Vegan Pandesal

Pandesal is undoubtedly the most popular bread in the Philippines. It is denser and mildly sweeter than the american bread roll. Another big difference is that the american version is for dinner while pandesal is for breakfast.

The word “pandesal “is derived from the Spanish three words “Pan de sal“.  “Pan” means “bread”, and “de sal” means “of salt”. In other words, it’s Spanish for “bread of salt”, which could be misleading because the Filipino pandesal is neither salty nor savory.

I remember bakeries in the Philippines would serve warm pandesal fresh from the oven at the crack of dawn, usually 6am. Sometimes, Filipinos dip pandesal in coffee, which may seem odd but growing up I thought it was the coolest thing.

Vegan pandesal tastes no different from the dairy version. To veganize, I used flax seeds instead of eggs. Instead of cow’s milk, I used nut milk. Everything else is the same, including the baking process. 

Vegan Pandesal

 

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Prep time

3 hours 10 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

3 hours 22 mins

 

Recipe type: Breakfast, Bread

Cuisine: Filipino

Serves: 15 medium rolls

Ingredients

• 1¼ cup lukewarm almond milk or your favorite non-dairy milk
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 3 cups bread flour, plus more for kneading (about ½ - 1 cup)
• ½ cup evaporated cane sugar, plus 1 teaspoon to activate the yeast
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon bread crumbs, optional

Instructions

1. Place yeast in a lukewarm non-dairy milk then add sugar. Mix to combine. Set aside for 15 minutes or until foamy.
2. Using a different bowl, whisk flour, sugar, flax meal, baking powder, and salt.
3. Once the yeast is foamy, add shortening then combine the wet ingredients and dry ingredients.
4. Stir using a spatula or wooden spoon until you have soft, sticky dough.
5. On a lightly floured surface, place dough and knead. Gradually lightly add more flour. Knead until dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky, about 15 minutes.
6. Lightly grease a bowl with oil and transfer dough to bowl. Flip dough to oil the other side. Cover bowl with a plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm place until it has doubled in size, about an hour (see notes below).
7. Punch dough a couple of times to release air. Transfer to the work surface and roll dough into logs. Divide logs into equal pieces. Form in desired shapes (usually rolls or oblong).
8. Transfer dough pieces to a parchment paper-lined tray, leaving about an inch apart to make room for rising. Set aside for another hour or until it has doubled in size.
9. Preheat oven to 400 F.
10. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top and bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Serve warm with your favorite spread or enjoy as is.

Notes

To create a warm place for the dough to rise, preheat oven to its lowest setting then turn it off. You may also place a bowl of warm water inside the oven to add humidity.

Make sure your non-dairy milk is lukewarm to activate the yeast. You may heat on the stove for 2 minutes or microwave for 15-30 seconds.


In the written recipe, the flaxmeal is added directly to the dry ingredients. In the video recipe, the flaxmeal was mixed with water first. While both versions work, the written recipe is the easier and better way (it's tough to edit and change the video recipe).

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You also don’t have to be a master baker to do it (although I’m sure you are!). Just spare some time (maybe on a Sunday) and you’ll have warm, and soft rolls of vegan pandesal to be enjoyed with a warm drink. Perhaps with coffee?