Spanish Bread is a favorite 'merienda' or afternoon snack in the Philippines that can be found in many local bakeries. You can also make your own and it is easy. We also found a way to keep that sweet buttery filling from oozing out. So you enjoy the full deliciousness of it without wasting any.
What is Filipino Spanish Bread?
Firstly, it has nothing to do with the Spanish bread of Spain (Pan de Horno). Except maybe that they share the same form (rolled) but the Filipino version of Spanish bread has something special. It has a sweet buttery filling.
It is a yeasted bread that is rolled into a log enclosing within a sugary and buttery filling. They are then rolled in breadcrumbs before baking. It is very common to find them in 'panaderia' or local bakeries. Normally enjoyed as an afternoon snack.
Making the bread itself was no biggie. I read a lot of different recipes for Spanish bread and they all have the same ingredient for the bread, which is similar to Pandesal, so I just used my own recipe for that.
Trying several recipes
The challenge for me was making the perfect filling. It took me four batches to finally get the filling right. That is, at least, my idea of what a Spanish bread filling should be. Sweet— but not overly sweet; buttery with a bit of a texture to it, and it should be moist.
The first batch, I followed what most recipe online uses for a filling: simply mixing butter, sugar, and bread crumbs together and spreading it to the dough before baking. I am not sure if it is the kind of breadcrumbs I used, because they turned out having a dry filling. The other problem is that most of the butter oozed out into the pan while baking. This seems to be a common problem with all the online recipes I found after I read the comments.
The second batch was almost the same, only with different measurements plus it adds powdered milk to it. The taste was good though.
With my third batch, I only used butter and brown sugar. I also smeared some butter on the center of the dough before adding the filling mixture. The outcome...slightly moist filling but there was no texture at all. Just a sticky syrup that also dries out once the Spanish bread gets cold. I recommend this recipe if you are eating them immediately after baking.
The perfect filling that stays inside
So after squeezing my brains out for some ideas, I decided to make an experiment. I cooked the filling!!!
Yup, I cooked the filling before spreading it to the dough of my Spanish bread! It is an additional step you will not find in any of the other recipes online. Believe me I read them all or at least those that are available at the time when I originally made this post in 2017. But, it was a necessary step to have a moist, textured, no-oozing-while-baking filling! I can see some have read my post and copied this step, which only means it really works.
The filling was brownish, not yellowish like ones I see on bakeries back home. I reckon that it is from using brown sugar and butter instead of white sugar and margarine that is normally used in bakeries. But I like the warm taste with a hint of caramel from brown sugar.
Printable Recipe
Filipino Spanish Bread Recipe
Ingredients
FOR DOUGH
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant yeast - see NOTE 1
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ - 1 cup lukewarm milk - see NOTE 2
- 3 tablespoons butter - or margarine, melted
- 1 egg
FOR FILLING
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 2 teaspoons flour
- ⅛ cup water or milk - or more see NOTE 3
- ½ cup brown sugar /white sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- butter - for brushing
FOR BREADING
- 2 tablespoons milk - or water
- ½ cup bread crumbs
Instructions
- In a big bowl, mix together flour, sugar, and salt. Pour in lukewarm milk, melted butter, and beaten egg. Mix until well blended. Add the instant yeast and mix well to form a slighly sticky dough.
- Tip the dough on a surface greased with oil. Knead the dough with lightly oiled hands until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 10-12 minutes.
- Form the dough into a ball and place the dough in a greased bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and place it in a warm area and let it rise until it doubled in size. Depending on how warm it is, could take 30 minutes to an hour or even longer.
- Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter until bubbly. Add the ¼ cup bread crumbs and mix well. Add flour, water or milk, sugar, salt and rest of breadcrumbs. Cook until it gets thick. Remove from heat and continue stirring until it forms a thick paste-like texture.
- Punch down the dough and divide into 16 equal parts using a knife of dough slicer. Roll each piece into a long triangle (like a pizza slice). Brush the middle part with butter or margarine then spread filling on the surface leaving about a centimeter around the edges unfilled. Roll the dough starting from the wider end towards the smaller end enclosing the filling.
