Pandesal (Filipino Bread Rolls)

A recipe for Pandesal (Filipino Bread Rolls)! These sweet yeast rolls are light and fluffy with a breadcrumb coating and are perfect for pairing with a variety of fillings.

Pandesal (or Pan de Sal, literally “Bread of Salt”) is a Filipino sweet yeast roll with a hint of salt. They can either be formed into balls or small batons and each roll is coated in breadcrumbs before baking to create a light and fluffy roll with a golden, wonderfully textured crust. They are best eaten hot from the oven. 

Chad especially enjoys using Pandesal as the base for a ham and cheese sandwich. They are also delicious simply plain or with peanut butter, jam, liver spread, Cheez Whiz, or butter. Some even enjoy the bread dunked in coffee. My personal new to-go is to slice and toast the rolls, then serve them with Matamis na Bao (Coconut Jam).

Extra Tips

• The yeast should be activated in lukewarm milk that is between 105-115˚F. Too cold and the yeast won’t activate. Hotter temperatures and the yeast won’t survive. 
• When forming the dough, add just enough flour to lose most of the stickiness and allow it to be workable. Too much flour will cause tough rolls. If the dough is too dry and crumbly, add a little more milk.
• Give the bread time to rise before forming into rolls and baking. In a warm kitchen, it may only take an hour. For me, the first rise took closer to two hours.
• I placed the rolls 1 inch apart on the baking sheet, so they could be pulled apart after baking. If you don’t want them to touch, place 2 inches apart.

Looking for more yeast roll recipes?

Try my Fødselsdagboller (Danish Birthday Buns), Buchteln (Austrian Pull-Apart Rolls), and Voisilmäpulla (Finnish Butter Eye Buns).

Pandesal (Filipino Bread Rolls)

Adapted from Kawaling Pinoy

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Pandesal (Filipino Bread Rolls)

A recipe for Pandesal (Filipino Bread Rolls)!

Course Bread

Cuisine Filipino

Keyword bread, Filipino, Philippines, roll

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Servings 20 rolls

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups whole milk lukewarm, 105-115˚F
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 4 cups all purpose flour divided
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs for coating

Instructions

• In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over the lukewarm milk. Stir to combine and let sit until frothy, about 10 minutes.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or a large bowl, combine 3 cups of the flour, the sugar, and salt.
• Mix in the milk with yeast, butter, and egg. Slowly add the remaining 1 cup flour to bring together a soft and slightly sticky, workable dough. If too dry, add a little more milk. Be careful to only add as much flour as needed. Too much will create tough rolls.
• On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic. Place in an oiled large bowl, turn to coat, and cover. Allow to rest until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
• Place the bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch rimmed baking sheet or pan.
• On a lightly floured surface, divide the dough into 20 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball and roll in the breadcrumbs to coat. Place on the prepared baking sheet 1 inch apart. Repeat with remaining dough. Cover with a towel and let rise until puffed, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• While rising, preheat oven to 350˚F. Bake the rolls until soft and golden on the top, about 20 minutes.
• Serve warm from the oven plain or with desired fillings.