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.
You can also use bread flour if you are looking for a chewier pandesal. Mix them in equal parts to get a moderately chewy but softer ones. But remember that bread flour absorbs more liquids so you may need to adjust.
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
Printable Recipe
Pandesal Recipe - Soft and Buttery
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour - see NOTE 1 about bread flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk - lukewarm
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon butter - melted (or margarine)
- 1 ½ teaspoon instant dry yeast - see Note 2
- ¼ 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 leaving some gaps in between (at least an inch). Leave them to rise second time until double in size.
- 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!
Notes
Nutrition
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 ½ teaspoon instant dry yeast
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
3 tablespoon margarine - or butter (melted)
1 egg
½ 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!
Dana says
I'm finding the dough to be very very sticky even after adding more flour. What am I doing wrong?
Bebs says
Maybe, nothing, Dana. Sticky dough actually makes great bread as they stay soft longer. You can grease the counter and your hands with oil so the dough does not stick to your fingers. The stickiness will lessen as you continue to knead. If it is too hard to manage then add more flour, or next time, use lesser milk.
Nicole says
Wonderful recipe! 🙂 Thank you! My family loves them! Do you think it would be ok to cut into even smaller pieces to make mini pandesals?
Thank you!
Bebs says
Sure you can, Nicole. You may need to cut the baking time or lower the temperature a bit.
Ron says
This is the first ever pandesal recipe online I've followed and tried and thankfully it turned out really great. I've tried your cheese rolls and spanish bread as well, truly a hit also.
I am just starting to learn how to bake and yours are easy to follow and useful for a beginner like me.
From now on, I'll be visiting your page for more recipes to learn.
Thank you always.
Bebs says
Thanks for your lovely review, Ron. It warms my heart and I am so happy that you are enjoying baking Filipino bread using our recipes.
Zha says
Hello Po, I tried this recipe using 50/50 APF AND BF, lambot po which is good, pero bakit parang matabang po siya para samin.
Bebs says
Hi Zha, actually, pandesal is supposed to be basic bread (only flour, water, yeast, and salt). This recipe of pandesal, like most modern-day pandesal commercially sold, is already enriched with the addition of sugar, butter, milk, and egg. You can adjust the additional ingredients to your preference as our recipe normally uses lesser sugar.
Suzanne says
Thank you for sharing your recipe! My husband is Filipino and he has been asking me to make these! They came out delicious! It takes alot longer to rise for me but probably because I’m in Colorado and it’s cold and dry here!!
Haydee says
Thank you for your recipe. Did this today using 50/50 bread and AP flour. It was awesome! Soft and chewy just like how i want it😊
Paul Simon says
Excellent recipe, easy to make and tastes awesome.
Tatyana says
Thank you for sharing your recipe! It's so easy to follow!
My husband likes his pan de sal on the sweet side. Is it okay if I added more sugar to this recipe? Or maybe add condensed milk?
Bebs says
Sure you can add more sugar, Tatyana. You can also add condensed milk but it might make the dough too sticky, so just be ready for that. Or you can also use the condensed milk as a dip for the pan de sal.
mia says
is there a possible way to store the dough that isnt baked yet?
Bebs says
You can freeze the dough, Mia.
June says
I made this recipe twice this week, my family loves the pan de sal 😍.
Thank you.
Arnold Azucena says
Im been trying to bake pandesal for 3 times now, and it doesnt rise up even after 30 to 40 mins of resting the dough. First try, i mix yeast with flour and sugar. Didnt rise. Second and third try yeast were mix with milk and salt, result still the same, no rise happen after resting for 30 to 40 mins ( after kneadin).
I am very glad and happy to hear any inputs / suggestions you may give.
Thank you!
