Pan De Sal I

I've made this recipe a few times now, and each time added more sugar and salt (it was quite bland the first time). Adding 2/3 cup sugar and 2 tsp salt makes it delicious! Just like I remember. Also don't forget to sprinkle the tops with bread crumbs before baking to make it authentic.

My first attempt and it was perfect! I was expecting it to be really dense and hard but it came out soft and nice. It tastes a little bland but I think that's how authentic pan de sal should taste like. Perfect with a slice of cheddar cheese -- my all time favorite Filipino breakfast! *JUST A TIP: Make sure that the water is warm to the touch, not boiling hot. Otherwise, the yeast will die & the bread will not rise at all. Thanks for the recipe Michele!

my kids love it, i just feel that something is missing, it's kinda hard too i want my pan de sal crunchy outside but soft inside, i follow the recipe what did i do wrong?

My wife always craves for pan de sal and we have to drive 30 miles just to get them pre-packed and cold so I was glad to find this recipe online. My wife and kids loved it so much...I've made this 10 times in 2 months...no kidding! Here are the additions/changes I made to the original recipe based on other reviews and to suit our tastes: replace 1/4 cup of vegetable oil with 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp vegetable oil; add 4 egg yolks (yes, no whites); 1 cup of sugar; 2 tsps salt; 1 pack or 2 1/4 tsps of active dry yeast and cut in logs about the size of 1 large AA egg. If you want your pan de sal dense, just let the logs rise for about 30mins to 1 hour. The longer you let it rise the less dense or softer the pan de sal gets. I let it rise for as long as 2 hours. If you want it brown or crunchy on top, lightly spread the top of the logs with vegetable oil. When the vegetable oil drips to the sides of the logs, that's too much and it will burn the bottom of the bread. Sprinkle some bread crumbs over the vegetable oil to make it more authentic. It takes a long time to prepare this but it's worth it... I like it that I can make something my wife really loves. Enjoy! Thanks for posting this recipe!

Thanks Michelle! I've used this recipe 3 times in the last 5 weeks and I just can't have enough. The crust was crispy and the inside just airy enough but not too dense. Tastes really good. This very much resembles what is known as "putok" pan de sal in the Philippines. I freeze cooled pan de sal so 1 recipe lasts a week. I just grab however many I need from the freezer and put it straight in the toaster oven (no thawing!)on low to medium heat for 5-7 minutes and it's like having fresh baked pan de sal everytime.

My husband swears this is just like his mom used to make. Very tasty rolls.

I tried to make this recipe three times and failed each time. I did exactly what the recipe directed and it did not work.

I made these for my filipino boyfriend, they brought tears of joy!

I am very new at baking. I used the recipe twice. The pandesal tasted good. I have one concern with the instruction on size. I may have done something wrong but 1/2 inch cylinder by 1/2 inch length seems too small. So, in later batches I had to make to cuts to 1 inch cylinder by 1-1/2 inch long.

Wow! I was very impressed. A Pan De Sal recipe that actually tasted like Pan De Sal! The whole family loved it... especially my Mom. Thank you for the recipe.

My wife is from the Philippines and loves Pan De Sal (I do too). I used this recipe with a few of the suggested changes. First, 2/3 cup of sugar is mandatory in my opinion. I used 2 tsp of salt. The first rise took about 1.5 hours, so be patient. I had the bowl of dough sitting in a warm oven. I actually had to turn the oven on again for a minute to get the dough to really pop. The original recipe calls to roll the dough into a log 1/2 inches in diameter. I believe this is a miss print. I rolled it into a log about 2.5 inches diameter, and cut them into 1 inch thick "slices". As I place them on the large greased baking pan, I reshape them to round, flatten them slightly, and spaced them by 1/2". On the second pan, I "crowded" them together (1/4"spacing ) to see if it would produce taller rolls. It did. I brushed an egg/milk wash onto the tops of each roll, and sprinkled them with fine bread crumbs. I asked my wife and her filipina friend about the shape of traditional Pan De Sal, they both had different answers. I suppose it depends on what region of the Philippines one is from. My first batch came out flatter, about 1.5 inches high when done but still plenty fluffy. The second batch was 2 inches tall, and exactly like what we buy here at the local Filipino bakery (more like our traditional dinner rolls here in the USA). The second batch was allowed to rise 30 extra minutes, which could also be contributing to the height. We both liked both styles equally.

very nice recipe! i had to double the amount of sugar though to make it sweeter. thanks!

