Pandesal Recipe
Pandesal is a classic Filipino bread roll that is particularly eaten for breakfast. It is soft and airy and slightly sweet. Normally eaten as a sandwich with one’s favorite filling.
Pandesal is probably the most popular bread in the Philippines. It is a favorite breakfast that can be eaten on its own, dunked in coffee or with filling like coconut jam, peanut butter, cheese, cheese spread, corned beef, egg, hotdogs or practically anything you can think of or whatever leftovers you have laying in your fridge.
One of my faves is mushed spicy sardines…yup! But I remembered a time when we were just small kids, my Kuya Norman’s and I would have ketchup with sugar as filling…eeewww, right? But that tasted so good to us at that time! Haha! Yeah, I have to admit I tried a lot of weird stuff just because my big brother thinks it is good or cool. Hehe!
What is Pandesal?
A traditional Filipino breakfast roll, that used to be sold only in early hours at bakeries or on the streets by vendors on bicycles with loud air horns. They would put the Pandesals in a big insulated box to keep them warm. But, nowadays, some bakeries make them available for the entire day.
It is called Pandesal or Pan de Sal (Spanish) that translates to salted bread although it is actually sweeter than salty. It is soft and fluffy and covered with breadcrumbs.
What are the Ingredients for Pandesal?
Basically, you can already make pandesal with just 5 ingredients: flour, yeast, oil or lard, sugar, and salt. Six if you have to include water.
This recipe replaces the water with milk and adds eggs. Both of them giving these pandesals a softer texture, both inside and to the crust, and gives a richer flavor. The eggs also help the dough rise higher.
I also use butter or sometimes margarine that adds that delicious buttery goodness.
A note about flour…
The original recipe I posted here in 2015 was made when we were still living in Germany. When I used the same recipe here in the Philippines, the outcome is different. They taste great but were a little denser and dryer.
This is because of the flour used. The flour that I used in Germany is finer or “softer” which tends to absorb lesser liquid. The recipe (way) below is the original recipe I used for that. The flour I usually use in the Philippines is similar to the ones in the US, Gold Medal APF. This one requires more liquid so I adjusted the recipe here.
Remember—different types of flour has different flour-to-water ratio. The higher the protein/gluten content, the more water it needs. Also important to note, not all-purpose flour acts the same. Different brands have different ways of processing their flour and different contents.
If the dough feels too dry then simply add more water, or if too sticky then add flour. The dough should feel pliable or easy to knead and not too sticky.
Other Filipino Bread Recipe to Try:
- Spanish Bread – Similar to Pandesal but with a sweet buttery filling
- Cheese Bread – Sweet dough bread covered in milky streusel
- Ensaymada – pillowy bread topped with buttercream and grated cheese
How to Make Pandesal
WANT MORE RECIPES? Subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Pandesal Recipe - Soft and Buttery
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk - - lukewarm
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon butter - - melted (or margarine)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon instant dry yeast - - see Note 1
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a big bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt.
- Pour in milk, beaten egg and melted butter. Mix several times until well blended. Make sure that the milk is only mildly warm and not hot.
- Add the instant dry yeast and fold until a sticky dough forms.
- Tip the dough on a floured surface and knead until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes.
- Form the dough into a ball and lightly coat with oil. Place it in a bowl and 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 how warm it is, could take 30 minutes to an hour.
- Punch down the dough and divide into 2 equal parts using a knife or dough slicer. Roll each into a log. Cut each log into 6 smaller pieces.
- Shape each piece into a ball and roll it in breadcrumbs, completely covering all sides.
- Arrange the pieces on a baking sheet living some gaps in between (at least an inch). Leave them to rise for another 10-15 minutes.
- While waiting, preheat oven 370° F /185°C. Bake the Pandesal for 15 minutes or until the sides are a bit browned.
- Remove from oven and serve while hot!
VIDEO
RECIPE NOTES
This post was originally published in September 2015. Updated to include new images and some improvements on the recipe.
For those who still want to use the old recipe, here it is. The main difference is the shaping of the individual rolls. The old version is the traditional pandesal shape that is slightly elongated with pointy ends.
