Pandesal (Filipino Bread Rolls) Using The Tangzhong Method
Pandesal is a popular bread in the Philippines 🇵🇭. My husband’s family is Chinese-Filipino, so I’ve been a huge pandesal fan for a very long time. Unfortunately, there are no Filipino bakeries near us, so we’ve ordered pandesal online in the past. I finally decided to make them at home.
I prefer feathery, light and fluffy pandesal. This recipe achieves that by using tangzhong. Tangzhong is a thick pudding‑like gel made by cooking flour in liquid. Mixing this gel into the dough lets you create a high hydration dough that isn’t overly sticky. In the oven, the abundance of water turns to steam and inflates the dough, making it light and soft. Tangzhong also extends the shelf life of baked goods.
This recipe requires a LOT of kneading, which is critical to obtaining the right dough texture. The dough also starts out very gooey and sticky, which is very difficult to knead by hand. For optimal results, you need a stand mixer.
This recipe is from Michael Grode
Pandesal (Filipino Bread Rolls) Using The Tangzhong Method
Pandesal is a popular bread in the Philippines 🇵🇭. My husband’s family is Chinese-Filipino, so I’ve been a huge pandesal fan for a very long time. Unfortunately, there are no Filipino bakeries near us, so we’ve ordered pandesal online in the past. I finally decided to make them at home.
I prefer feathery, light and fluffy pandesal. This recipe achieves that by using tangzhong. Tangzhong is a thick pudding‑like gel made by cooking flour in liquid. Mixing this gel into the dough lets you create a high hydration dough that isn’t overly sticky. In the oven, the abundance of water turns to steam and inflates the dough, making it light and soft. Tangzhong also extends the shelf life of baked goods.
This recipe requires a LOT of kneading, which is critical to obtaining the right dough texture. The dough also starts out very gooey and sticky, which is very difficult to knead by hand. For optimal results, you need a stand mixer.
This recipe is from Michael Grode
Cooking Instructions
- 1
Gather the ingredients.
For best results, you will also need:
⭐️ A stand mixer fitted with a dough hook
⭐️ A food scale
⭐️ A medium sized sauce pan
⭐️ A food thermometer
⭐️ A large aluminum baking sheetThe King Arthur Bread and Cake Enhancer is completely optional. I’ve found that it improves the texture of baked goods and also makes them last longer.
- 2
Prepare your workspace:
⭐️ Place the milk in the saucepan, and keep the flour close by for the tangzhong.
⭐️ Place the flour (and the bread enhancer, if using) in a bowl near the stand mixer.
⭐️ Whisk the sugar and salt together in a bowl.
⭐️ Slice the butter and ensure that it and the egg are at room temperature.
- 3
First, make the tangzhong:
Combine the milk and flour in the saucepan, and whisk it well until it’s fully dissolved.
- 4
Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and continue whisking constantly until the whisk starts leaving faint trails in the thickening liquid.
- 5
Remove the pan from heat and continue whisking for 1 minute. Check the temperature of the mixture. It should be about 150°F (65.6°C). It’s okay if it’s a little over.
- 6
Immediately transfer the tangzhong to the bowl of the stand mixer.
Whisk in the sugar, salt, and remaining milk.
- 7
Add the egg and beat it in.
- 8
Add the flour and yeast, and stir well until a thick, sticky dough forms.
- 9
Using the dough hook, mix at speed setting 2 for two minutes.
Rest the dough for 15 minutes before continuing.
- 10
Mix at speed setting 4 for 10 to 11 minutes.
The dough will look quite sticky, and some of it will stick to the side of your bowl. Do NOT add more flour! Trust the process, and keep going!
Check on your stand mixer every few minutes. If it feels like it’s getting too warm to the touch, turn it off, wait a few minutes, then pick up where you left off.
- 11
Scrape the bowl to collect the dough in a ball, and rest the dough again for 15 minutes.
- 12
Add the softened butter by scraping it onto the dough with a spatula.
- 13
⭐️Mix the dough at speed setting 3 for three minutes.
⭐️Increase the speed to setting 4 and mix the dough for five minutes.
⭐️Decrease the speed to setting 3 and mix the dough for three minutes.
⭐️Finally, decrease the speed to setting 2 and mix the dough for five minutes. - 14
The dough will be smooth and elastic. If you remove a portion of it about the size of a golf ball and pull it apart so it’s almost thin enough to see through, the dough should not tear. This is known as a “window pane test.”
If the dough tears, keep kneading it in the stand mixer at speed setting 2 until it passes this test.
- 15
Dampen your hands with water, then scoop the dough out of the stand mixer bowl to release it. Shape it into a smooth ball.
- 16
Place the ball of dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Turn the dough so that it is covered with some of the oil. Seal the bowl with plastic wrap.
- 17
I turned my oven into a proofing drawer so that the dough would rise well. I turned my oven on to its lowest setting for 2 minutes, then shut it off. The inside of the oven was just a little warm. I filled a 9x13” pan about a quarter full with boiling water and placed it on a lower shelf. I then placed my covered dough in the oven and shut the door.
- 18
Allow the dough to rise until doubled. This will take approximately one and a half to two hours.
- 19
Prepare your workspace:
⭐️Place about 1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs into a small bowl.
⭐️Lightly flour your work surface.
⭐️Have a food scale handy to weigh each of the dough balls.
⭐️Place an aluminum cookie sheet or pan nearby.
- 20
Gently deflate the dough, and transfer it to the lightly floured counter.
- 21
Use a bench scraper to divide the dough into approximately 4 equal portions.