I followed GOTOHELLER's advice and these turned out pretty good. My only criticism is that they turn out really small, and most pandesal I've eaten are about double the size so maybe next time I will make the rolls bigger. Some of the dimensions in the recipe were also confusing, like that 1/2 inch circumference thing? uhhhh....isn't that like the size of a pencil? Anyway, I didn't bother with that. Just divided them into 20 equal pieces and rolled them into slightly oval shaped balls. Turned out pretty good, but I would've liked them to be a little more fluffy. I'll make it again with some modifications.

The texture of these rolls was great; a thin crispy crust with a tender and airy interior. I made only half of the recipe and didn't top them with breadcrumbs, but with an egg wash. I will add more sugar and salt for more flavor next time, like other reviewers suggested.

I grew up eating pan de sal, but now live in an area where it's unheard of. So, I was so excited when I found the recipe here, hoping that it would fufill my cravings. This recipe came reeeaallllly close, but didn't taste EXACTLY like the pan de sal I'm used to - and to me, pan de sal is pan de sal - meaning that I've never had one that didn't taste like another; This didn't fill the spot, however again, it was close.

This is a fantastic recipe and saved me from a baker's meltdown. The pan de sal was just how I remembered them from the Philippines. Light and sweet with a texture that beats all yeast rolls. What else can I say except that they were gone within ten minutes.

I made this twice. The first one was a bit too hard for me. On my second try I put water in the oven while baking it. And I achieved perfection! It's crusty in the outside and very soft in the inside. The same like what we have at home. My husband and my son loves it! Thank you for sharing this recipe.

I have tried several recipes for pan de sal, and they were all good but too dense and heavy for my taste. I love this recipe. It really does taste and look like the pandesal I used to buy in the Phils. It's economical too cuz it doesn't call for eggs or milk, which what makes other recipes heavier and more dense. I freeze my pandesal and warm them up in my ovenette and they are as soft inside as when they were freshly made! Thanks to the person who shared this! Love it!

Just like the store bought Pan De Sal but made fresh in your own home. I have a bread machine so I use that to do most of the work. I add all the ingredients, set it to basic cycle and remove the dough after its second rising. Then I continue on with the step #4. The only difference is that as I place it on the baking sheets I lightly dip one side of the dough in breadcrumbs. Then I cover with a damp cloth and let it rise for about 40 minutes. With this recipe I find that I have to use two baking sheets in the oven, so what I do is on the 10 minute mark I switch the top sheet to the bottom and vice versa. I find that this evenly browns and cooks the bread. I freeze what I know I can't finish 2 days so that it doesn't spoil. Will definitely make again!

this tastes like the pandesal my sisters and I ate for breakfast in the philippines when we were little. This is very good. I rolled mine in breadcrumbs before baking. :)

With a few alterations, these came out like the pan de sal I'm used to eating. I followed the advice of previous reviews, using 2/3 c sugar, 2 tsp salt, and sprinkling the tops with bread crumbs before baking. I actually read the measurement for the yeast incorrectly, so I ended up putting in 2 T of yeast rather than 2 tsp, but the bread didn't turn out "yeasty" like I feared (so no worries). Very good :)

I love the recipe. The 2/3 cup of sugar and 2 teaspoons of salt hits the spot. I knew that in my first try that I've done something wrong (killing the yeast). The second and nth times, aawww, so yummy. A must try!

This is a yummy recipe. I do agree with gotoheller on the addition of extra sugar and salt. The directions are a bit misleading though. The recipe states rolling dough in a 1/2 inch diameter rope, I found that impossible to do. It then states to cut the 1/2 inch rope in 1/2 inch pieces. That will give you tiny rolls. You need to divide the 1dough 1/4's into 7 rolls. to obtain 30 rolls.

I loved this recipe. My mom is filipina and I never watched her when she cooked when I was younger. Now that I'm married, I'm trying to keep food from my herritage in our lives and this recipe tastes as good as mom use to make. I did take some advise from other comments and added the 2/3 cup of sugar instead of the 1/3. I also added the 2tsp of salt instead too, just for that extra flavor for the rolls. Thanks so much for this recipe and I know I'll be calling mom soon to let her know what new recipe I learned!

this recipe is so easy to follow and its yummy. i made some changes, i used less flour, i used 5 cups instead of 6 cups, then i put more sugar. it was perfect for my taste. thanks for sharing this.

