Noodles and Rice

Sourdough Pandesal

by Stef on May 31st, 2007

Pandesal is a Filipino bread characterized by its size and shape, but mostly by the crumbs that hug its exterior. Straight from the oven, the thin crust can vary, depending on the maker and the recipe, and ranges from crisp and substantial to soft and pillowy. But always, the salty grittiness of the crumbs ensures a gratifying first bite. Such was the goal for this sourdough version of our pandesal. Let’s see if it works:

1/2 cup active sourdough starter, at room temperature
3 cups bread flour, more or less
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup water

about 1/2 cup bread crumbs for coating

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, or in the bowl of your mixer, combine sourdough, 2 cups of the flour, the oil, salt, sugar and 1 cup water. Mix just until incorporated, then add in the rest of the flour, a tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together and cleans the bowl.

Let rise at room temperature, ideally about 75 degrees F, covered, for several hours or overnight (total time will depend on how active your starter is), until doubled. Divide dough into 20 pieces and shape into slightly oval rolls. With bread crumbs in a shallow dish, dip shaped rolls until coated well and arrange on lightly greased baking sheets, 2 inches apart if you want a crisp crust, 1 inch apart if you want the rolls to rise so that they touch each other as they bake, making for a softer crust. Let rise a second time until doubled in volume.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake rolls for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and crusty. The rolls should be light and sound hollow when tapped.

Consume immediately with some creamy butter smeared in.

So how did the experiment go? In terms of working with sourdough, not much different. I’m not sure coating with bread crumbs was a good choice here, though I can’t fault the results too much as they disappeared rather quickly when I served them at a recent party. It’s just that the expectation of a certain sweet-salty balance when biting into a pandesal was met with the surprise of a tangy, chewy interior instead, and even though *I* knew it was supposed to be sourdough, my first reaction was a frown instead of a smile. Though not unpleasant, and in fact was pronounced delicious by my children who all love my old pandesal recipe, I think I’ll reserve my sourdough starter for other endeavors. Not that the effort wasn’t worth it, just that I think pandesal, as it is, is mighty fine, and can do without any additional tweaking.

Related Stories

Thanksgiving Recipes with a Filipino / Pinoy Twist
Lasang Pinoy 17: Egg’s A Deal!: Itlog na Maalat

POSTED IN: Breads