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon instant dry yeast
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoon margarine – or butter (melted)
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
In a big bowl, mix together flour and yeast. In a smaller bowl, combine sugar, salt, milk and margarine or butter. Warm liquids in the microwave until warm. Remove from microwave and add the egg and beat several times until well blended. Make sure that the liquids are only mildly warm and not hot.
Pour the liquid mixture over the flour mixture and fold until dough forms. Knead the dough on a clean surface dusted with flour until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes.
Form the dough into a ball and place the dough in a greased bowl and 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.
Punch down the dough and divide it into 2 equal parts using a knife or dough slicer. Roll each into a log. Cover each log with breadcrumbs. Cut the log sideways into smaller pieces. (about 6 pieces each log). Roll each piece with breadcrumbs again.
Arrange the pieces on a baking sheet living some gaps in between (at least an inch). Leave them to rise for another 10-15 minutes.
While waiting, preheat oven 370° F /185°C. Bake the Pandesal for 15 minutes or until the sides are a bit browned.
Remove from oven and serve while hot!
Hi, is it okay to use Plain flour i’m base in uk. 🙂 and if I will use the active dry yeast is it gonna be same amount as the instant dry yeast? Thank you.
Hi Jennifer, I did use plain (all-purpose) flour. The same amount of active dry yeast but proof it first in lukewarm water and little sugar, taken fro the measurements given. Rising may take longer too.
I have only active dry yeast..can I have the exact recipe…I want to try…
Sure you can, it may need proofing first and longer rising times but it will work the same.
At last I was able to bake pandesal that’s simply Pinoy in taste and texture! It’s a 5 -star!!!Thank you!
Thanks, Jorie!
This is wonderful recipe that hits all the marks! I’m an experienced bread maker, but I’ve never made Pandesal before, so I perused the internet for the best recipe. What convinced me about your recipe are your well informed comments, especially about the varying results from different types of flours. I normally would have used bread flour that is higher in gluten. But based on your comments I decided to give all purpose flour a try. These are indeed light and pillowy. I mix everything all at once in the Kitchen Aid mixer. After kneading for 10 minutes, simply turn off the mixer and I leave the dough in the mixing bowl with the dough hook still attached and cover the mixer with a towel. After letting it rise for an hour, I “punch it down” by simply turning the mixer back on. After shaping, the 2nd rise took 45 minutes. This makes 12 big rolls. I’ll make 18 medium rolls next time. The morning after, the rolls are still soft and pillowy. Thank you for a fantastic recipe, and I am encouraged to try your other recipes. Mahalo!
Wow! That is one great comment! Glad you like our recipe for Pandesal. Thanks as well for the tips using Kitchen Aid mixer.
Hello Thank you for the recipe! I am wondering if I can use almond flour or Rice flour? Thanks
Hi Joanie, I do not think it will work the same way as (APF) wheat flour.
Can i use alpine evaporated milk instead of fresh milk?
Sure you can Roro. I sometimes use evaporated milk and just dilute it with water to thin it when no fresh milk is available.
I like to bake and its my first time to make pandesal. I love this recipe . Simple, easy to follow and delicious! It’s better than store bought. I can’t wait to try your other recipe. It would be great if we can share pictures of what we made 😊
Cheers to your first bake! Hope you like other recipes too!
Hi there,
I purchased active dry yeast. Would you know the exact measurement to use for the water and sugar to proof it?
Thank you.
Just take about 1/2 cup from the water in the ingredients and warm it to lukewarm. A teaspoon sugar should do.
Hi, I would love to try this recipe. Unfortunately, I can’t find yeast in any grocery stores. Can I replace yeast to baking powder?
Hi Leah, it will not be the same. Baking powder are mostly used for cakes and yeast for bread. Look into making your own sourdough starter, it will take a while but a project that will keep you busy 😉
Hi! I would love to try making this, but due to the virus I can not find yeast anywhere. Is there a substitute I can use for yeast?
Hi Gamielle, unfortunately, this kind of bread needs yeast. But if you want you can make a sourdough starter which acts like yeast. But it does need time to make like 1-2 weeks.
Thanks for this recipe. Been afraid to bake bread because of the yeast part. I finally gotten over that hump with this recipe.
I have a question, would it be okay to leave the dough overnight? That way you don’t have to wake up really early to wait for the dough to rise to be able to enjoy the pandesal for breakfast.
Hi Tubay, yes you can refrigerate the dough after kneading it and it should rise slowly in the fridge.
