Pandesal is the most popular bread in the Philippines for a good reason! With a golden, crumb-coated exterior, slightly sweet taste, and soft, fluffy texture, this Filipino-style bread roll is delicious on its own or with your choice of filling. Perfect for breakfast or as a snack!
Although I am comfortable with pie crusts and do well with simple coconut macaroons, cheese cupcakes, and chocolate cupcakes, I find baking with yeast a whole different kind of beast. But since one can’t have a Filipino cooking blog and not have a recipe for the most popular Filipino bread, I stepped out of my comfort zone and set out to make the best homemade pandesal ever which I found on Lisa’s Salu-salo blog.
After baking a batch today following her recipe and enjoying a couple of pieces slathered with copious amounts of Chez Whiz, I realized, sometimes, our fears become our limits. Making pandesal is not as difficult as I thought. In fact, the hardest part is waiting for the dough to rise!
What is pan de sal
Pan de sal which is Spanish for bread of salt is traditionally made with wheat flour, yeast, water, and a pinch of salt added to the dough. Over the years, ingredients such as eggs, milk, and butter were incorporated into the basic recipe resulting in a sweeter than salty flavor.
Pandesal is the staple bread of the Philippines. Widely enjoyed throughout the day for breakfast, as a snack or as part of a larger meal, its place in our cuisine is almost synonymous to that of rice.
While the soft, fluffy rolls are fantastic on their own, it’s also common to serve them with coffee for dipping or with choice of fillings such as cheese, coconut jam, margarine/butter, and peanut butter. My personal favorite is stuffing them to the brim with pancit bihon guisado. So good!
For variety, you can also bake the bread buns with meat fillings such as shredded chicken adobo, flaked tuna or sauteed corned beef.
How to know if the bread dough has been adequately kneaded
- The dough turns from shaggy to smooth. It will lose its stickiness and will only be tacky to the touch.
- The dough is elastic. To test, take a little portion of the dough and stretch it out with your fingers. It should be thin and translucent in the center.
- The dough forms a dimple after you poke a finger in the surface then springs back up again.
Baking tips
- Make sure the temperature of the water used for proofing is within 95 F to 115 F as hot liquids (about 120 F and above) will kill the yeast.
- The purpose of activating or proofing the yeast is to ensure it’s alive and active before proceeding with the recipe. If bubbles don’t appear on the surface of the mixture after about 6 to 10 minutes, it might be the liquid is too hot or the yeast is too old.
- You will need 4 1/4 cups of flour for the dough and about 1/4 to 1/2 cup when kneading. Add the remaining flour sparingly and just until the dough is manageable. Knead the dough until it is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky.
- Yeast grows and multiplies best at 75 F to 85 F. If your house is too cold, turn on the oven to the lowest setting for about 2 minutes, turn off, and place the dough in the center of the oven to rise.
- If you prefer the cylindrical shape of traditional pandesal, divide the dough into two parts and shape each into long baton with 4 to 5-inch diameter. Cut each baton horizontally into 12 portions.
Pandesal
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- 2 ounces butter, room temperature
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 4 1/4 cups flour and 1/4 to 1/2 cup more for kneading
- 1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine water and yeast. Allow to sit for 10 minutes or until mixture becomes bubbly. Stir well.
- In a small bowl, combine milk, butter, eggs, sugar, and salt. Stir together until incorporated.
- Add milk mixture and 2 cups flour to yeast mixture. Using an electric mixer, beat to combine.
- Gradually add the remaining 2 1/4 cups flour in 1/2 cup increments and continue to combine all ingredients.
- On a lightly floured surface, turn over dough and knead, sparingly adding the remaining 1/4 cup flour as necessary, for about 10 minutes or until smooth, supple and elastic.
- In a lightly oiled large bowl, place dough. Cover with film and allow to rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until double in size.
- On a lightly floured surface, transfer dough and divide into 24 pieces. Shape each piece into a ball and roll on breadcrumbs to coat.
- Arrange balls about 1-inch apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover with a cloth and allow to rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until double in size.
- Bake in a 350 F oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot.
Video
Nutrition
Sarap! Very easy to follow, and well worth the wait! These are delicious!
Thank you for the 5 stars. Glad you liked the recipe!
Hi Lalaine,
Thank you for.sharing your recipe. My family loved it… tried several.recipes before but yours made me a perfect baker😊😊. Thumbs’up!!! God.bless.you.
Yay! Happy to know it was a success!
Re the yeast, the only available I can find is Instant yeast, will that be okay? Thanks.
