This twist on a classic Filipino bread roll features a rich, fluffy ube dough filled with melty cheese and rolled in bread crumbs for a crunchy coating.
Cook Time
50 minutes
Total Time
2 hr
Yield
24 pandesal
Ingredients
½ cup whole milk (120 mL), room temperature
1 cup warm water (240 mL)
1 large egg, room temperature
1 ½ tablespoons ube flavoring
4 cups bread flour (500 g)
1 tablespoon instant yeast
½ cup sugar (100 g)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
nonstick cooking spray, for greasing
14 oz easy melt processed cheese (415 g), cut into ½-inch (1.24 cm) pieces, room temperature
1 cup fine plain bread crumbs (115 g)
Nutrition Info
Calories 211
Fat 7g
Carbs 26g
Fiber 0g
Sugar 3g
Protein 8g
How to Make It
1. Step
In a 4-cup spouted measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the milk, warm water, and egg. Whisk in the ube flavoring.
2. Step
In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt and mix well.
3. Step
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour the wet ingredients into the well. Slowly mix together using a whisk or your hands until all of the moisture is absorbed by the dry ingredients and a dough begins to form, about 3 minutes. Add the butter to the dough and knead until incorporated, about 5 minutes.
4. Step
Spray a clean surface with nonstick spray. Transfer the dough to the surface. The dough will be sticky, but resist adding more flour as it will make the finished product tough and dry. Knead the dough by picking up from the center with both hands on either side of the dough and slapping the bottom end onto the countertop, then folding the top end forward. Rotate your hands 90 degrees and pick up the dough from the center again and repeat the slap and fold motion. Repeat until the dough is more elastic and has a significantly smoother texture, 8–10 minutes.
5. Step
Transfer the dough to a clean large bowl greased with nonstick spray and spray the top of the dough with more nonstick spray. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30–60 minutes, or until doubled in size.
6. Step
Once the dough has risen, grease your hands with nonstick spray and portion the dough into 24–25 pieces, about 50 grams each, then roll into balls. Cover the portioned dough with a kitchen towel to prevent a crust from forming while you shape each pandesal.
7. Step
Flatten a piece of dough evenly in your palm to create a disc about 3 inches in diameter. Place a cube of the easy-melt cheese in the center, gather the edges of the dough around the cheese and pinch to seal, then roll into a smooth ball. Immediately roll the finished pandesal in the bread crumbs to coat completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
8. Step
Place 8–12 pandesal on each of 2–3 baking sheets lined with parchment paper and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Let proof at room temperature until doubled in size, 60–90 minutes.
9. Step
Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
10. Step
Remove the plastic wrap from the baking sheets. Bake the pandesal, working in batches if needed, for 18–20 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden on the bottoms. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