Bebs says
Have you tried proofing your yeast to see if it is still good? Mix about 1/4 cup of lukewarm water and 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl or cup, add a teaspoon of yeast and mix. Leave it for 5 minutes to see if it becomes foamy and rise. Another thing, do not mix yeast and salt together as salt is believe to kill the yeast. If your room temp is low (cold) then 30-40 minutes might not be enough time. You can warm your oven (50C) then place the bowl of dough in the middle rack and turn off the oven and wait for the dough to rise.
Lily Castro says
Very useful for me, I'm still learning how to bake
Dan says
This recipe got me into baking almost four years ago and it's something I've kept coming back to since then. It's really easy to follow and very versatile (I constantly switch the breadcrumbs out for different washes and toppings or even fillings :D). Whenever I stop baking and want to come back to it, this is my go-to recipe. Thanks a lot for making it and sharing it with us!
Bebs says
That is amazing, Dan. I am glad our recipe encourages people to try baking or cooking. We do try to make it simple and enjoyable as it should be. Thanks for the stars. 😊
Jennifer Lou says
Does this freeze well?
Bebs says
Yes, you can freeze the dough, but I suggest adding a bit extra yeast if that is what you plan. You can also freeze baked pandesal as long as you pack them really well.
Jennifer Lou says
Thank you!
Mich says
Hi! I made this recipe many times, me and my husbands loves it. It's always a success! I'm just wondering, I have some whole wheat flour just lying in our pantry for quite some time, have you ever made this recipe using whole wheat flour? If yes, how's the taste? And did you change anything in the recipe?
Bebs says
Hi Mich, I have not tried it as pandesal has normally light texture and using whole-wheat flour will give you the opposite. But if you want, you can replace a portion of the flour with it. Start with 1/3 to try and see how you like the results. It may need additional water too.
Margaret says
I grew up eating pandesal and this recipe brings back those nice memories. Tastes just like I remember. Thank you.
Carol Weber says
What if my oven doesn't have 370?
Bebs says
That is 370º Fahrenheit or around 180º Celsius. Are you sure your oven does not have it?
MC says
Best recipe for pandesal
Rosel from Quebec, CA says
Made this last night and was a success. So soft and tasty. Will not miss Pandesal from our home country Philippines anymore. I will make another set tonight but will bake tomorrow so my husband will have a freshly made bread when he comes back from work.
Thank you Ms. Bebs!
Bebs says
I hope it made you a little less homesick, Rosel, I know it gave me a feeling of "home" when we lived in Germany.
Michelle says
Super soft and fluffy! I used EVOO instead of melted butter and did 50:50 APF and bread flour and cheese used my stand mixer to knead dough for 12 minutes. Dough was too sticky I thought so I eyeballed 1 1/2 tbsp of bread flour. Thank you for the recipe!
Sarah Gaviola says
Which APF do you use? Bleached or unbleached?
Bebs says
I use bleached flour as it is easier to buy but you are welcome to use unbleached flour.
Hannah says
Made this recipe for Mother's Day 2024 and it was a hit! The pandesal are so soft and fluffy. I've tried other recipes before and they're only good when they're fresh out of the oven, these remained super soft and fluffy (not rock hard) without having to reheat in the microwave, just keep in an air-tight container. I kneaded in the mixer with a dough hook for about 20-25 mins, checking every 5-10mins if it achieved windowpane without tearing. It was quite a sticky dough to work with, it will stick to your fingers when you're testing for windowpane, but trust the process! My mom now has a monthly, standing order for these 😄
Thank you for this recipe, Ate Bebs!!!
Bebs says
Yeeeyyy! Another success story that warms my heart! You are most welcome, Hannah! So happy to hear that our recipe brought a new pursuit for your mom.
Leah says
I made this recipe multiple times. I used less water and just APF in this recipe. Worth keeping 😊
AK says
After a year or so of thinking to bake pandesal, I finally did it. My ball was not perfect BUT the taste is uhmmm so good. I miss eating pandesal. So here it is! Yay! Yum!
Thank you, Foxy Folksy!
I've been a fan of your cooking. Keep it up and God bless.
Tess says
Very simple steps and does not need to much kneading. Not sweet.