Hello! It's weekend and another entry for zord189's food contest in collaboration with Foodies Bee Hive Community. For this week the main ingredient is bread: Hive Creative Contest | Time For Bread(Contest Details).
Picking a subject for this contest was quite challenging as there are a couple of bread recipes I have to choose from but I've decided to share the simplest yet most popular bread for Filipinos. The pandesal.
Pandesal or "pan de sal" is a classic Filipino bread made from simple ingredients like flour, yeast, eggs, sugar, salt, and milk. The name of the bread is coined from "pan de sal", a Spanish word meaning "salt bread". Philippines has been colonized by Spain for 333 years and so many of our local foods have Spanish names.
The usual size of a pandesal is about the size of a fist. It's soft and fluffy, perfect for any spread. However, the typical way Filipinos eat pandesal is by dipping it in a hot coffee or chocolate drink like how you dip an oreo to milk. It's an easy and cheap breakfast. You can buy it at a nearby bakery or you just wait for a pandesal vendor to pass by your neighborhood in bicycle every morning. The vendors usually signal the people with a horn. You just have to be quick to go out and call the vendor because they pass by quickly like they don't want to make a sale. 😂 Just be ready to scream "pandesaaaaal!!!" at the top of lungs and when they heard you, they'll gladly make a u-turn.
But when all else fails, you can make your own pandesal instead! Five years ago, I joined a friend to a short baking class and one of the breads we baked is pandesal. I don't know why I joined that class but at least I can make useful of it for this post. Lol. I haven't taken a photo of the bread we made but I have the ingredients and procedure with me. :)
INGREDIENTS
PANDESAL | ||
|---|---|---|
| ♥ 1 Kilo Bread flour | ||
| ♥ 10 grams Yeast | ||
| ♥ 180 grams Refined sugar | ||
| ♥ 10 grams Bread improver | ||
| ♥ 40 grams Powdered milk | ||
| ♥ 100 grams or 2 pcs. Eggs | ||
| ♥ 35 grams Bread crumbs | ||
| ♥ 15 grams Salt | ||
| ♥ 70 grams Shortening | ||
| ♥ 400 grams water |
PROCEDURE
#1 Soak the yeast into the water for 10 minutes then stir until it dissolves completely in the water.
#2 Mix all the ingredients together (except for bread crumbs) but add the shortening last.
#3 Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic.
#4 Put the dough into a bowl and cover it with a clean cloth. Let it rest for 1 to 2 hours.
#5 Check the dough by pushing the dough with your knuckles. If the dough springs back slowly then it's ready for the next step. Take it out from the bowl and punch down the dough. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
#6 Cut the dough in four portions and roll each into a baston. Then cut each baston into smaller pieces, around 2.5 inches each. Roll each dough into circles then dust it with bread crumbs. Let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
#7 Place in a baking pan and proof for 1 to 2 hours.
#8 Bake into the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
And that's how you make the Filipino classic bread, pandesal! The kneading and punching part could be a challenge but it's part of the fun baking this all-time favorite bread. I can still remember how we were just having fun while baking this bread during class. If your are planning to sell pandesal, make sure to measure each bread equally in terms of its size and weight.
Before I end this post, I would also like to add that during the pandemic, Filipinos got creative and gave the pandesal a makeover. Flavors were infused into the favorite bread and the most popular flavor among them was the ube cheese pandesal. Check this video for the recipe.
I still haven't tried this upgraded middle class pandesal, maybe I'll just try making one someday since the procedure is available online. Right now, I like my pandesal with lots of butter or cheese, or chocolate spread. ❤️