Thanks vm for ur recipe
I baked today and it was perfect. I tried before using other recipes but didnt turn out good. But this is so great everyone in d family loves it. Will use this recipe from now on. My son even requested if i make it everyday haha
Wow that is so great to hear that the whole family loved it! Thanks, Cora for the 5 stars..
Hi! This is a great recipe. Just wondering, can I freeze this dough to save it for later? How do you recommend storing any leftover dough? Thanks!
Hi Maddie, you can refrigerate the dough after kneading for next day baking. To freeze it, wrap it loosely with plastic wrap and place it in a container. It can be frozen for up to 4 weeks. Allow the frozen dough to thaw overnight in the fridge or about 3 hours at room.
I will for sure try this
Hope you’ll like it Mila.
Hi, I was thinking of baking only 6 pcs at a time. Can I put the other half of the dough in the ref for baking the next day? Thank you.
Hi Kei, sure you can but make sure that you refrigerate it after kneading so it can rise (first) in the fridge overnight. Just do the same, knead then form into a ball, grease with oil and place in bowl or container then cover before putting in the fridge. In this case, it is better to use active dry yeast
Thank you for your recipe, Im glad my pandesal looks and tastes like a pandesal. The dough just took longer to rise because its still a bit cold here in UK. So what I did was to turn on the oven for a few minutes then put the bowl of dough there while the oven door is open and glad it has risen. Hehehe. Thank you so much for this, will try your other bread recipes soon.
I do the same Anna, when we were still in Germany 😉
Good evening Po, i made the pandesal a couple of days ago, they were delicious. at first i wast hesitant to bake them because my dough was hard and i decided to let it rise for 1.30 hours inside my oven ( since it’s still cold here in Italy).
and when i baked them i put a bowl with water inside my oven. they were delicious and soft.
Hi Grace, sometimes it depends on the flour you use, some absorb liquid more than others. But I am glad you were able to enjoy it still.
Does this recipe need to be adjusted for altitude?
Hi Anita, I did this recipe both in low (10m)-Philippines and higher(400m) altitude- Germany. The only difference I noticed is that the one I made in the Philippines needed more liquids but I attribute that to a different kind of flours we have in Germany and the Philippines. All others were the same.
I tried making it today unfortunately I did not know about the ady that’s probably why it didn’t rise 😂 but I bake it anyway and will try again tomorrow. I really need to k ow how to bake I don’t want to keep ordering as spent $100 and goes to waste after 🤣 thanks for the recipes though. I’ll keep practicing lol
Hi Emily, if you have ADY instead of instant yeast, it is better to proof it first with lukewarm water. The temperature of your kitchen also plays a roll in how fast the dough will rise. If it is too cold, warm your oven a bit (50°C), turn off and let it rise there.
Hu can I use unsalted butter?
Hi can I use unsalted butter?
Sure you can, Ri! You can also use oil and it will be softer. But butter is tastier.
I tried to bake this recipe twice with 2 batches and both are successful. I even put cheese on my 2nd batch. Thanks a lot! My family love it.
Thanks Anne for the 5 stars!
Mam, what if po malamig, spring po samen dito, paano pa alsahin ang dough?
Hi Rachel, it will still rise but will take a lot of time. You can also warm your oven a bit (50°C)then turn it off. Let the dough rise in the warm oven then.
This recipe is pretty straight forward but what is the ratio if I wanted to use whole wheat flour instead of APF?
Hi Aimee, using completely whole wheat flour will result in very dense and heavy bread. I do not think it is the proper flour for making pandesal which is normally airy and soft.I would make whole wheat loaf bread instead.😊
I made it. Thanks
That is great Mary. Thanks for the 5 stars.
Hi bebs..because of the lockdown i do not have APF..what i have in stock is cake flour and bread flour..what do you suggest? Can i combine half and half for CF and BF?
Hi Del, sure go ahead and mix them 50-50.
[…] Here’s the link for the pandesal recipe… https://www.foxyfolksy.com/pandesal-recipe/ […]
I tried this recipe and my pandesal was perfect. My first two attempts using a different recipe was a total disappointment. The rapid rise yeast made things easier for me. Oh, I enjoyed kneading the bread. ❤️
Happy to hear it, Eva. We have a bread maker but I sometimes prefer to knead manually, I find it therapeutic 😉.