Yes, instant yeast is fine 🙂
Hi Ma’am, about the yeast of 1/4 ounce – is it 1/4 tablespoon? as 1 ounce is 2 tablespoons? Thank you po in advance for the reply.
I mean 1/4 ounce is 1/2 tablespoon if 1 ounce is 2 tablespoons?
1/4 ounce of yeast is 2 1/4 teaspoons 🙂
I’ve been craving a pandesal and thanks to this recipe. I have never made a pandesal before and my family loves it. They haven’t had a pandesal before coz I bake this today and turn out really good. It’s one of their favorite to munch on❤❤❤
Thanks for the feedback! Enjoy the bread rolls! 🙂
can i use all purpose flour for pandesal? is it necessary to use bread flour?
The recipe actually calls for all-purpose flour not bread flour 🙂
Just wanted to thank you for this amazing recipe! My family loved it.. comments are ‘so soft’, ‘so buttery’.. its just perfect! God bless you po! I’ll try some of your other baking recipes 😊
I am happy to know their comments! Glad the family loved the recipe!
Does the dough really double in size during the first rising? Mine rose a little bit but not quite. Should I continue with the process? This is my first time using yeast in baking. Thank you so much for this easy to follow recipe.
It should roughly double in size and will look puffed up 🙂
Hello! So glad that I found your recipe, I saw a lot of recipes online that many commenters said would turn hard in just a couple hours after baking but saw many great results on yours so I decided to try it out. Been two days since then and the breads are still soft and fluffy, love them so much! Next time I’m making this I might have to double the recipe up too cause half of them are already gone by now. XD That’s how good your recipe is!! Thank you so much for sharing, 10/10 would recommend! Love from Hong Kong. xx
Aww, thank you so much, Cynthia. I am glad the recipe worked well for you. Enjoy!
Hi! Thank you for posting thiis. I made the pandesal and it turned out perfect but when I tried to remake it I added more sugar to it coz me and my wife likes it sweeter like the pandesal in Cavite but it cracked and got harder when it cooled down. Is there something I can adjust to make it sweeter and comes out the perfect pandesal? Thank you so much again and hope you can help me!
I haven’t tested this using more sugar so I am not sure how to adjust it without changes in texture. From what I’ve read online, too much sugar in the dough can slow down or even stop yeast activity. As your sugar levels increase, the yeast becomes stressed as less water is available for it to function. You might want to increase the amount of yeast to compensate for the higher amount of sugar added.
Nobodys perfect, so only 4 stars, sorry about that. I used quick rise yeast so I added the yeast to the flour, mixed up everything else, then proceeded as you describe. My question’s are; is it ok to do this,is the rising time the same, 1 1/2 – 2 hours, and then another 1 1/2 hours after forming the rolls? I made these before, but now with the Covid thing ongoing, I made some for some Philippine friends, I’m sure they’ll tell me good or bad, thanks for the post, this born and raised Canadian would never come up with this on my own.
ps: I don’t have regular yeast since this pandemic struck, there is almost no yeast at the store, lucky to find a few packs of Q R.
The rising time is dependent of many factors like temperature and humidity. The time provided in the recipe is an estimate; the look and feel of the dough should be your guideline. Are they doubled in size? Look puffy?
I made it and turned out to be hard. I don’t what I did differently. 🙁
I am sorry to hear that. Was the dough needed well? Did you measure the flour?
Any suggestion optional for yeast? Can I use any other baking powder like Calumet besides yeast I have allergy with yeast.
I am sorry, but pandesal requires yeast. The baking powder, although a leavening agent as well, will not yield the same results.
can the same dough be used for siopao? thank you!
I haven’t tried this dough for siopao so I am not sure how it would turn out steamed.
Hi Ms. Lalaline, will try this on my next day off… I just havea quick question though. What type of milk did you use in this recipe? Would it be ok to use evap milk? Hoping for your response. Many thanks.
I used homogenized milk 🙂
Is it ok with out crumbs
The bread crumbs are a classic ingredient of these rolls but yes, you can skip if you like.
Hello! I just want to ask if pwede ko ba gamitin yung salted butter instead of unsalted and hindi ko na lalagyan ng salt? Thank you.
Yes you can use salted butter.
Hi! I tried your recipe, it turned out hard as a stone.
With proofing, it was ok. After I knead the bread, and let it sit for 2 hours, it didn’t double in size. I double check again the recipe and instructions which I followed carefully. I used all-purpose flour. And I read your comments above and you mentioned you used AP flour too. So, I am wondering what I did wrong? I left the dough over night, hoping it will double in size and eat freshly baked bread in the morning😓.
Is the yeast “alive”? The dough needs the proper temperature and an “active” yeast to rise.
let me try this recipe..