My grandparents owned a bakery in the Phillipines and this recipe, with a couple of adjustments, produced a wonderful tasting delight that brought me back in time - just need a brown paper bag to enjoy them in now! I took the advice of the previous reviews and added 1/3 cup of sugar and tad more salt. My girlfriend and I tested the oven temp and adjusted baking it at 360 degrees for 17 minutes. We had tried following a recipe book but it was nowhere near the pan de sal I remember, aroma and all! Plus there is no bakery in south Orange County. All that is missing is queso de bola during the holidays or maybe some longganiza as my GF suggested...too tasty! Next time, we will shield the bottom to provide an even heat for both the top and bottom. Enjoy! And be patient with the rise times :)

I halfed the recipe and it made 32 pcs. I like the texture but I agree with the others that the sugar was not enough and left them bland. I did not have bread crumbs but they came out ok.

overall the bread was good, but did not taste like the pan de sal i had growing up. it seemed like it was missing something and was more like a plain dinner roll.

Made these with no changes to recipe. We get our Pan De Sal from a local Oriental market and they get it from a bakery in Jersey. Not exactly fresh by the time it gets to us here in VA. The aroma hit my Filipino hubby "before" he got to the door of our home. I just wish you could have seen his smile when he saw these rolls on our table!! Many, many thanks for sharing. These will also grace our table when family comes to share Easter dinner!!

The recipe says to cut into 1/2 inch pieces, and I doubted it but decided to follow the directions exactly..The bread was so tiny I think a mouse would be offended! It was about the size of the quarter. (I took them out much earlier since they're tiny.) So use your judgement and cut it bigger. Pan de sal is a little bland, but not this bland. It didn't taste like it at all. I think different regions have different pan de sal, because ours aren't crispy, they're slightly denser and crumbly and sweeter. We're from Pampanga. I don't understand why it says to knead 10 minutes, because my dough was smooth and elastic by 5 minutes. I don't think I'll make this again, it didn't even taste better than a regular dinner roll.

I never had real Pan de Sal before (like some of the other reviewers) but I loved these as is! They were so easy to put together, baked up with a nice crisp crust and soft insides! Very delicious and I will definitely be making more of these in the future. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

Good basic recipe.I followed the other reviewers and used 2/3 c sugar and 2 tsp salt. Due to the higher amount of sugar, let dough rise for one hour before forming into a log and cutting into 2 inch pieces. Roll in bread crumbs and place on baking sheet cut side up. Let rise for another hour before baking in 375 F oven for 18-20 minutes.

Excellent recipe. Simply delicious and authentic. I tried this recipe 5 times in the last two weeks and and never tired of liking it. I varied the amount of sugar to 2/3 cups as recommended by those people who reviewed it earlier, it was good, really taste authentic like in the Philippines, as the Filipinos love sweet food but not me. I tried to reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup instead and it was perfect to my liking. My family loved it too, especially when it is served with Philadelphia cheese spread on it. The technique I think to make it softer on the inside is to let the dough rise by having it sit for 4 hours rather than 1 hour after you have cut the dough into pieces. I prepared the dough before sleeping at night and when I woke up in the morning the cut dough pieces have all risen, and when I cooked it it was crispy on outside and very soft in the inside. The bread crumbs make it all look authentic. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I do not have to miss the pandesal from the Philippines again as I know now how to make it. And for all reviewers, than you for imparting your comments that helped me make good pandesal.

it was ok, taste is good if following previous reviewer's additions of salt and sugar. Mine didn't rise as well in the short period of time, however, and when cooled, it was quite hard :(

Great recipe. To create each roll, I found that it was better to take 1/3 cup of dough and roll it into a ball.

I just made this today, and although it turned out really well, I think there is something missing to be called pandesal, I thought this tasted like a bread roll, i think it is missing some softness, pandesal is softer than what this turned out to be.. I did enjoy it tho, I had eaten more than I should have! I probably do it again, but need to find out the missing ingredients to make it a REAL pandesal... thanks for sharing the recipe...

It turned out hard, too much flour.

mainly for reference

This recipe is just like the Filipino pandesal, tried twice and the second time I made, it turned out really good. I made some changes on the following: I used 2 packages of yeast, 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of vegetable oil. Before putting in the oven, sprinkle bread crumbs on top of the dough. It is soft just like back home.

