This easy Best Ever Filipino Spanish Bread recipe makes a sweet and delicious snack for the whole family. It's a yeasted soft bread rolled with a sugary and buttery filling then baked to deliciousness!
Love Filipino Bread? Red Velvet Pandesal with Cheese, Easy Ensaymada, Mulunggay Whole Bread, or the fan-favorite- Ube Cheese Pandesal!
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What is Filipino Spanish Bread?
Spanish Bread is a favorite Filipino afternoon snack or 'merienda' that can be bought in many local bakeries or 'panaderia' in the Philippines. It is a delicious and sweet soft bread roll with a buttery and sugary filling, then rolled in bread crumbs to create a lightly crunchy coating, and baked to golden perfection.
The Spaniards have introduced this type of bread in the Philippines. Then, the Filipinos adopted this bread and love it as their own. With Filipinos' creativity, different varieties, shapes, and fillings of bread were developed.
These sweet and delicious Filipino Spanish bread rolls can actually be eaten any time of the day with a cup of a drink of your choice. This Filipino bread recipe with a sweet filling can be a bit time-consuming, but definitely worth the time and effort. Give this a try!
Ingredients
Listed below are all the ingredients you will need:
- bread flour
- water
- brown sugar
- softened butter
- egg
- instant dry yeast
- salt
Filling:
- brown sugar
- fine breadcrumbs
- margarine, softened
- granulated white sugar
Toppings:
Instructions
Combine all the filling ingredients and set them aside.
Place all the ingredients (except for the breadcrumbs) in a mixing bowl and mix until a rough dough forms. Next, place the dough hook attachment and knead for 12 minutes, then transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover with cling film, and allow it to rest for 1 hour in a warm area. Punch down the dough, then divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll to form a round shape:
Flatten the round dough balls using a rolling pin 5 inches in length. Scoop out the filling and place it at the center of the dough:
Roll like a cigar, then roll the dough on the breadcrumbs, place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Next, cover the dough with cling film, and allow the dough to rest for 1 hour or until doubled:
Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Then, allow it to cool before serving:
Serve and enjoy this soft rolled bread with your favorite drink. Yum!
Substitutions
- Flour: If you don't have bread flour, you can use all-purpose flour in the same amount.
- Yeast: If you can't find instant yeast, you can use active dry yeast. Just make sure to test it first by putting it in warm milk to see if it bubbles after a few minutes.
Variations
- Filling: You can cook the filling first with added milk and flour before spreading it on the dough.
- Dough Consistency: If your dough is too wet or sticky, add a little more flour gradually until it's easier to handle.
- Rolling: Roll the dough out fairly thin, but not too thin, and be generous with the filling.
- Coating: Use a pastry brush to coat the dough logs with evaporated milk, egg yolk, melted butter, or water before rolling them in breadcrumbs.
Storage
- This bread stores best by freezing. Make sure the bread is completely cool before placing it in a large Ziploc bag and putting it in the freezer. It can last for at least 1 month this way.
- To serve, thaw the bread in the microwave for a few seconds, then pop it in the oven toaster until warm and toasty.
Top Tips
- Use plain breadcrumbs, not flavored ones.
- Instead of using plastic wrap, you can cover the dough with a clean damp cloth or pot lids while it rises.
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Ever Filipino Spanish Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups bread flour
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ⅛ cup softened butter
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Filling:
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- ½ cup margarine softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Topping:
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add breadcrumbs, margarine, granulated sugar, brown sugar and mix until combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour, water, egg, brown sugar, yeast, butter, salt, and mix until a rough dough forms.
- Then using a dough hook attachment, knead for 12 minuets, then transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover with cling film, and allow it to rest for 1 hour in a warm area.
- Punch down the dough, then divide the dough into 12 equal portions and roll to form a round shape.
- Flatten the round dough balls using a rolling pin into 5 inches in length.
- Scoop out the filling and place it at the center of the dough.
- Roll like a cigar, then roll the dough on the breadcrumbs, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Next, cover the dough with cling film, and allow the dough to rest for 1 hour or until doubled.
- Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow it to cool before serving.
Kalena says
Made this today and it turned out great! I did add an extra tablespoon of flour due to the area I live and used only white sugar for the filling. But other than that, the Spanish Bread came out just like the one's I would buy. Thank-you for sharing your recipe; now I do not have to make a trip to the bakery ... I can make it!
EmN'M says
Yo, this Filipino bread recipe looks insanely good - soft, sweet, and buttery, perfect for anytime of day. Gotta try making this ASAP!
Lainey says
Absolutely! I hope you'll love it when you try this recipe. Please share a photo on my IG when you make this. Thank you!
Euny says
If I don't have bread flour, can I use all purpose flour?
zidane says
I love how rolled bread can be customized with so many different flavors and ingredients