Pandesal (Spanish: pan de sal, lit. "salt bread") is a staple bread roll in the Philippines commonly eaten for breakfast. It is made of flour, yeast, sugar, oil, and salt.
Contents
- Description
- Variants
- History
- Gallery
- See also
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.
It is most commonly served hot and may be eaten as is, or dipped in coffee, tsokolate (hot chocolate), or milk. It can also be complemented with butter, margarine, cheese, jam, peanut butter, chocolate spread, or other fillings like eggs, sardines and meat.
Its taste and texture closely resemble those of the Puerto Rican pan de agua, French baguette, and Mexican bolillos. Contrary to its name, pandesal tastes slightly sweet rather than salty. Most bakeries produce pandesal in the morning for breakfast consumption, though some bake pandesal the whole day.
Variants
Some pandesal in supermarkets and some bakeries are less crusty and lighter in color. These also tend to have more sugar than the traditional pandesal, which only has 1.75% sugar.
On Siargao Island, famous as a surfing spot, an oval-shaped version is locally known as "pan de surf" as it resembles a surfboard. It is baked on makeshift ovens fueled with coconut husks, and usually sold alongside pan de coco.
Dried and ground-up malunggay or moringa leaves are sometimes mixed into the flour for added nutritional content; this is called "malunggay pandesal" or "malunggay bread".
A popular new variant of pandesal is ube cheese pandesal, which has a purple yam (ube) and cheese filling. It is characteristically purple like all ube-based dishes. Other contemporary variants include chocolate, matcha, strawberry and blueberry flavors.
A soft, yellowish type of Filipino bread roll that is similar to pandesal except that uses eggs, milk, and butter or margarine is known as Señorita bread, Spanish bread, or pan de kastila. Unlike the pandesal, it commonly has sweet fillings. It is unrelated to the Spanish pan de horno (also known in English as "Spanish bread").
History
The precursor of the pandesal was pan de suelo ("floor bread"), a local Spanish-Filipino version of the French baguette baked directly on the floor of a wood-fired oven called a pugón. It was made with wheat flour and was harder and crustier than the pandesal. Since wheat is not natively produced in the Philippines, bakers eventually switched to more affordable yet inferior flour, resulting in the softer, doughy texture of the pandesal.
Pandesal flourished in the American colonial era in the early 1900s, when cheaper American wheat became readily available. It has since become a staple breakfast bread in the Philippines.
Baking of pandesal in pugón has declined due to a nationwide ban on cutting mangrove trees for fuel, and bakers shifted to using gas-fired ovens.
Gallery
The "putok" is a variation on the pandesal made from monay dough
Pandesal plastic-wrapped for the grocers
Pandesal (lower right) for breakfast
See also
In Spanish: Pan de sal para niños
FAQs
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. The bread is subtly sweet and the crust has light golden brown color with a slight crunch.
What is a fun fact about pandesal? ›
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.
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 summary of pandesal? ›
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 are the benefits of pandesal? ›
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.
What are some fun facts about bread? ›
Bread was so important to Egyptians a long, long time ago that it was used a currency, or money! Kansas wheat farmers provided enough wheat to make bread in 1997 to give everyone on earth six loaves of bread – that's 36.5 billion loaves of bread! Bread is a universal sign of peace in many cultures.
What is the culture of pandesal? ›
This bread is a staple food for Filipinos, like rice is in other cultures. Pan de sal is a traditional breakfast–just that and coffee. In the Philippines, people just walk down the block to their local baker and pick up fresh pan de sal daily.
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 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.
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).
Pandesal, Philippine Sweet Bun
- Total Fat 5g. 8%
- Saturated Fat 1.5g. 8%
- Cholesterol 110mg. 37%
- Sodium 85mg. 4%
- Total Carbohydrates 23g. 8%
- 4%
- Sugars 5g.
- Protein 6g.
These products are only baked with fresh ingredients; therefore, they only have a short room temperature shelf life of around 4-5 days. However, their life can be extended by up to a month if they are tightly-sealed and stored in the freezer.
Is pandesal a Spanish word? ›
Pandesal is a Spanish word for "salt bread". It is a rounded bread usually eaten by Filipinos during breakfast.
What is an interesting 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.
Who invented pandesal? ›
According to the Manila-based food site Pepper, wasn't until the Spaniards attempted to "create an answer to the French baguette" that the original pandesal was born. That version was made with whole wheat flour and baked in a pugon, a wood-fired oven that rests on the floor — also known as pan de suelo.
Is pandesal a snack? ›
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.
What is a fun fact about baking? ›
The starch in the dish creates a webbed structure that traps water and keeps a dish moist. That carbon dioxide makes the whole thing expand through bubbles that the gluten keeps in place. That's why baking is more precise than other kinds of cooking.
What does pandesal taste like? ›
Filipino pandesal, which means salt bread in Spanish, is reminiscent of the American-style dinner roll but it leans more sweet than savory, with a pillowy interior and a golden, sandy exterior dusted with breadcrumbs.
What is an interesting fact about white bread? ›
The white flour used in white bread is produced from the endosperm of the grain, which is a rich source of carbohydrate and protein. White bread has approximately the same carbohydrate and protein content as wholemeal bread, and contains some dietary fibre and a good percentage of the nutrients of wholegrain bread.
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In Spanish: Pan de sal para niños
