Pandesal is the most popular local bread in the Philippines. It is the Spanish term for “salt bread,” since the name originated during the 16th century Spanish colonial era. Most bakeries all over the country, from small backyard establishments to industrial bakeries, produce and sell this bread.
This staple food has become part of the typical Filipino breakfast as a substitute for rice. Four pieces of pandesal are equivalent to one cup of rice. Consumers like pandesal to be served hot and freshly baked from the oven. They expect it to have a soft crumb texture and a slightly crunchy crust that is light brown in color. The Filipinos’ unique way of eating pandesal is by dipping it into hot coffee. It can also be served with a variety of spreads or fillings such as butter, cheese or jam. Nowadays, some bakeries sell pandesal not only for breakfast but also as a snack at any time of the day.
Formulation and Method
Pandesal accounts for about 50% of total bakery production. The formulation consists mainly of flour, water, sugar, fat, salt and yeast. The bread is shaped into long logs (bastons), rolled in fine breadcrumbs, allowed to rest, and then cut into individual portions using a dough cutter. Finally, it is proofed and baked.
The most common bread-making method for pandesal is No Time Dough. Some bakeries also prepare an overnight proofing in which the percentage of yeast used is very low (about 0.05% to 0.25%).
Traditionally, the bakers work the dough by hand, using the dough break system which is still common practice. However, modern bakeries now rely on mixers to develop the dough. The mass production of pandesal remains manual from shaping the dough into logs (bastons) to cutting it into individual portions.
Classic to Reinvented Pandesal Variants
The trend toward innovation plays a vital role in enabling bakeries to offer more value-added pandesal varieties and compete in the market. Because of this, the classic pandesal is being reinvented by the bakers so that they can offer healthier and better tasting options. There are new pandesal variants such as malunggay (horseradish) pandesal, squash pandesal, cheese pandesal, to mention a few.
Quality of The Flour
The flour used for making pandesal is typically medium to high protein (about 12% to 13%) and has good tolerance to mixing and fermentation. Flour protein correlates with dough stability and bread volume. If the flour protein is too low, the dough will have poor handling properties and the volume of the bread will be small. The rheological properties of the flour correlate with the handling of the dough. A good balance between resistance and extensibility is essential for shaping the pandesal into logs (bastons).
According to the flour mill’s technical team, the typical quality concerns of pandesal bakers are dough development, dough handling and proofing. The dough development stage is very subjective for small neighborhood bakeries that work with the dough break method. A baker may use time as a guide and rely on his feeling for the dough. Handling is also critical in respect of the ease or difficulty of shaping the logs. Judgement of proofing may also be subjective on the part of the baker.
Flour improvers, particularly the oxidizing agents and enzymes, are essential for achieving consistent quality in flour. Enzymes such as α-amylase, hemicellulase and oxidases improve the dough handling properties and make for better symmetry and volume.
Minimizing Faults in Production
The following is an overview of the most common problems in production, and how to avoid them:
Problem: Stiff dough
Possible causes:
-flour too strong
-insufficient water
-undermixed dough
Solution:
-increase the hemicellulase dosage in the flour (e.g. Alphamalt HCTE)
-add more water
-extend mixing time or proper sheeting to achieve optimum dough development
Problem: Soft and sticky dough
Possible causes:
-flour low in gluten
-too much water
-overmixed
Solution:
-use stronger flour and increase oxidation (vitamin C (ELCO P-100K) and glucose oxidase (e.g. Alphamalt Gloxy 12082)
-reduce the amount of water in the formulation
-shorten mixing time
Problem: Poor proofing stability
Possible causes:
-proofer humidity too high
-too much water
-dough is weak
Solution:
-reduce proofer humidity
-reduce water
-increase oxidation in flour (vitamin C (ELCO P-100K) and glucose oxidase (e.g. Alphamalt Gloxy 12082)) and the addition of lipase (Alphamalt EFX) and emulsifier (SSL, CSL, DATEM (Mulgaprime SSL or CSL, Mulgaprime 16))
Problem: Low volume
Possible causes:
-undermixed
-fermentation time too short
-too little yeast
-short fermentation
-weak flour
Solution:
-extend mixing time or proper sheeting to achieve optimum dough development
-ferment longer
-check yeast quantity
-use stronger flour; increase or adjust flour treatment
Problem: Tough crumb
Possible causes:
-too little water in formulation
-undermixed
Solution:
-increase the amount of water in the formulation
-extend mixing time or proper sheeting to achieve optimum dough development
-add maltogenic enzyme (Alphamalt Fresh 23) or DMG (Mulgaprime 90 F) to improve softness
FAQs
Description. Pandesal is a popular yeast-raised bread in the Philippines. Individual loaves are shaped by rolling the dough into long logs (bastón, Spanish for "stick") which are rolled in fine bread crumbs. These are then portioned, allowed to rise, and baked.
