Pandesal (Filipino Bread Rolls): Step By Step Guide To Perfectly Fluffy Rolls
Learn how to make the perfect Pandesal, a popular Filipino bread roll, with this step by step guide. Fluffy and delicious, these rolls are a staple in Filipino cuisine. Love Filipino breads? Check out my Spanish Bread recipe. More Filipino classics? Check out Ube Hopia, Cassava Cake and Suman Malagkit.
Oh, pandesal in the sweet hours of the morning! Nothing beats a warm tray of these freshly baked Filipino-style dinner rolls with the morning cup of tea or coffee.
Pan de Sal in Spanish mean salt bread. And despite the name, many pandesal recipes have evolved from salty to being slightly sweet with just a touch of salt.
Pandesal is one of the most raved-about recipes here on the blog. If you would like a bread machine version, check out Bread Machine Pandesal!
How to Enjoy Pandesal?
- Pandesal is probably the Philippines’ favorite bread. There is something about these golden dinner rolls that are dusted with breadcrumbs that make them so out of the ordinary. A bread that is delicious on its own, or dipped in coffee.
- For a filling version, we slice the bun in half and fill it with sliced hotdogs, fried egg, and even sauteed corned beef. Sweet tooth? Try peanut butter or coconut jam. Oh, the little things that bring us so much joy!
- If you love pandesal, you need to check out my other pandesal creations like Ube Cheese Pandesal , Red Velvet Pandesal and Chocolate Pandesal with Nutella Filling!
The Perfect Pandesal Recipe
- These pandesal are lightly toasted on the outside. The nice golden exterior has a nice tender-crisp texture, and it renders a nice toasty flavor. Just the way I like it.
- The inside is soft and light. It is not dense and tight-knit, but not too airy either. Just pure crumb perfection.
- They are pillowy soft out of the over AND remain soft the days after.
- Eat them plain, dip them in coffee, slather Nutella, slather butter. You decide how to enjoy it. Lately, we slather it with non-hydrogenated margarine. I think it’s the only way to enjoy it now, and nothing else 🙂
The Process
Proof the Yeast and Mix in the Dough Ingredients
In a bowl of a stand mixer, pour the milk and then sprinkle the yeast. Sprinkle approximately 1-2 teaspoons of the sugar in there as well. Let this mixture sit for 7-12 minutes until it looks thick and creamy.
Add the eggs, the remaining sugar, and the oil. Stir to combine. In a bowl, combine 4 cups of flour and 1 tsp of salt. Gradually add this mixture to the mixing bowl, about 1 cup at a time, stirring well after adding.
Knead the Dough in the Stand Mixer
Now attach the dough hook to the mixer, and on medium speed, mix the dough for 10 minutes. During this period the dough will start to take form, gathering slowly in the center.
After ten minutes of mixing, slowly add more flour with the mixer still running, about 1-2 tbsp at a time. As you add, the dough will gather more and more and it will start to clean the sides of the bowl.
The Dough Gathers in the Center of the Bowl
Continue the mixing and adding, until the dough gathers in the center of the bowl and cleans the sides and bottom of the bowl entirely.
You will also hear the slapping sounds that the dough makes against the bowl. This should take around 10 minutes more, for a total of 20 minutes or so in the mixer.
To test if the dough is adequately kneaded, you can do the windowpane test found in my How to Knead Bread Dough post.
Finish Kneading and Allow the Dough to Rise
You may also need to increase the mixer speed for the dough to release at the bottom of the bowl. You may need less of the 1/2 cup reserved flour, but not more.
Shape the dough into a ball, and let the dough rise in a bowl, Allow it to rise for 1 hour and a half, covered with a clean towel.
Shape the Dough and Dust with Bread Crumbs
After rising, gently deflate the dough. Shape it into a log and divide it into 25-28 pieces.
Roll each piece into a plate of bread crumbs, then arrange the balls in a parchment-lined, light-colored baking pan.
Allow the Shaped Dough to Rise Again, then Bake!
Allow these to rise once more, for 30-40 minutes, covered loosely with a clean kitchen towel. Bake the pandesal for 23-25 minutes, or until golden on top.
Let them cool slightly before serving.
Pointers for Making Pandesal
- The milk should not exceed the temperature of 110F. Hotter than that and you risk killing the yeast.
- If the yeast did not turn foamy after 10 minutes. Discard the mixture and start again.
- The recipe calls for 4 and 1/2 cups of flour. 4 cups are added initially to the dough. The remaining 1/2 cup will be added one tablespoon at a time just until the dough gathers into the center of the bowl. You may not have to use all of the 1/2 cup of flour.
- Use a light-colored baking pan to avoid too much browning of the bottom of the pandesal.
p.s. These will be so good with this Sweet and Spicy Squid or this Filipino Style Pancit Canton.
