Ube Salted Egg Pandesal - Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my pandesal so hard? ›

Why is my pandesal so hard? If your pandesal is hard out of the oven (and not burnt), it might not have proofed enough and the gluten did not develop properly. Try to test your yeast to make sure it's not expired by blooming it in warm milk before adding into your flour.

Flour. I find that using equal amounts of bread flour and all-purpose flour makes soft and chewy pandesal. Bread flour has higher protein content than all-purpose flour (usually 11-13%) giving the dough its stringy and elastic feature.

Pandesal rolls can be frozen too. Wait until they have completely cooled down before transferring them to an airtight storage bag. It's also best to freeze them flat, one next another so they don't freeze stuck together in clumps.

Origins. Pandesal is essentially a Philippines history lesson in bread form, though its origin stories are a bit murky. Until the Portuguese arrived in the Philippines, the indigenous diet was primarily focused on rice. "Wheat isn't native to the country," explains Ponseca.

Try less water with your flour. Uneven heat in your oven can be the culprit – if you loaf is nicely golden on the outside but gummy or moist in the inside, it's baking too quickly on the outside. Trying reducing the temperature you're baking at and bake for a bit longer.

The chewiness of bread is due to the protein in the flour. High protein flour will give you chewy bread. Low protein flour will give you “cakey” bread. I make a dinner roll with milk, butter and eggs that is pillowy soft and yet a bit chewy too.

An overproofed dough won't expand much during baking, and neither will an underproofed one. Overproofed doughs collapse due to a weakened gluten structure and excessive gas production, while underproofed doughs do not yet have quite enough carbon dioxide production to expand the dough significantly.

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).

Furthermore, frozen dough ensures that bakeries and food services can conveniently bake multiple batches of products throughout the day. This helps them to better meet customer demands for freshly baked goods. Moreover, frozen dough technology helps create new market opportunities.

Pandesal are best eaten directly from the oven. You can store them for 2-3 days in an airtight container and reheat them in a toaster oven — if you happen to have any leftovers. They're delicious with peanut butter (as I've told you) or smeared with salted butter and honey or jam.

What is a fun fact about pandesal? ›

Pandesal is the most popular style of bread in the Philippines. The name comes from the Spanish word meaning “salt bread" and it originated during the 16th century era of Spanish colonization in the Philippines. Pandesal is known for its pillowy texture and signature breadcrumbs on top.

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.

Pandesal is the most popular local bread in the Philippines.

Heat helps soften the bread while toasting the outside gives it extra flavor and texture. You can also microwave the bread, but briefly, to prevent the bread from drying out even further. You may even add a small glass or bowl of water with the bread to help it stay moist.

There may be several reasons for a dense, cake like texture in bread. It may indicate the kneading wasn't enough for the gluten to develop properly, or the dough was proved for too short a time or the dough may have been too dry. It is also worth checking the flour you used.

The flour could have too low a protein content, there could be too much salt in the bread recipe, you did not knead it or leave it to proof long enough, or you could have killed the yeast by leaving the dough to rise in a place that was too hot.

Baking quick breads at too high temperatures can cause a hard outside crust. Most quick breads bake in a moderate oven (350°F to 375°F). Double check your recipe to see the temperature they recommend. Oven thermostats can vary over time, requiring adjustments by the baker or calibration by a professional.