- Brush each rolled dough with milk or water then roll it on a plate of breadcrumbs and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper: make sure that the end part sits at the bottom so it won't open up while baking. Cover with cloth or kitchen towel or cling wrap and let them rise for another 20-30 minutes or until they doubled in size. Remove cover before baking.
- Place the baking sheet on the middle rack and bake at 150°C (300°F) for 20 minutes.
- Remove the Spanish bread from the oven and transfer to a bread basket. Enjoy while still warm.
Notes
- NOTE 1: You may also use active dry yeast but it needs to be proofed first by dissolving it in ½ cup lukewarm water or, in this case, in the milk with a tablespoon sugar (taken from the ingredients for dough).
- NOTE 2: Some flour, though the same type, may absorb water more than others. Start with ¾ cup water and add more up to 1 cup if the dough is too dry. The dough should be a little sticky that will result in moist and soft bread.
- NOTE 3: Some breadcrumbs absorb more liquid than others. In this case, you may need to add more liquid if you notice that the filling is getting too crumbly while cooking.
Nutrition
This recipe for Spanish Bread was originally posted in February 2017. Updated in April 2020 to include new photos and a recipe video. The recipe remains the same.
Luis Saclolo says
Great recipe!
marites cruz takemoto says
hello po.naggawa po ako ng spanish bread pero magaspang po ng tinapay niya.parang nadudurog.bkit kaya?bread flour po ginamit ko.
Bebs says
Hello po, I used all-purpose flour (plain flour) in the recipe and it is possible since you used purely bread flour, hinde na tugma ang ratio ng water to flour. Next time try adding more water or milk. Another reason could be that it was not kneaded properly.
Myla says
Hi, Beb. The Spanish bread was awesome; I've already tried it twice. I'm planning to bake it again and would like to know if I can do steps 1 to 6 at night and then bake it early the next morning? If yes, should I put it in the fridge to avoid the bread doubling in size? I would be thankful for your answer.
Schöne Grüße aus Deutschland;)
Bebs says
Sure you can Myla. Skip the rising time in step 6 as it will then slowly rise in the fridge overnight. I would also recommend using active dry yeast instead for slow rise.
Michelle says
Hi, I wanted to try this recipe but I would like to know if bread crumbs really necessary or it will taste the same without it? And can I use semi-skimmed milk? Thank you!
Bebs says
Hi Michelle. I assume that you are referring to the coating, right? The bread crumbs is the signature coating of this bread but of course you can skip that part if you do not like the mess. But it is still needed for the filling for this recipe.
Joanna Plummer says
Great recipe thank you! 😊 I used my sourdough starter to replace ADY. I also used almond flour and swerve for the filling and added a 1/4 tsp of moringa flour for more nutrients value in my bread. Hopefully it turned out okay.
Jasmine says
Hi I would love to try make this recipe although my daughter is allergic to eggs, do you know a good substitute for the egg or if i can omit it from the recipe?
Thank You!
Bebs says
I have not tried it, but they say aquafaba is a great egg replacement. Aquafaba is the liquid in canned legumes (mostly chickpeas. Use 3 tablespoon of it to replace 1 whole egg.
Cee says
I was hoping to do this with a bread maker. How would you alter this recipe to have the kneading and rising of the dough be done with a breadmaker?
Bebs says
Hi Cee, normally, I would use the dough cycle of the bread maker to do the kneading and rising. As usual in using bread maker, add the ingredients in the order of: milk, egg, butter, flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in the pan of the machine. Select dough cycle; press Start and wait. Once the dough has risen to almost double then proceed to step 5.
Hannah says
Been making these and it's always a hit. One thing is how to keep the bread moist? It always turns a bit dry a day after. I've kept it on air tight container but still dries. Help?
Bebs says
If you really like it to stay moist and soft longer is to use a higher hydration ratio. Add more water when you make the dough. It is a bit more tricky (and sticky) but it works. Look for my white bread recipe and read about the tangzhong if you want to bring it to another level.
LADY WILLIAMS says
First time making Spanish bread from scratch and this recipe is definitely on point. 👌🏾I did use a full cup of milk instead of 3/4 cup and doubled the filling as many had suggested. They came out so good and very reminiscent of one of my favorite childhood meriendas. Thank you for sharing this recipe. This one is a keeper for sure.
