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.
Can these be made into larger buns? Or would that change the texture? I want to make these they look scrumptious!
Hi, Allison! Yes, you can make them larger. Bake them until they are lightly golden.
Super love this recipe! Easy to make and tastes so good. Bread is soft and tasty and not airy inside. Thanks for sharing this 🙂 looking forward to trying your other recipes as well.
Thanks a lot, Christina!
Sanna,
Do you have a for breadcrumbs recipe? Thank you.
Hi Joy!
Unfortunately, I don’t have it yet but I will be working on it soon!:)
What do you recommend for bread crumbs?
Hello! Just regular, unseasoned bread crumbs.
Hi, Sanna! Thank you for sharing this recipe! The whole family loved it. The pandesal came out soft. I just had a bit of a problem with the bottom part of the pandesal (the side sticking to the pan.) They came out a bit overdone (really toasted) but the top part is perfect. Can you share any tips for me to avoid this? Would appreciate it so much. 🙂 Thanks again and I’m looking forward to trying out your other recipes. 🙂
Hi Ron! I am so glad you loved the recipe. To avoid too much browning of the bottom, it helps to use a pan that is lighter in color, and also to line the pan with a double layer of parchment paper 🙂 I hope that helps .
Hi Sanna! I am really looking forward to trying this recipe and was wondering if a non-dairy milk, like almond milk, can be substituted? I tried looking in the comments to see if anyone else has done this but there were lots to go through, thank you in advance 🙂
Hi Amanda! Unfortunately, I have not tried non dairy milk with this recipe :(. I cannot say for sure how will the substitution. Sorry.
Hello,
First of all, this recipe is a HIT! I made it for my family and friends! They love it and want more. I wanted to use this recipe to make ube pandesal. I have ube powder, ube jam and ube extract in hand. I wanted to know how to incorporate the ube flavor into your recipe. Like how much ube powder to use. Do I need less flour?
Hi Apple! Thanks and I am glad you loved the recipe. For the Ube pandesal, I have ube pandesal recipe published on Kawaling Pinoy site, but it uses real ube. If you want to use ube extract, you can add uonto 1 tbsp tho the dough, along with the other liquids . You maybhave tonadd extra flour as you knead too.Let me know how it goes.
I love your stories! The part about having to stand there with a note pad while she cooked and explained things, writing down things for the recipe is exactly how my aunt was finally able to share her pancit recipe with us. I remember getting frustrated when no one knew the measurements of anything because they would eyeball everything! Watching and taking notes and then just doing it yourself really is best!
Now you got me wanting to make this too! I love pandesal!! Used to have it all the time as a kid. Salamat po!
Hi Jan! Them aunts are the best, cooking by heart 🙂 I hope you make a vegan version of pandesal if you have not already!
Fantastic recipe! I️ have made it several times with different seasonings. Always a hit with my family. Thanks
This recipe never failed me!!! Been making this for how many times already, and it always turns out good (it makes me feel I’m in Pinas like the early morning routine of buying freshly baked pandesal at the neighborhood panderia.)
Best pandesal recipe ever!!!
Thank you po for this recipe.
I am so happy to know that, Choco.
Hi, quick question, does the regular “bread crumbs” okay to use? like yung mismong sinasama sa pag breading ng mga fried food? Sorry I’m confused. haha.
Hi there Cassie! Yes regular bread crumbs lang 🙂 Good luck!
Just made the Pandesal for my husband who hasn’t had these since his childhood – OMG they turned out perfectly. He is soooo happy :). Looking forward to making him more of his Filipino favourites. Thank you for the great recipes!!!
Hello Natalie! I am so glad it turned great for you and your hubby loved it!
Hi Sanna,
So happy that you are selfless in sharing your Pandesal recipe! I made 2 batches as I just had a feeling your recipe was definitely going to be good… all of the wonderful folks leaving excellent comments can’t be wrong! Well, after a few modifications, these Pandesal turned out rewardingly delicious!
I used 3/4 cup whole vitamin D milk and 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk. I had to skip the salt for dietary issues, but the texture seems perfect. I also had to add a couple of tablespoons of flour so that the dough was not sticky. The end result was still airy, soft on the inside, slightly crisp outside.
I have made danishes, brioche, challah, and other breads, but this was my first time making pandesal and will certainly not be the last! Thanks to your recipe it was a success – Salamat to you and your Nanay❣️❤️
Hello Karen! Thank you so much for your revision tips! I am so happy you loves these!!!
Hello! I want to make around 15 pcs of pandesal since 30 seems a bit too much! Was thinking of just dividing the recipe however I was scared to do so given that I would also need to lessen the yeast. Please help! Really need tips from you since I really don’t want to waste ingredients.
Also, since I plan on dividing the recipe, what would be the new amount of liquid and sugar for blooming needed? Thank you so much in advance!
Hello! You can make them a little bit larger. I do not recommend cutting the recipe in half because it might mess up the proportion. I hope you give it a try 🙂
Hi the video says bake it for 18-22 minutes while your instruction says bake for 20-25 minutes, which one should I follow? I’m making it today. Looks really good.
Hello Edna! So sorry about that! Just start to check for doneness around the 18 minute mark 🙂
Hi,
Thank you for your recipe. I tried it using bread flour and skimmed milk. Turned out good but my bread is a bit dense. I want to achieve the pillowy and airy kind of bread so I might use all-purpose flour next time. hehe. I really like the taste of the bread, it has a similar taste to our pandesal back home. I also use instant yeast and follow the exact step you did just to bloom (activate) the yeast.
Again, thanks for sharing us your recipe.
God Bless and Stay Safe!
Hello Zarina! Thanks a lot for your feedback! Stay safe too!