More Bread Recipes:
- Mamon Recipe
- The Best Ensaymada
- Cassava Cake
- Ube Cheesecake
- Chocolate Mamon
- Yema Rolls
- Coconut Buns with Milky Sweet Filling
- Japanese Milk Buns
- Spanish Bread
- Hawaiian Rolls
- Sweet Cheese Rolls
- Sweet Beehive Buns
- Milk and Sugar Mini Buns
- Pineapple Buns
- Whole Wheat Potato Dinner Rolls
- Crescent Butter Rolls
Pandesal
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 and 1/4 cup warm milk heated to 105-115 F
- 4 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour divided
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- bread crumbs for dusting the pandesal dough
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the warm milk, yeast and about a tablespoon of the sugar. Let this mixture stand until it is foamy. In another bowl, combine 4 cups of flour and salt.
- Once the yeast mixture is foamy, add in the eggs, sugar and oil to the bowl of stand mixer. Gradually add the flour mixture, about a cup at a time while stirring with a wooden spatula or spoon. Briefly mix everything together until a shaggy dough forms.
- Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer and run the mixer on medium speed to start kneading the dough. After ten minutes of mixing, gradually sprinkle little amounts of flour to the dough ( about a tablespoon at a time) to help in the kneading process. Continue to knead until the dough gathers in the center and is cleaning the sides and bottom of the bowl. This should take about 20 minutes or so and you should only have used up to 1/2 cup of flour. Gather the dough into a ball. Place it inside a bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and let stand in room temperature to rise for an hour, or until the size is doubled. Meanwhile, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Gently deflate the dough. Divide it into 25-28 equal sized portions. Smooth and shape each portion into an imperfect ball, about 2 and 1/2 to 3 inches in size. Roll each portion of dough in the bread crumbs and place in the baking sheet. Allow little spaces in between portions. Cover the rolls with a kitchen towel and let rise for 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake the pandesal for 23-25 minutes or until the top is lightly golden. Serve warm. Store leftovers in a tightly closed container at room temperature.
I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong but the dough is just way too sticky. I end up using more flour, probably going up to 5 cups in total, just to work on the dough. Is it supposed to be really sticky?
Hi Pinky! I have not encountered it to be so sticky. But for some ( according to comments) that they found it to be so sticky. Just add flour gradually, until it gathers as you knead it in the mixer. I hope that helps.
Hey Sanna! As I am typing, I am waiting for my dough to complete the bulk fermentation stage (1st rise). I am really happy to see that you have been very responsive to people. They great comments and you attentiveness made me decide to give this recipe a try. I am planning to help my community (subdivision) here in Paranaque by baking and selling them pandesals every morning. As you know, the PH has been badly hit by the coronavirus and most shops are closed, most people are in their homes. I am wondering about the weight of each dough as I am trying to figure out how much I am going to sell them for. I hope you could answer before I cut them really excited with the outcome!
Hey Novie! That is very nice of you to help. It is really needed at this time. Unfortunately, I am not sure of the weight of the dough, I am sorry! I just divide the whole batch into 24 up pieces. Maybe just calculate the whole cost of ingredients and divide the cost by the number of pieces you are able to make. I am so sorry I wish I am able to help more. Good luck and all the best to you!
I nailed it…. a big thank you Sanna for sharing your recipe….. i followed your direction except i used instant yeast and i can’t stop eating and thinking of making again…. also my next plan is to make mungo bread…. and looking forward for making more of you recipe
That’s great Daisy! I am so glad you love it! Thank you so much!
Hello and thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I thought I followed the instructions exactly using a mixer however, my dough came out really sticky which made it difficult to rollninto individual bowls. Any idea why it was so sticky? Is it supposed to be sticky?
I tried coating a few with flour to address the stickyness which worked however the breadcrumbs didnt stick as well.
Any suggestions?
Hello there! If the dough doesnt gatber together within 10 minutes of mixing, you need to sprinkle flour to help the mixer. You also need to knead it more in the mixer if it feel sticky. I am thinking that the dough may not be ready and not kneaded well yet. I hope that helps 🙂
Oh my gosh! Used bread flour instead and it was amazing. It tastes like the one from panaderia but way better because it is fluffy and all. Best recipe!!
Hello Nikki! I am so glad you liked it. And I appreciate you living your feedback regarding using bread flour. It helps other bakers to know this 🙂 Thank you!
Question: Anong difference kung bread flour ang gamitin, instead of all-purpose flour? Anong adjustment kung bread flour ang gamitin?
Hello Maria! Although di ko pa nagamit ang bread flour sa recipe, I believe it will work with this pandesal recipe. The thing is you may need to adjust sa amount ng flour. If masyadong wet yung dough upon mixing, add about 2 tablespoons of bread flour at a time, until the dough forms nicely.
