place them on an oiled baking sheet as you go.

Step 5: Final Rise

1. Cover the dough balls on the baking sheet with a damp cloth and allow for the final rise, about 1 hour.

1. Preheat your oven to 400°F (204°C).
2. Bake the pandesal in the preheated oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the tops turn golden brown.
3. Remove from the oven and let them cool.

Feel free take your spin on this, we've been toying with the idea of an Ube variety. Leave comments below on how your pandesal turned out or share any variations you tried. We love hearing from you!

Note: The quartering technique comes from the I Am A Filipino Cookbook by Nicole Ponseca & Miguel Trinidad. An incredible cookbook to get all your favorite recipes from home.