Question lang po, ano po ang gamit ng breadcrumbs sa pandesal?
Coating po at extra texture 🙂
Ito PO bang pandesal na Ito ay pweding paalsahin over night? Thank you
Depende po sa temperature in your kitchen. Overnight might be too long lalo na if mainit ang panahon.
Hello! I like how the process is so easy! But I have a question, where in the process did u add the water w/ yeast? I kept reading your steps, but I didn’t see where.
Thanks!
I apologize for the confusion. Here is the instruction in the recipe Add milk mixture and 2 cups flour to yeast mixture. Using an electric mixer, beat to combine.
What for the bread crumbs
I used this recipe to make my first ever batch of pandesal and the results were fantastic. I was always nervous about making pandesal. No more. Thanks Lalaine.
Thank you for the 5 stars! I am glad you found the recipe helpful.
Paano po b makukuha ang sukat 1/4 ounce n yeast ,gaano po karami sa tbsp ,thanks po
2 1/4 teaspoons po. Usually ang isang pakete nang yeast is 1/4 ounce or 2 1/4 teaspoons.
Can I use almond flour in this recipe?
I’ve never tried almond flour in this recipe. I am not familiar with gluten-free baking and I am not sure if the yeast will work with almond flour.
Greetings!! I baked this pandesal this morning and was not sure if it was going to be good. I live in Colorado at approximately 900 ft above sea level. My yeast was foamy instead of bubbly as you suggested, I tried three times and went ahead and used the third try and hoped for the best. Wow ! It worked! The bread was crunchy outside and soft and delicious inside. Will make again for sure. Thank you.
Hi, Lane!
Glad to know the recipe worked well for you. I know baking can get tricky in Colorado due to the higher elevation.
how many teaspoon of yeast
2 1/4 teaspoons 🙂
Hi mam…I’m lorna…may I know what kind of flour your using here for pandesal..is it all purpose flour or bread flour or mixed flour…and can you tell me how many gms of dry yeast too…I don’t know this I pocket and 1/4 ounce of yeast I hope you can help me…thank you and waiting for your reply..God bless
The recipe calls for all-purpose flour.
Goodmorning, thank you for sharing your pandesal recipe super saya ko dahil marami po akong nasubukan na recipe but this is the best recipe.. 1st time kong itry and Im fully satisfied po agad sa recipe nyo.. Im so excited to make again..
Thanks and God bless..
Connie
Thank you so much for the feedback. I am happy nagustuhan niyo 🙂
Something went wrong at the 2nd last instruction
“Arrange balls about 1-inch apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover with a cloth and allow to rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until double in size” mine didnt rise. Pls advice, thanks
Is your kitchen cold? Usually they’d take a little longer to rise if your kitchen is not warm enough.
Hi I was really glad that I tried your recipe.The flour I used is unbleached all purpose,it was tough to knead but I didn’t give up.Messy ,the dough was sticky that I have to add more flour.At any rate I made it.Taste good!! Thanks 😘
Glad it worked out well for you, Edita! Yes, don’t give up in the kitchen. It’s worth it 🙂
I am here in Canada and my kids and I love pandesal. Tried a lot of recipes but it always turn stone hard after few hours. I am so happy that I tried this recipe of yours. I used bread flour and I made everything the night before leave the cut pieces in the oven (off) overnight and baked it in the morning. It was a success!!!! Thank you very much.
Thank you so much for the feedback, Geri. I am glad the family enjoyed the recipe. Freshly baked bread is the best thing to wake up to in the morning 🙂
Hello from France! Bonjour!
Few days ago, a friend of mine shared your pandesal recipe blog on facebook. I told her I will try making it which I did. I only used half of the ingredients as it’s only my first time to make it. I wasnt disappointed. It turned out delicious. Crunchy and soft. And for the 2nd time, I am making it now, waiting for the dough to rise and using the full ingredients!
Thank you so much! I will keep your blog so I can check other recipes.
Thank you so much, Myra, for your feedback. You made my day 🙂 I am glad you enjoyed this pandesal recipe. Nothing beats the taste and aroma of freshly baked bread 🙂
Hi again! My kids and my husband love it! We normally eat these for breakfast with jam and butter. I will surely be baking this all the time. I put them in a tin box and it’s still delicious even for couple of days!
I would like to ask if you have a recipe for spanish bread? I would like to try making it at home. Thank u!
Hi Myra! Unfortunately, we don’t have a recipe for Spanish Bread at this time. We will add that to our list of recipes to try next!
Just wanted to thank you for sharing this recipe. I tried it today and it was soft, fluffy and tasty. Got my children’s thumbs up. Will be making this again. Thanks.