This recipe was great; especially with the revisions made by other reviewers. I made mine with 3 cups all purpose flour and 2 cups whole wheat flour. Still turned out great! Just a note... This is typically eaten for breakfast and not dinner.

I will have to try this one again. My first attempt, did not turn out like I hoped. They were too much like a biscuit instead of what they really are supposed to taste like. I will make the attempt when I sum up the courage again and re-rate it then. I followed the recipe exactly as it is listed. My husband is Filipino, so he was my true tester. He did not give negative feedback, but I know that this did not turn out good for me. Will try and rate again later.

looks yummy cant wait to make it for tomorrows Christmas dinner.

Just like my grandmother's recipe. What I did differently was to use melted butter instead of oil and 5 cups of flour not 6. Kneaded it by hand. Perfect!!!!

These were great! I used the 2tsp salt & 1 cup sugar, used 4TBSP unsalted butter rather than veg oil. My only problem was that when rolling out into logs that were 1/2 in in diameter, I ended up with teeny tiny rolls. I let the dough rise for 2 hours but only let the cut rolls rise for 10 min so we'll see how the next batch goes.

I use canned evaporated milk for HALF of the water, and sprinkle the formed buns with the crumbs from an old batch of pandesal. The sugar doesn't have to change.

I gave it a 4 only for the BLAND taste. I used my own yeast starter as well and it came through as far as flavor goes but even with salt, sugar, salted butter, its just sooooo BLAND, no real flavor at all! but the texture,everything else is perfect. the igredients are proportinate to what your end result is. thanx, but will definitely tweak for my own taste!~

well i literally just finished baking them and for some reason it's hard...does not even look close to looking like pan de sal...it smelled pretty good though...i followed the recipe exactly as given....but failed...i'm a bit disappointed i'm not sure what i've done wrong...it is still edible though...it kinda tasted a bit like sourdough...i may give it another try...

Super yummy, but I did double the sugar and added 50% more salt. I used two different pans.. one was a air cookie sheet and the other one was a regular worn cookie sheet. They cooked better on the air cookie sheet on the top shelf in the oven. They burnt more in the worn cookie sheet in the center of the oven. I only baked for 20 minutes. I even used my Breadmaker for the "hard" part. :) Perfect!! :) Don't forget to sprinkle with cornmeal before cooking!

I liked it! It was great because I didn't need to have that many ingredients. I used the suggestion of GOTOHELLER, and it turned out very yummy!!

As a person who has never had "real" pan de sal, I've made it three times. First, I made it exactly the way the recipe says to. It came out great. So, the second time, I took a risk and I shoved this in my bread machine, and then started at step 4 when the dough cycle was done... It still came out awesomely, great recipe. If you like a stronger flavored bread, you should perhaps add a little more sugar/salt, but honestly, it's great the way it is. :) Edit: I forgot to mention that I too cut the rolls larger-- they were more like a half inch radius than a diameter. But they're still good! :)

I just made some modification which limit my flour to 5 cups. I cook for more than 10 times using this recipe and it's superb! Likewise, I made it with some filling such as cornbeaf, tuna, ham and cheese. Try it, you would like it.

I made these today. It's my first time making pan de sal and I loved the taste! .. and so did my family! I used warm water with the yeast, 2/3cup sugar and 2tsp salt. I let the dough rise longer than called for because I forgot about it. I cut them into bigger pieces. They taste good cold too! GREAT RECIPE, THANKS SO MUCH.

i make these often, my kids love them. two changes i make - increase sugar to 2/3 cup and salt to 2 tsp. also, sprinkle bread crumbs prior to baking. love putting cheese in the middle when it's warm... and drinking w/ hot cocoa. yum!

Made this recipe with 2/3 c sugar and 2 T melted butter plus vegetable oil to make 1/4 c as posted by reviewers. Turned out great. Bread came out more like dinner rolls though. Will make the pieces larger bext time. Made variations by adding a stick of cheese in the middle. Even made a loaf wherein I sprinkled cinnamon, brown sugar and pieces of butter. Yum! This recipe's a keeper.

The pandesal didn't quite come out as I had hoped. I'm used to Aling Mary's sweet and soft (no crust) pandesal. This wasn't bad either, it makes a great breakfast and dinner bun, and I'll probably make it again. I added a whole cup of sugar just to get a little bit of sweetness to it.

If you're looking for authentic tasting pan de sal this is not the recipe to follow. The buns produced in this recipe were quite dense even after 2 rises, I much prefer a lighter bun. Perhaps I messed it up somehow. Overall they were decent but I wouldn't make this again.

