Dulce de Leche Ensaymada

These Dulce de Leche Ensasymada are filled with luscious dulce de leche, smeared with a lavish vanilla frosting and topped with creamy cheese! So soft and rich!

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine Asian, Filipino

Keyword Dulce de Leche, Ensaymada

Prep Time 1 30

Cook Time 15

Chill and Rise Times for the Dough 6

Total Time 7 45

Servings

Calories 467kcal

Author sanna

Equipment

Ingredients

Sponge

⅓ cup milk 105-115 ℉
2¼ tsp active dry yeast
1 large egg at room temperature
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

The Rest of the Dough

¼ cup sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature, very lightly beaten just to liquify.
¾ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature, cut into little cubes
1½ cup all-purpose flour plus up to ¼ cup extra

Filling

1 300 ml can of condensed milk or sweetened condensed milk

Buttercream

¾ cup butter softened to room temperature
¾ cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Toppings

1 cup grated processed cheese or more more more!

Egg wash

1 tbsp milk
1 large egg

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Dulce de Leche

Preheat oven to 425 ℉. Open a can of condensed milk and pour into a 9 inch pie dish. Cover well with foil and place in a rimmed baking pan. Pour water into the pan so that the pie dish is submerged by half.
Place the pan into the middle rack of oven. Cook for 1 hour up to 1 and ¼ hour, until the condensed milk turns light brown ( I peak at the 50 minute mark to gauge). Make sure that the water does not dry out in the pan. Pour a bit of water as needed.
Let the dulce de leche cool completely, then transfer to a jar and refrigerate until needed.

Make the Sponge

In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together milk, egg and yeast using a wooden spoon. Add 1 cup of the flour and stir to incorporate. Now, sprinkle the remaining half cup of flour to cover the mixture. DO not stir. Cover this with a clean towel or plastic wrap. Let sit for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the surface of the flour yield some cracks. This indicates the the sponge has risen and your yeast is active. Stir in the flour very well with a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains.

Make the Rest of the Dough

Add the sugar, eggs, and salt. Stir. Then, add the flour gradually while stirring until a shaggy ball of dough forms in the center. You may have some flour left or none. That is fine.
With the dough hook attachment, knead the dough for 3-5 minutes on medium high speed, or until it starts to clean the sides of the bowl. If the dough is sticky and not gathering, sprinkle the remaining flour plus up to ¼ cup extra. The dough is ready for the butter when it gathers nicely in the center and is cleaning the sides of the bowl.
Now add the softened butter bit by bit as the mixer runs. Allow the butter to incorporate before adding more. The dough will starts to collapse again. Just keep kneading until it starts to gather into a smooth, shiny dough once again, cleaning and slapping the sides of the bowl.
Flour your hands lightly, gather the dough into a ball. This is smooth, flowy and satisfying. In my opinion the prettiest bread dough I ever handled! Like a baker's slime! Place the dough into a bowl, cover with a plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for 4 hours or up to overnight. I usually just stick it overnight.
After chilling, let the dough rest at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly grease 12 brioche tins or silicon muffin tins. On a clean surface (floured lightly, but doesn't have to), shape the dough into a big log. Then use a knife or dough cutter to divide the dough into 12 equal pieces.
Shape each portion into a smooth ball. Place each ball into a greased tin. Place the tins into a large baking tray. Cover with plastic film or kitchen towel. Let the dough rise for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 ℉. Make the egg wash by beating together egg and milk. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash. Use the rest for omelet!
Bake the ensaymada at 350 F for 15 minutes or so, until the tops are golden. Place the tins on a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

Make the Icing

In a bowl, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the icing sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Make your Ensaymada

Using a bread knife, slit a small hole in the center of the bread. Make sure not to go deep or you will create hole underneath.
Transfer a good amount of the the Dulce de Leche to a piping bag with a plain piping attachment, or in an icing injector. Pipe Dulce de Leche into the hole just until it oozes out a bit at the hole. Repeat with the rest.
Spread buttercream on top of each ensaymada. Top with a generous amount of grated cheese. If desired, pipe more dulce de leche on top. Oh yum!
I usually wrap this individually in plastic film, for giving away to friends I also wrap them in parchment individually but I find that it doesnt preserve the softness as much as the plastic. Or of course, keep them in an airtight container.
Store ensaymada in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat for 5-8 seconds in the microwave before serving.

Notes

Condensed Milk or sweetened condensed milk? I get lots of questions about this one. But whichever of the two is written in the can label, both of them will work.
Dulce de Leche. You may not use all of the Dulce de leche. You can keep it in the fridge for up to a week. Spread it on toasts, drizzle warmed over ice cream or eat them by the spoonful (this is us!).
Tart/ Brioche Tins. You can use any muffin tins. The silicon ones will work! You can also use nothing, just place the balls of dough in a parchment lined baking sheets. However the tins will give it a good height, and more room to put filling in. These are the tins I used. I don't think they are brioche tins, specifically, but they work beautifully!
Piping the Dulce de Leche. A piping bag will work, but to be honest I have not tried it. I do not have the perfect bag or attachment. But this cookie decorating set is just perfect for the job. Makes filling pastries or bread a breeze!
Cheese. Okay, cheese! I love using Filipino processed cheese because its creamy and not too tangy. I used Cheezee brand but Eden or Magnolia are also perfect choices. If you cannot find these, I suggest Velveeta but use less amount as it may be too sharp or salty for the ensaymada vibe.

Dough recipe adapted from Nancy Silverton's Brioche recipe, from the book Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

Nutrition