Ulog No. 3: "Mastery of Skill in Baking Pan De Sal Requires More Practice"

This photo, which was taken about two years ago, is the best batch of pan de sal that I have ever made ever since I have learnt how to bake them. Being in Australia for 8 years now, I would occasionally have cravings for Filipino food and delicacies. I have no choice but learn how to make them or cook them as I can't always go to the city to eat at a Filipino restaurant just so I could satisfy my cravings.

The only problem with my pan de sal is that they don't stay soft. They become hard like a rock and the only way to make them soft again is if I heat them up in the microwave for 10-20 seconds, not longer than that as it will just make them even harder.

I don't know if it has something to do with how I knead the dough. My mother-in-law (Oh! How I love her so dearly!!!) always bakes bread for their Greek Orthodox church, and it always comes out beautiful - right texture and not doughy. So I asked her how she made her bread because she's always consistent. She said she doesn't knead the dough too much. Now, I don't know how to measure that. What is too much or too less anyway?

Or does it have anything to do with how I prepare the yeast? I tried using active dry yeast (the one that needs to be stored in the freezer to maintain its quality) and dissolving it in warm milk, but still the bread got hard when it cooled down. I also tried the dry yeast, still to no avail.

It is really frustrating. As a Filipina, who grew up eating pan de sal for breakfast almost every day, I love my bread to be toasted on the outside but still soft on the inside. But I just can't make it right!!!

The only time that my pan de sal has ever come close to the quality that I used to eat growing up was a year or two ago, and that was the photo above. I can't seem to replicate it. What must have I done? I can't remember anymore.

I know that practice makes perfect. My mother-in-law has been making bread for her family and for their church since she was 17 or 18 years old. She married young, so she had to learn how to cook and bake to feed her family. But I can't bake on a weekly basis to master the skill of baking pan de sal. I am busy and I can't devote my time in baking, as I will definitely consume more than 2 hours for that.

All right, I also know that if there's a will, there's a way. Being busy is not an excuse not to do it regularly. I mean, do I really want to master the skill? So I decided to bake pan de sal the other day.

The following is my recipe for Pan De Sal:

Ingredients:

• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 pouch of yeast + bread improver (included in the carton of flour)
• 1 egg
• 1-1/2 cup warm milk
• 4-1/2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• bread crumbs for coating

Method:

I bought this pack of 1 kg plain flour because it included 2 packets of yeast and bread improver, which I have never done before, so I wanted to give it a try. I normally just use regular plain flour.

Note: This is not to advertise or promote the product. :-)

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1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, yeast + bread improver, sugar, salt and baking powder.

2. Make a hole in the middle to put the rest of the ingredients: egg, melted butter, warm milk and vegetable oil.

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3. Knead the dough to a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic.

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4. Continue mixing them well until a dough is formed.

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5. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let it rise in a warm place for at least an hour.

I let it rise for about 2 hours, just failed to take a photo of it.

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While I was at it and waiting for the dough to rise, I made play dough for my ELC (Early Learning Centre) children and watched TV with my husband. We watched the 1956 movie "The Ten Commandments."

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6. After rising, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Use a dough slice, or wooden spatula with pointed tip to divide the dough into 2 equal parts.

7. Roll each part until it forms into a log or cylindrical shape. Cut each log into equal pieces.

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8. Coat each sliced dough with bread crumbs.

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9. Place flat side down in a tray with baking paper or into a lightly greased baking tray.

10. Cover the tray with a damp cloth and let it rise for 20 minutes.

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11. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (or 350 degrees F).

12. Bake for 20 minutes or until it turns to golden brown.

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Before I even had the chance to take a photo of the finished product, my husband had already devoured most of it. He loved it obviously, and he was just not saying it when I asked him if the bread was all right. He loved it, and maybe I nailed it this time.

The bread still became hard when it cooled down though, so I just microwaved it for 20 seconds to achieve the desired softness. Maybe it's best that I ate it straight away while it was hot, no wonder my husband ate most of it. He was clever.

"You get wise. You get to church." ~ The Blues Brothers

This was what's left when I was going to take a photo of my pan de sal:

I hope I am able to explain my step-by-step procedures clearly. In the Philippines, it's more economical and cheaper to just buy pan de sal from the bakery. The ingredients can be a bit more expensive unless you buy them wholesale if you want to learn to bake it yourself or want to do it more regularly.

If you can suggest any technique in baking bread, please leave a comment below. I would love to learn more about how long should I knead the bread, or what to do with yeast, or how to let the dough rise in a warm place especially in cold weather. I'd love to hear from you and I appreciate your feedback. Thank you for reading.