Tear off chunks of dough and shape them into balls. Each ball should weigh between 55 and 60 g.
- 22
Pinch the dough at the bottom of each ball and then cup your hand like a letter C shape. Cup your hand around the dough ball from the side and rill it lightly but quickly against the counter surface so that it becomes a smooth round sphere.
- 23
Roll each of the balls in breadcrumbs so that all sides are completely covered. Transfer the balls of dough to the ungreased cookie sheet. Place them about 2 inches apart.
- 24
Cover the cookie sheet with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes.
- 25
Toward the end of the second proofing time, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- 26
Remove the plastic wrap from the cookie sheet.
Bake the rolls in the preheated oven for 22 to 24 minutes.
- 27
Allow the rolls to cool on the cookie sheet for about a minute before transferring them to wire racks.
You can serve them immediately! There is nothing quite like a fluffy warm pandesal! 💕
- 28
✨SO FLUFFY✨
These rolls are perfectly airy and light. You can serve them slathered with butter and/or jam, or stuffed with cheese, eggs, or meat. Or, you can just eat them as is.
- 29
Store leftover rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to four days or up to seven days in the fridge. They can be re-warmed in the microwave or toaster oven.
Cooksnaps
Did you make this recipe? Share a picture of your creation!
Similar Recipes
-
Petit Sesame Bread Rolls Petit Sesame Bread Rolls
I wanted to make some light sesame bread.If you are making this in a bread making machine, then you can add the olive oil in from the beginning. Add in the sesame last to avoid crush it. It will be fragrant if you sauté the sesames beforehand. The absorption rate will change a bit if you change flours, so you will need to make adjustments once without adding more water. Use 240 g to start with and adjust from there if you are are using domestic flour. Recipe by Pitarou
-
Sweet Bread Rolls Sweet Bread Rolls
A recipe that I've been playing with and tweaking for a couple of weeks now. I think I've finally got it where I want it.
-
Cute Braided Bread Rolls Cute Braided Bread Rolls
These are easy to shape so I usually pack these in my bento lunchbox. I fill the rolls with chocolate, stewed apples, leftover kinpira burdock stir-fry, or patties. You won't be able to tell they are made with leftovers.Sprinkle with granulated sugar instead of powdered cheese if you're adding sweet fillings.I use low-fat milk, but you can use any kind of milk.Add the butter after kneading the mixture of the ingredients in your bread machine and the dough starts to come together. The dough will become smoother (add the butter 8 to 10 minutes after you start kneading). Recipe by putimiko -
Sweet Bread Rolls Sweet Bread Rolls
I love this bread. It would be better if you use premium bread flour.
-
Simple Sugar-Topped Bread Rolls Simple Sugar-Topped Bread Rolls
I made simple bread rolls that really made the most of the scent of the Rama brand margarine I used. Recipe by Ayachipan -
Easy Bread Rolls Easy Bread Rolls
So versatile, they are very nice when you add ingredients such as garlic and herbs to spice it up a bit also!
-
Rice Flour White Bread Rolls (with Condensed Milk) Rice Flour White Bread Rolls (with Condensed Milk)
I was going to make white bread rolls using rice flour, and when I rounded off the dough I wanted to make a pull-apart bread instead so I made a white pull-apart bread.I used a pan with a non-stick coating, but I lined the bottom with kitchen parchment paper anyway so that the bread would be easy to take out.If the top is getting browned during baking, cover with aluminum foil. Recipe by Anmika -
Chocolate Banana Stick Bread Rolls Chocolate Banana Stick Bread Rolls
Freshly baked banana bread with banana kneaded into the dough is light and fluffy and has an irresistible sweet scent when freshly baked. But when I tried to knead it by hand, the dough was so sticky, I had a lot of trouble. I changed the ratio of ingredients and shape of the bread little by little, to come up with this easy-to-make recipe.Regular bread dough may start out sticky but gradually become smoother and easier to handle, but this dough starts out stiff and becomes softer and softer. It also won't rise much, so you may be concerned, but when it's baked it will be properly airy and light. Recipe by caramel-cookie -
Brown Sugar & Kinako (Roasted Soy Flour) Plain Bread Rolls Brown Sugar & Kinako (Roasted Soy Flour) Plain Bread Rolls
I created this recipe because I wanted to eat healthy and slightly sweet plain bread rolls.Close the seams firmly in Step 4. Recipe by Sweetpy -
Chocolate Bread Rolls Chocolate Bread Rolls
Thinking back to the bread sold at my elementary school snack shop, besides the apple bread, there was a long chocolate bread. Its chewy texture and the chocolate inside really won my heart. Although I can't replicate the exact texture, I decided to make a similar chocolate bread roll to relive that memory.Feel free to visit my blog at http://lemon-banana.blogspot.com/Tips* You can substitute instant yeast for regular dry yeast, using half the amount and adding it directly to the flour to mix into a dough.* You can use any spread you like for the filling.* You can replace the milk with egg wash.
Translated from Cookpad Taiwan -
Round Bread Rolls Round Bread Rolls
Butter rolls are too much work to form into shapes, so I tried baking dinner roll-style buns with egg and a generous amount of butter.When you are brushing with the beaten egg, please be gentle so that you won't damage the dough. Recipe by Mamyuchoko -
Bread Rolls Bread Rolls
Bread rolls were the first kind of bread I ever made. I made these rolls with my favourite dough.When the dough is not stretching well, cover with a tightly wrung out kitchen towel and let it sit for a little while.I used about 1/2 an egg for the dough and the remaining for the glaze. Recipe by Maria358
More Recipes
Comments (6)