My kids love this recipe! Very authentic recipe. I'm going to try to use whole wheat flour next time. I chose this recipe because of the simple ingredients. Thanks for a great recipe!

I made this twice and my husband loved it. Tasted just like the pandesal from home.

Makes decent soft and chewy rolls that are best served FRESH. Takes stout sandwich filler (too tough for egg salad). Otherwise, makes a good next-day dunk or pour-over recipe. Good for biscuits and gravy, bread pudding, etc.

Thanks for this wonderful pandesal recipe. I tried them and they were really delicious. Tastes like home.

I love this recipe. It taste like the pan de sal in the Philippines. I shaped this one too big though and had to bake it for more than 20 minutes. Will definitely be making it again!

4 and half star very good , i increase the salt and sprinkle with bread crumbs, good!!!

Halved the recipe and put it on my bread machine dough setting for trial. Gone in 60 seconds from the time it came out the oven, so now making the second batch but this time no more cutting the recipe into half.... followed the recipe as is and rolled buns on bread crumbs before baking. Maybe there'll be some for a photo shoot on the next batch.... thanks for sharing this recipe.

Wonderful recipe!! First time I ever made dinner rolls and they turned out perfect. Everyone went back for seconds!

Made this pandesal recipe for the first time and turned out almost like store made ones. Awesome!

Everything went fine until i tried to take the damp cloth off the rolls. The cloth stuck, the rolls deflated, and I ended up with a bunch of hard tack and two dead towels.

thanks so much for sharing! this was really easy. i added more sugar to make it sweeter. my whole family loved it. this is definitely a keeper!

I made it exactly as it said to, and it was far from my past experiences with actual authentic pandesal. I’ve been to the Philippines before, so I’ve had authentic pandesal bread, my mother is also a professional chef, so I’ve had amazing pandesal before. This was awfully bland, it needs more salt and sugar. Also, it needs much more time to proof. One hour and then a half hour is not enough time. It needs five hours (at least) with you kneading it every hour to get it to the fullness it needs to be at.

Absolutely wonderful recipe- easy to follow and is authentic!

Good recipe, I agree with adding more sugar. Texture came out crispy outside and soft inside. Thanks for sharing this!

I literally just finished making this and it's delicious! Especially with butter! Can't wait to make it in other flavors too. Thank you for sharing this recipe with the world! :)

I made them for dinner, they were awesome.

It was really good but need more practice and maybe add milk and more sugar

will make again but needs a bit more sugar.

This far the best recipe I made pandesal brings me back to the old days where I ran up to the store early morning to buy the freshest made.

This is almost the same as how my friend made hers in Alaska.

Dough never double sized like it said in the recipe. And, outside of bread was very hard and the inside wasnt fluffy or airy at all. Had a bland taste.

I made this recipe almost as is, except I mixed butter and oil instead of just oil. The other measurements where perfect. It tasted like it needed a tiny bit more salt and bread crumbs to give it the authentic pan de sal texture. I will make this again ad it is a good base recipe and easy to follow.

I used 1 cup of sugar instead, and let it rise 3 times, and I made a whole loaf bread instead of lil buns. The recipe is great! Thanks!

So many times and always successfull my hubby always ask me to do it but I added a egg yolk one time and it was delicious too

I don't know what I did wrong. I tried making this twice and both were awful. They were very dense and just tasted like flour. What did I do wrong??

I've been making this for three years for my Spanish class, my Spanish teacher loves it and even says its better than the one she had that was authentic! Great recipe.

My first time making it and it turn out good..finally found the good pandesal recipe..just the one I used to eat very morning back home in ph..thanks

Great recipe. The bread was light and perfect. I used bread flour and followed another reviewer by using one cup of sugar. I followed another recipe by coating it with evaporated milk and sprinkling on bread crumbs.

Didn't change nothing

This is more a 3.5 stars. Mine turned out with a hard crust all around. I actually liked the hard crust, but it wasn't what I was looking for in a pan de sal. Followed directions exactly, maybe bake at a lower temperature? I might try this again.

Amazing!! Great dough!

Super soft love it :)

My Filipino husband and kids love them. You’d never know they were made by a white girl. I need to make them more often as they’re super easy yet delicious. Masarap!

Such a no-fuss and versatile recipe! It’s my fourth time to make them today in a span of just 2 weeks.