Nice, I will try this recipe
Hope you like it Lydia.
I just made this for the first time today and it was delicious! It was hard for me to shape the balls for some reason.. any tips on balling the dough after letting it rise?
Hi Jerina, you have to punch it down to release the air and just handle it like you would an unrisen dough. Then once it is shaped you will let it rise again until it doubles in size.
Hello! Just had a quick question about the milk! Is it okay if I use 2%? Or do you use whole milk? Thanks for the help
It should also be fine Sydney. Other more rustic pandesals actually just uses water.
[…] I made pandesal: https://www.foxyfolksy.com/pandesal-recipe/ […]
Hello,,thanks for this perfect recipe. I made this few times already and its really good. I just have a question, i dont have all purpose flour at the moment,can i use self rising flour instead? Flour in supermarket are difficult to find at the moment,out of stock. Tia
Hi Brenda, sadly using self-rising flour to make bread with yeast is not a good idea. Self-rising flour usually has baking soda as leavening agent and salt added already and has lower protein which you need to make good bread. I would suggest making muffins or cupcakes with it instead.
Hi,
I have an active dry yeast not an instant, and it says in note above it needs proofing, do you have directions/instructions for proofing?
Thanks!
Just take about 1/2 cup of warm water from the given measurement, add 1 tsp sugar and sprinkle the ADY on top. Mix and wait for 5 minutes or until the yeast blooms and become foamy.
I tried this recipe today and yesterday and the dough did not rise as much. I tried proofing the yeast and it works since I use it on my other dough like ensaymada and siopao. When I bake it, and while it was hot it looks under cooked. After, letting it cool it turns rock hard. I guess I really need to find my recipe notebook that has my original recipe, so hard to lose it somewhere around the house lol.
That is weird, I just did a batch of Pandesal with this recipe the other day and they turned great. There were 2 pieces left in the container and they are still soft. This is also very similar to making ensaymada so if that worked for you so should this too. All I can think of is that maybe the dough was over-kneaded. Or the yeast was ‘killed’ if the liquid used was too hot. Check your oven temperature too as 15 minutes on a preheated oven at 185C should be more than enough to cook it, but the recipe also states “until a bit browned”.
Hi. I am based in DE right now. May I know which type of flour you used when you were back in Germany? Is it 405? Thank you.
Hi Kholeen, you could use 550 for bread. 405 also works but needs lesser water.
[…] and all purpose flour combination. I have also tried the pandesal recipe from Kawaling Pinoy and Foxy Folksy which uses all purpose flour alone. They are equally good recipes, especially if you only have APF […]
Hi there,
i tried making this pandesal recipe today and the dough didn’t rise at all after 1 hr. The yeast is a new pack i just opened. The consistency of the dough is ok, i don’t know what went wrong.
Hi Lynne, an unopened pack of yeast does not guarantee that they are still active. Was it on the shelves for too long or may be exposed to heat? Test it first. If you but yeast and won’t use it soon, place it in the fridge or freezer to prolong the life.
Hi!
I tried this recipe yesterday. Taste very good but why is mine look like it’s not fully cooked yet and very thick. I wonder where did I go wrong. Btw, I only made 7 servings not 12. Could it be the reason? I used bread flour. Other than this concern the rest was all great. My husband liked it. Thank you for sharing this easy to follow and yummy recipe.
Hi Melvie, dividing the whole dough into 7 instead of 12 will give you bigger pieces. Because of the bigger size, it will require longer baking time an, of course, will rise bigger than normal-size pandesal. Using bread flour is ok but the texture will be chewier and a little denser, which other people prefer.
I’m trying your recipe at the moment!!! I’m excited!!! But I waited for an 1hr for my dough to rise but it didn’t doubled 😬 Maybe the temperature inside our house is not enough?
Could be of course. But did it rise at all? Almost double at least? Test the yeast too to see if it is still ok.
Can you make this without breadcrumbs? Can flour be use instead of breadcrumbs?
Hi Aiza, the breadcrumb coating is a signature of Pandesal but if you do not have it it would still taste good. Coating it with flour is not the same.
Hi Aiza, if you have cookies at home, you can pound/grind it and use it as Pandesal breadcrumbs.