Bebs says
Thanks for the 5 stars and I am so happy that you like our recipe, Lady W.
Rory says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Since there aren’t many Filipino bakeries nearby, I often have to mae my own treats. This one turned out so delicious - I am really grateful!
Cynthia says
This s my first time making Spanish bread..this is very popular in the Philippines. And this is my favorite bread when I was young. So pleased with this recipe. It's so so delicious and easy to make. Thank you 😘❤️
eileen says
thank you for this recipe. i have been craving cardamon lately, so i added 1 teaspoon ground cardamom to the filling and it is fantastic! this is also the 2nd time i made it, and 1st time i noticed the filling was not enough, so i doubled it this time around.
Andrea says
If we use active dry yeast, do we still combine all the other ingredients in step 1 as per usual, but allow the milk, sugar and yeast to be activated separately?
Also, how long should we activate the yeast for?
Bebs says
Normally, yes, you need to activate in in lukewarm milk for 5 minutes.
Jasmin says
I made this 3x now and every time is just as yummy as first time. I did try making whole wheat. It wasn't as sweet, but still good.
Thank you, Ms. Beb. I have made several of your recipes already and always love it.
Marianne says
Thank you so much for your recipe. This made my family happy! We're in Canada and we can't buy pandesal here so I needed to learn how to bake it and I learned it very well from you. Hugs to you! Hoping to learn Empanada from you soon because that's my favorite! 😍 Because of good results, I trust hour recipes.
Genesis O. says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it for a project in my English class and they came out amazing! 😸😸
Susan Smith says
I followed your instructions and they turned out wonderful! My new favorite. We are having them with ham, corn pudding, salad and ambrosia for our Dinner Easter dinner. I hope my Filipina daughter in law loves them too! Thank you for the recipe. ❤️
Sepe T says
This is the best recipe I got and it's amazing, thank you so much
Charisse says
The bread turned out really well, and the filling just right on the sweetness and taste. Just one thing about the filling is that the recipe is not enough for 16 breads, I divided the filing to 16 equal parts and when cooked, you can only really enjoy it at the middle. Next time I make it again, I will double the filing recipe. Overall, it's really good spanish bread recipe!
Nathayah says
Hi!
My filling was too thick, so, I cooked it, like you suggested, and it came out perfectly! Thank you for sharing your tips!
Ethel says
Thank you for posting your recipes I have tried and it was a hit to my family.
Lorna Begley says
The 1st time I made these I was so proud of myself for being able to make these yummy treats for a friend who loves this Filipino bread. Now, the for the 2nd time, I am making them half whole wheat. So far so good. I am going to pop them in the oven. Both times I did have to double the filling for one dough recipe. They take a bit of work & patience, but they are soo worth it!!
ms workman says
OMG these are heavenly!! Thank you for sharing.
Bebs says
You are welcome.
Achick Ennuggie says
This was SOOOOOOOO YUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMY
anabelle says
It looks delicious
Gwyneth says
One of the best bread I have ever tasted since childhood! Proud Filipino here!
Bebs says
Awww, glad to know it, Gwyneth!
Joyce says
Paboritong tinapay ko ito
Rajie Brown says
The best Spanish Bread according to my customers. If I can give a 10 stars, I would. Thank you so much Bebs. ❤️
Jen Anarna says
I tried making this and it’s good! Couldn’t get the breadcrumbs so I used the crumble mix as replacement. It turned out well! Thank you!
Danilo says
Yummy!
P.James says
Just tried this recpie i found getting the dough right wasnt easy but i got there in the end and tho i never tried these before must say i did a good job and was even edible the filling is bit plain so next time im thinking adding strawberrys to the mix.
Blanca says
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I used a bread machine to prepare the dough and it came out really good! Cooking the filling was genius 😊 I had to extend baking time because after 20 mins as suggested, the bread still looked too white. I added another 10 mins and took it out when it was the color I wanted. I need to practice shaping though mine wasn’t so bad. I also used a weighing scale so they’re even in size. Thanks again!
Katherine says
Mine didn't turn out very pretty but they are delicious! I need to practice rolling and filling them. Maraming salamat!