Spanish Bread- A Filipino Bakery Favorite

Spanish Bread brings back memories of hot afternoon snacks back home with these soft bread coming out of brown paper bags, warm and fresh from the bakery. The sweet, buttery paste filling is my favorite.

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Around the time when the Holidays were approaching a reader asked if I have a Spanish Bread recipe on the blog. And that was a very nice inquiry because I stopped and asked myself  “Why I have not made this delicious bread, the Spanish bread which is also another bakery classic back home?”

You guys are my hero. You remind me of delicious things that I would not have not thought of by myself. So here we are, Spanish bread like we are having a typical pinoy merienda.

What is there to love about these Spanish Bread?

• They are meaty in the bread department. They are fat rolls of bread dusted with breadcrumbs all over.
• The texture from the breadcrumbs makes them a delight to eat.
• The chunky filling that is sweet and buttery is a nice contrast to the soft bread surrounding it.

Spanish Bread: The Process

Start by proofing the yeast. So in a large mixing bowl, combine the warm milk and yeast and let sit stand for about 5 minutes. Note: The milk should be between 105-115 F. As you can see in the photo above, the mixture will turn foamy or creamy.

Add the sugar, eggs, salt and oil to the bowl and stir everything with a wooden spoon. Then, add 4 cups of flour but only one cup at a time. Stir after each addition. The mixture will turn into a shaggy dough. Sprinkle just enough of the remaining 1/2 cup of flour and keep stirring until the dough gathers in the center.

Flour a board and dust your hands with flour as well. Turn the dough over onto the board and start kneading. Use the remaining flour to dust your board and your hands to help with the stickiness as you knead. You may need up to 1/8 cup more of flour as you continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.

New ko kneading? Check out my simple guide How to Knead Bread Dough ( with video).

Shape the kneaded dough into a ball and place it in a bowl. Cover and let it rise for 1 and 1/2 hour, until the size is doubled.

Once the dough has risen, gently punch it down and divide it into 18-20 almost equal sized portions. Flatten each portion with your palms or use a rolling pin. You need an oval-shaped dough that is about the size of your hands.

Spoon about a tablespoon of the filling and spread it across the dough. Roll the dough into a log. Repeat with the rest of the portions.

Place them in a greased baking tray or line the tray with parchment paper. Using a pastry brush, brush evaporated milk all over the logs, then dip them in breadcrumbs, making sure the log is all coated.

Line them up again in the baking tray. Cover the logs loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise for about an hour, or until they are puffy and doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Once the temperature is reached, bake the Spanish bread for 15-20 minutes, or until they are lightly golden.

Once they are done, be patient. The filling is hot. I know it smells nice and heavenly but that delicious filling needs more time before you take that bite.

Then grab what you need. A cup of coffee or tea maybe? Hot chocolate is super, too. Wind down and have a snack of warm bread, fresh from the oven. Some of the good things in life.

More Bread Recipes For You:

• Japanese Condensed Milk Bread
• Pandesal 
• Ensaymada
• Yema Rolls
• Milk Bread
• Japanese Milk Buns
• Coconut Bread with Milky Sweet Filling
• Sweet Beehive Buns
• Honey Buns with Honey Cream Filling
• Chelsea Buns
• Milk and Sugar Mini Buns
• Soft and Buttery Sugar Buns
• Choco-Yema Cupcakes
• Pan de Siosa
• Ube Morning Buns
• Easy and Tasty Bibingka
• Puto Pao

4.86 from 27 votes

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Spanish Bread

Spanish Bread are soft bread rolls that are filled with a sweet, buttery paste, dusted with bread crumbs and baked to golden perfection. 

Course Breakfast, Snacks

Cuisine Asian, Filipino

Keyword Spanish Bread

Prep Time 35 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Rise times for the Dough 2 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 18

Calories 317 kcal

Author sanna

Ingredients

For the Bread Dough

• 1 and 1/4 cups warm milk 105-115 F
• 2 and 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 4 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided + up to 1/8 cup extra for kneading
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 large eggs lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs for coating the bread
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk

For the Spanish Bread Filling

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup` bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup evaporated milk

Instructions

Make the Bread Dough

1. In a mixing bowl, combine milk and yeast. Let stand for 5 minutes or until foamy. Add the eggs, sugar, oil and salt. Stir everything with a wooden spoon. Add 4 cups of flour, one cup at a time while stirring. The mixture will turn into a shaggy dough. 

2. Sprinkle just enough of the remaining 1/2 cup of flour and keep stirring until the dough gathers in the center. Turn the dough over on a floured board and knead it until it is smooth and elastic, about 6-10 minutes. As you knead, dust your hands and your board as needed to help with the stickiness. You may need to use up to 1/8 cup of additional flour.

3. Shape the dough into a ball and place it a bowl. Cover and let rise for 1 and 1/2 hours, or until the size is doubled. You can make the filling at this point.

4. Gently punch the dough down and divide it into 18-20 portions. Using a small rolling pin or your hands, flatten each portion into an oval that is about the size of your hands. Spread about a tablespoon of the filling across the surface of the dough and roll it into a log. Repeat with all the other portions. Arrange the rolls in a large baking tray that is greased or lined with parchment paper. Brush evaporated milk on each of the rolls and dip them in breadcrumbs. Cover them loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise for an hour.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the Spanish bread for 15-20 minutes, or until the rolls are lightly golden.

Spanish Bread Filling

1. Heat the butter in a small saucepan until it is bubbly. Add the flour and the breadcrumbs and stir the mixture vigorously with a wire whisk for a few seconds. This is a grainy mixture at this point. Immediately add the milk and keep stirring until the mixture loosens up a bit. Stir for 30 seconds more and turn off heat. Stir in the sugar well until it is incorporated. Set aside to cool. This mixture is a chunky paste.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes