Recipe: Chef Jackie Ang Po's take on Spanish Bread

MANILA, Philippines — What is your favorite simple bread from the neighborhood bakery? Pandesal, Putok, Pan de Coco, Spanish bread?

Oh, yes, Spanish bread!

There’s actually nothing Spanish about it at all because it is a Filipino bread roll with a sugar and margarine filling. Also known as Señorita bread or Pan de Kastila, it comes in a light yellow color and with breadcrumbs all over it.

Due to the Spanish bread’s popularity, Chef Jackie Ang Po decided to whip up her own take on it and share the recipe with her Facebook followers. She brought it a notch higher by exploring if Spanish bread can be cooked on stovetop instead of the usual baking in the oven, and, yes, she said, it can be done.

Here is the recipe:

Spanish Bread

Ingredients:

For the bread:

1 cup water

1 tsp. yeast

500 grams all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

100 grams sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 egg yolks

For the filling:

100 grams margarine

125 grams brown sugar

20 grams flour

20 grams powdered milk

For the topping:

Breadcrumbs

Procedure:

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.

2. Mix all liquid ingredients in another bowl.

3. Combine and knead for 10 to 15 minutes or until dough becomes stretchy. Let rise for 1 1/2 hours.

4. Divide dough into 24 pieces and form each into a ball.

5. Mix together ingredients for the filling.

6. Roll out dough balls into a rectangular shape. Place a small amount of filling onto one end and roll into a log, sealing the edges to keep the filling from spilling out. Coat with breadcrumbs. Let rise for 1 hour, then bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 minutes.

7. For stovetop cooking instead of baking in an oven, preheat stove for 10 minutes. Arrange on steamer basket and cook on top layer of steamer with salt for 20 minutes. Do not open until done.