pan de sal, etc.

Hot pan de sal business had seen its better days. There was a time when it was a booming business in Manila and there were bakeries selling hot pan sal everywhere. An uncle from Canada gave us this recipe. It has been the same basic recipe I follow for making ensaymada, cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls ( shown below ). The proportion of liquid and dry ingredients just needs to be adjusted especially when making ensaymada, which is supposed to be a richer "brioche" type of dough. Milk instead of water results in a softer texture and more eggs for a richer dough. Fresh from the oven pan de sal are the best. In Manila, it's still the most popular breakfast bread. Pan de sal delivery is one of the early morning activities along with shouts of "taho" ( very soft and warm breakfast tofu meal eaten with tapioca & brown sugar syrup, always a hit with kids ) the familiar honking sound of the pan de sal delivery guy in a bicycle fills the air. Kids, men and women wait along the gates of their homes for their turns to buy. Thanks to the ever reliable bread machine, it does an amazing job kneading bread dough, pan de sal can now be baked anytime.

These dinner rolls use the same basic pan de sal recipe but with milk instead of water, resulting in a very light, soft and delicate dough texture. Brushed with beaten egg before baking (above).