I Love Homemade Pandesal

I took a break from baking so I could work on my Christmas project. I missed eating pandesal though so I got to work today to bake. It just takes 12 to 15 minutes to bake pandesal but it takes a few hours to prepare it. I've made a few adjustments to a base recipe to fit my taste. It's not the same as Pan de Manila's pandesal though haha. 

The smell of freshly baked bread filled our home this afternoon. Ahhh, that's what I like best about baking. I wish one could have freshly baked bread as a scent. Haha. Same as new books, fresh roses and a newly opened balikbayan box from the US. 

I haven't tried the pandesal I baked today. I'm still thinking about what I'm going to eat it with. Normally I eat pandesal without any filling, but sometimes I eat it with cheese and mayonnaise, spam or luncheon meat, peanut butter, Cheez Whiz and tuna mayo. Pandesal is so versatile, you can eat it with anything. 

What about you? What's your favorite bread? What's your favorite palaman? 

My Ninang Jane asked me if it's hard to bake pandesal. It's not hard, you just need to be patient because it takes time. The only thing to watch out for is the milk temperature when you bloom yeast. It should be around 32'C. I made that mistake once and put the yeast on very hot milk, it did not bloom. I actually like waiting for the dough to proof because it gives me time to rest while baking (it's like a workout for me). 

I haven't made an updated video of baking pandesal, but I think I have improved after baking it five times now. It also helps to have a stand mixer since it kneads the dough more evenly. Here was my first attempt at baking pandesal --

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My Home Panaderia Update: What I Learned to Bake so Far

I embarked on a home panaderia project last May because I miss Filipino bread! I realized it's going to take awhile before I can have fresh hot pandesal so I put myself to work to learn. I made a list of buns I wanted to learn to make. Here's what I have made so far:

Dinner Rolls - this is what I baked to introduce myself to bread baking. It was easy to make. Sweetie loved it warm with butter. (Video)

Ensaymada - my first ensaymada tasted good, but I failed in the looks department haha. I belatedly realized that it required some technical skills in forming the bun correctly. I may have overcooked it a little also since it was a little crunchy. (Video)

Spanish Bread - my first Spanish bread looked okay, but the taste wasn't what I envisioned. I think the issue mainly is the margarine I used, but we don't have Star Margarine here. I later on tried a friend's recipe and that one I liked much better. Forming the bread also takes practice. Usually the last piece I form is the best looking one haha.  (Video)

Pandesal - I finally tried baking pandesal by end of May. We loved it! It was a blockbuster. I tweaked my second attempt a little, added a bit more sugar and it tasted like your next door neighbor's panaderia pandesal. This is one bun I've been baking often. (Video)

Putok/Star bread - my putok bun did not look like a star in my first attemp. LOL! It really looked funny. I changed recipes on my second attempt and it tasted much better. I also improved a lot with the shape in my second attempt. (Video)

Monay - I read that monay almost has the same recipe as putok. I ended up making both putok and monay in one baking session because of yeast issues haha. Monay for me is comfort food. I'm glad I got it right the first time. (Video)

Pambonete (panbonete) - I wasn't happy with how the panbonete turned out. It was edible, but I want it to taste like the Casa Moderna pambonete. I also did not have the right bonnet looking cups, so it looked more like a baby bonnet than an adult bonnet haha. 

Cheeserolls - the cheeserolls turned out okay, Sweetie liked it but I wasn't too happy with the consistency of the bread. It was a good run, but I'll probably try a different recipe next time. 

Here's what I learned so far:

1. Try several recipes until you find the best one you like. Try tweaking it also to suit your taste. 

2. Try to use ingredients that are closest to Filipino brands, i.e. margarine, powdered milk. 

3. Don't just any any kind of milk, so far I like using British milk for my baking. 

4. Check the water or milk temperature before you add the yeast to make sure it blooms. Too hot will kill it and you'll end up with wasted ingredients. 

5. Practice shaping/folding techniques to get the look correctly. 

6. If the recipe calls for egg wash, make sure to wipe it on all sides of the dough equally. 

7. Your oven may behave differently compared to other ovens. I used to use a convection oven and when we moved homes we ended up with a gas oven. Check the right temperature equivalent based on the ove you're using. 

8. Don't be afraid to obtain new gadgets! When I first started baking bread I took so long kneading the dough (it's a workout!). I finally got a Kitchenaid stand mixer and it cut down my baking time.

9. Get a beeswax wrap. It's better to use this than cling wrap. Saves you some money and the environment.

10. Share your buns with neighbors! I'm so far sharing to our cleaner and she loves it! I'm still mustering up the confidence to share it to my Pinoy neighbors. 

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Finally Baked Pandesal!

I had to work up the courage to bake pandesal because I did not want to be disappointed. I grew up eating pandesal almost everyday. It's how my Mom introduced me to coffee. When I was a child she'd give me pandesal dipped in coffee. I usually eat pandesal without any filling, but it's good with anything and I really mean anything.

It is best to eat pandesal fresh from the oven and that's why in the Philippines there are a lot of corner bakeries. When I was younger bakeries were not really "branded". If it would have a name it would usually be named after the family running it. Now there are a number of branded bakeries in the Philippines and cake shops introduced bread in their line-up many years ago. My favorite pandesal now when I'm in Manila is from Pan de Manila.

Which brings me to my first attempt at baking pandesal. I watched a gazillion YouTube videos and read a lot of recipes online to learn how to properly make pandesal. It took me this long to make it by myself because it's so easy to find in Manila. In Singapore though it's pretty expensive to buy and I always thought it takes so long to bake pandesal.

It does, but the hours I spent baking pandesal is so worth it. My first attempt was a success. We had to make it a point not to gobble it all up in one sitting! I liked it best with cheese and mayonnaise. Sweetie tried it with butter, jam and I think peanut butter. Maybe next time I'll double up the recipe so we can have more and so I can share to my friends who live nearby.

Have you tried baking pandesal? What's your favorite type of pandesal? Original? Cheese pandesal? Ube and cheese pandesal? Comment down below :)


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