What does pandesal mean in Spanish? ›
A soft and airy flour roll, pandesal —€” which is sometimes spelled out as "pan de sal" —€” is Spanish for "salt bread." However, contrary to its name, the bread is actually relatively sweet. The yeast-raised bread is similar to the Mexican bolillo, and is the breakfast bread of choice throughout the Philippines.
Is pandesal a popular Filipino bread? ›
Pandesal is the most popular local bread in the Philippines. It is the Spanish term for “salt bread,” since the name originated during the 16th century Spanish colonial era. Most bakeries all over the country, from small backyard establishments to industrial bakeries, produce and sell this bread.
What is a fun fact about pandesal? ›
Pandesal is the most popular style of bread in the Philippines. The name comes from the Spanish word meaning “salt bread" and it originated during the 16th century era of Spanish colonization in the Philippines. Pandesal is known for its pillowy texture and signature breadcrumbs on top.
Why is it called pandesal? ›
Pan de sal means “bread of salt” in Spanish, for the pinch of salt added to the dough. It was introduced to the Philippines in the 16th century as the Spaniards' answer to the French baguette.
What is the reason why pandesal is hard? ›
Pandesal usually ends up hard and dense because it's underproofed. Make sure you give your dough time to rise, I'll be giving time cues in this recipe, but fermentation can vary greatly depending on the activity of your starter and the temperature in your kitchen.
Is pandesal healthy? ›
HEALTH BENEFITS OF PAN DE SAL: Pan de sal has 4 grams of protein, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, and 3 grams of fat. Pandesal also has iron, which is necessary for developing hemoglobin, for carrying oxygen in the blood. This is helpful for people with anemia and pregnant women.
How do Filipinos eat pandesal? ›
A freshly baked pandesal is great on its own, but Filipinos most commonly eat it dipped in coffee or hot chocolate, filled with breakfast staples like Spam and eggs, or topped with rich spreads like peanut butter, coconut jam, or kesong puti (fresh farmer's cheese).
What to eat with pandesal? ›
A popular breakfast choice, pandesal are also eaten as a snack throughout the day and can be slathered with copious amounts of butter, stuffed with cheese or eggs, spread with jam or peanut butter, and used as the base for a simple yet tasty sandwich.
How long does pandesal last? ›
Once it's gone past two days, refrigerate pandesal as it may starts to grow mold. The texture won't be the same – they will no longer have the airy fluffiness than it did on day one – but will still be good. Microwaving them for a few seconds seems to do the trick in restoring some of the softness.
Monay is one of the most basic bread types in the Philippines and is sometimes known as the "mother of all Filipino breads" as it can be modified to give rise to various other bread types. These include breads like pinagong and putok.
What is the flavor of pandesal? ›
Pandesal has soft, buttery, and slightly sweet flavors. Its fluffy center is combined with a crisp golden brown outer layer of bread crumbs making every bite delightful. This popular Filipino yeast-raised bread roll or pandesal recipe is worth making at home.
Is pandesal high in salt? ›
Pandesal contains around 200 milligrams of sodium or salt, which provides flavor to the bread. The low sodium content is ideal for people with kidney disease or hypertension.
Why is pandesal sweet? ›
Bakers started adding and then increasing the amount of sugar so that today's pa desal can have as much as 18 percent to 20 percent sugar content. Adding more sugar was done presumably to lengthen the shelf life of breads. Thus the salty bread Filipino's knew and love became sweeter and softer.
What is the summary of bread making? ›
Bread is the product of baking a mixture of flour, water, salt, yeast and other ingredients. The basic process involves mixing of ingredients until the flour is converted into a stiff paste or dough, followed by baking the dough into a loaf.
What is the story behind bread? ›
The origin of bread
The first evidence of bread being baked dates back to approximately 10000 BC. Sourdough bread was discovered by the Egyptians in 6000 BC. Apparently the use of fermentation to make bread rise was discovered by accident, when someone left some dough in the sun and it rose.
What are the characteristics of pandesal? ›
The defining characteristic of Pandesal from other local breads is the salt added to the dough as well as the use of breadcrumbs after molding and panning. The breadcrumbs are ultimately responsible for the rough surface texture of the Pandesal crust after baking.
What is the story of baking? ›
Baking in ancient times
An oven discovered in Croatia in 2014 was estimated to date to 6500 years ago. The Ancient Egyptians baked bread using yeast, which they had previously been using to brew beer. Bread baking began in Ancient Greece around 600 BC, leading to the invention of enclosed ovens.