Hello Maria! Update here: Nikki, our fellow baker used bread flour instead of ap-flour and it turned out pretty well 🙂 I hope that helps!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. i had been looking for really good pandesal recipes for a long time now and didnt have any success, until now. i loved the little techniques you shared, especially with the kneading part, i hated kneading breads before
the pandesal came out really light and fluffy, my husband loved it. He was very disappointed with the pandesal he have tried when we went home for vacation. Now i just have to wait and see how they will be as leftovers for tomorrow morning (if there will be anything left, that is) coz i have experienced before with the other recipes that they turned rock hard after a day, even though i stored them in zip lock bags.
anyways, thanks again and im looking forward to trying more of your other recipes.
Hello there, Chingky! I am so glad you and your husband liked it. I hope you enjoy more recipes from the blog 🙂
This dough is so incredibly sticky… I can’t get it to form into a nice ball without getting it to stick everywhere. I have tried needing in the stand mixer for 30 mins. I even tried letting it rest and then hand kneading for another 15 minutes. Still so sticky, and then rips when I try a window pane test. I feel so frustrated. What is happening?
Hello Chance. I am sorry that you had trouble with the dough. The dough can may need more or less flour depending on the humidity where you are. Probably, you may need to add in more flour during mixing if the dough doesnt gather about ten minutes into the mixing bowl, but just enough flour to make the dough come together. I hope that helps.
OMG!!! My first time to bake pandesal. I was so nervous, because I am no baker. I followed most of the instructions, but I used about 3/4 cups of additional flour when it was in the final stages of mixing, because the dough appeared really wet and it wouldn’t come off the edges nor the bottom of my mixing bowl even after adding the 1/2 cup of flour. Anyway, it was a hit! My family said it’s even better than the various pandesal that’s being sold in the Filipino stores in our area. My mother-in-law and niece asked if I could bake pandesal for Thanksgiving instead of buying the usual Hawaiian sweet rolls (which we all love) to partner with the baked turkey. So – thank you, pandesal godmother!!!
Hello there Annie Bee! I am so happy that you loved these 🙂 And thanks for coming back with your modifications. I appreciate it, keep baking!
Hi,
Thank you for the recipe. I tried it myself today. Taste-wise is okay. But it turned out super dense. I was wondering what I did wrong? Parang naging monay. Sana prang yung sa bakery na airy. Mas feel like home un. 🙁
Hello Let! Thank you. I can’t tell exactly what went wrong but it could be that the dough is under kneaded that is why its dense.
Can i use fresh yeast instead of dry yeast
Hello! I have not tested this with fresh yeast so I cannot tell what amount to substitute. If you use it, I appreciate it if you keep me posted 🙂 Thank you!
Hi! I haven’t tried your recipe (but i will this weekend since I saw your post) nor did the fresh yeast sub yet but I was told by a bakery that you use double the amount of the dry yeast. Hope it works and helps!
Hello Sarah! Thank you for that info. I have not tried baking with fresh yeast so it helps! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing. I’ve been trying to make pandesal but i wasnt successful. I almost gave up… but today, I just made my first successful pandesal! you made my day! ur lucky to have ur grandma around and share her knowledge. Thanks to both of you! God bless!
Hi Krystal! I am so happy that this made your day! It inspires me more. Keep on baking!
Hi Sanna. I tried this yesterday and this is so good. It stayed soft and chewy unlike the others which became hard the following day. I used bread flour and evaporated milk as subs and baked it around 15 or so minutes ( less than 20). Thanks for the recipe. Excited to try your other recipes.
Hello Christabelle! Thank you for your feedback! And I appreciate you stating your substitution so that other readers can see 🙂 Thank you so much!
Hi sis! I just want to ask if I can bake this at night(not too done or brown) then rebake in the morning?thanks
Hi Kristina! Bake them until they are done. Then bake (re-heat them) in the oven again so they are more toasted on top. MAke sure they are fully done in the first baking though 🙂 good luck!
Hi Sanna, can I use shortening instead of canola oil or butter? Thanks ma’am
Hello, Linda! Unfortunately, I have not tested shortening on this 🙂 I wish I could help 🙁
Hi, if I use instant yeast instead of dry active yeast, do i need to adjust the amount to put in the mixture?
Thanks
Hi Rhina! You can put the same amount 🙂 Good luck!
With the instant yeast, I don’t need to wait for it to rise, right? Can I mix the yeast directly with the dry ingredients?
How to warm the milk to 110 degrees F
if I don’t have theremometer?
Hello Myra, the water should be warmer than your regular body temperature. It should be a bit warmer than lukewarm water but it should not be too hot that you cannot dip your fingers for even just 5 seconds.