[Filipino Recipes] Ube Cheese Pandesal (2024)

FAQs

Who invented the ube cheese pandesal? ›

Ube Cheese Pandesal History

It was first discovered when Kimmy Bakes Bakeshop in Cavite, Philippines posted this attractive and mouth-watering ube cheese bread on their Facebook account a few years ago.

Why is the crust on my pandesal so hard? Your bread should be fluffy on the inside and slightly crusty on the outside, but the crust should not be rock hard. If your crust is too hard, it could be the result of under kneading your bread. Make sure your dough is completely smooth after kneading.

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.

Storing the Pandesal

If you have leftovers, you can simply place them in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate them for up to 1 week. You can simply reheat these in an oven toaster for a few minutes to enjoy warm.

The pan de sal

Pan de sal, literally translated as salt bread, is the national bread of the Philippines and while we think we're all initiated with it, there are as many pan de sal varieties as there is adobo.

"In my culture, it is commonly made into a jam called ube halaya, then added to foods like Halo-Halo [a shaved ice dessert]." Though ube is originally native to the Philippines, it's recently become an international sensation for its unique color and sweet, starchy flavor.

Commercial bread is softer due to the steam process used by bakeries, which is made to keep bread hydrated and fresh.

Pandesal, also known as Pan de sal (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.

Why is my pandesal dense and not fluffy? A dense and pandesal can be caused by using inaccurate proportions of ingredients, for example, not enough liquid or fat, or using too much flour. Another reason is under rising. If the dough did not have enough time to rise, then the bread might come out dense and hard.

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).

What is the most popular bread in the Philippines? ›

Pandesal is the most popular local bread in the Philippines.

A soft and airy flour roll, pandesal —€” which is sometimes spelled out as "pan de sal" —€” is Spanish for "salt bread." However, contrary to its name, the bread is actually relatively sweet. The yeast-raised bread is similar to the Mexican bolillo, and is the breakfast bread of choice throughout the Philippines.

Pandesal is most commonly served warm and can be enjoyed as is, dipped in a morning beverage (coffee, tsokolate (hot chocolate), or milk. It can be enjoyed on its own or with a sweet or savory spread of filling. Ideas include vegan butter, vegan cheese, jam, peanut butter, a chocolate spread, vegan eggs, or vegan meat.

The pandesal keeps for 3 days at room temperature. If you can't finish them within 3 days, FREEZE! Then take out the night before or an hour before eating.

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.

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.

Ube (Purple Yam): A Historical Staple

Ube, scientifically known as Dioscorea alata, has a long history in the Philippines, dating back to pre-colonial times. It is believed to have originated in Southeast Asia and has been cultivated in the Philippines for centuries.

Also known as pão de queijo, Brazilian cheese bread can be traced back to southeast Brazil. When the state known as Minas Gerais was colonized, the people turned to native cassava to make bread because they found that the land wasn't suitable for growing grains such as wheat.

The Philippines shows the highest phenotypic diversity of ube (Dioscorea alata), making it one of the likely centers of origin of ube domestication. Remains of ube have been recovered from the Ille Cave archaeological site of Palawan (c. 11,000 BP).