Hi Rose! Glad the kids liked it 🙂
Hello. I just wanna know if this recipe would turn out slightly sweet or no? Thank you!
The sweetness is just right 🙂
i made pandesal and it was so good.Thanks for your recipe.
You’re welcome! I am glad you enjoyed the pandesal 🙂
Hi Lalaine,
I’ve tried many some Pandesal recipes and yours Came out the fluffiest Pandesal I’ve made!!!! My kids loved it🥰 . I’ll try the siopai next. Thanks a lot God bless you
Thank you so much, Rose. I am glad you enjoyed the pandesal. And yes, please try the siopao recipe. The steamed buns turn out so fluffy and tasty, you’ll love them!
Hello it may sound like a really silly question but in the flour bit, do you mean 4x of 1/4 cup or 4 cups and 1/4? sorry
There’s no such thing as a silly question and no need to be sorry. I am here to help. 🙂
4 1/4 means 4 and 1 1/4 cups 🙂
I tried making your pandesal, me and my family cannot get over how good it came out. My niece would snob on her cereal when she knows she has pandesal from me, and my aunt ate 5 pandesal in one sitting. It became a staple in our household to have pandesal. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe with us.
Thank you, Xin, for the feedback. I am glad you enjoyed the pandesal. Nothing beats the aroma and taste of freshly baked bread 🙂
Yes you are right that nothing can be compared to the aroma of freshly baked bread! Its just heavenly! This bread is so soft and fluffy, Ill have a little of this for lunch together with my chicken soup packed with ginger.
I am glad you enjoyed the recipe! Yum, chicken soup does go very well with fluffy dinner rolls 🙂
This is the best pandesal recipe, hands down. I made it early this morning so we can have hot, tasty pandesal for breakfast. It was super yummy. The only adjustments I made was I increased the time of the first rise to 3 hours and in lieu of bread crumbs, I used very finely crushed Ritz crackers. Other than that, the recipe was spot on. Salamat.
Thanks for the feedback! Nothing beats a hot and fresh pandesal with coffee for breakfast 🙂
Hi
What is the proportion for instant yeast?
I heard ur recipe is very good..
Thanks
Same amount for instant yeast 🙂
Tried this and it was great. Bread flour din po ginamit ko instead na AP flour katulad sa ibang comment. Sana meron pang ibang pang baking recipe.
I’ve haven’t tried this with bread flour. Definitely on my to-do list as I am curious of the difference if any. 🙂
It was a very very good recipe and i recommend to make it using bread flour because what i have read using bread flour gives you a soft bread… My family loves it … Even the next morning.. Its still soft and compact.not airy in the inside like commercialized pandesal… I will definitely make it again .. Thank you so much for this recipe.. I feel im in the Philippines gain
Thanks for the tip 🙂
I made it !!!!! 😊😊😊😊😊😊.. And my family very much like it.. It was very soft even on the next day.. I made it using bread flour and ot was really very very very very good… I will definitely make this again….
Yay! Nothing is more satisfying than the aroma of freshly-baked bread especially if we made it ourselves 🙂
Mm sounds good cant can’t wait put the yeast in my fridge. Anong klase butter ginamit mo po?
Unsalted butter 🙂
Thank you for this recipe – I just got back from the PI and really missed the fresh hot pandesal. Gave a try this morning and they were wonderful.
I am glad you enjoyed them!
Good morning miss Lalaine, Pandesal is the 3rd recipe that I’ve tried from your recipe collection and this is so yummy!!! I made them last night and reheated two and oh my goodness! they just melt in your mouth as i take bites after bites, I did used breadflour then rolled each pandesal dough in butter before rolling it in the bread crumbs. I think this recipe is better than valerios, that’s just my hubble opinion. Thanks again for sharing!!
Thanks for the tip and the feedback 🙂 I’m sure dipping in butter made them more flavorful 🙂
Hi po. I stumbled upon this recipe after looking for a shirogi pandesal recipe. Sana po meron kayong recipe. Thank you po in advance
Hello Raymond,
I am sorry, I’ve never heard of Shirogi pandesal. Magreresearch ako and will try to post it soon.
Does the butter need to be melted
The butter is at room temperature. Not melted but soft so it’s easy to incorporate with the milk and eggs.
Hello Lalaine. Pwede ba akong gumamit ng bread flour instead of all-purpose flour?
Hello Ginger,
I am sorry but I’ve never tried bread flour for this so I won’t be able to say for sure. Here is an article that might may be able to help you http://blog.kingarthurflour.com/2016/07/21/substitute-bread-flour-all-purpose-flour/