“Try this ensaymada recipe with soft and pillowy bun coated with buttercream frosting and topped with grated cheese – a great pair for your hot chocolate, coffee, or tea.”

Ensaymada is a delicious variation of bread from the Philippines. This is considered to be a version of the Ensaimada, a similar bread that originated in Mallorca, Spain.

Filipinos (like me!) adore these sweet bread rolls, which are typically consumed as a snack but can also serve as breakfast. Most bakeries in the Philippines sell these pieces of bread. Some have buttercream and cheese and are rich and fluffy, while others are less buttery and have a drier consistency and texture.

Ensaymada is one of my favorite bread while growing up. When I was a little, aside from pandesal, I used to buy this bread at a neighborhood bakery or panaderia. But most of the time I only eat the top part especially when the bread is a bit dry and bland.

I love ensaymada that is soft, fluffy, and with lots of cheese on top. And I like to enjoy it with a cup of coffee for breakfast or with a glass of cold drinks as a mid-afternoon snack.

As an OFW, I longed for ensaymada like that of Muhlach or Goldilocks which are soft and cheesy. So when someone comes back from the Philippines, we usually ask for this brand as pasalubong. Too bad, the shelf life is a bit short and only lasts for a couple of days.

But with this ensaymada recipe, I can easily bake this bread when the craving kicks in. I could just buy the ingredients from the grocery store and make them at home. My family and I can enjoy these pieces of bread for 2-3 days and still stay soft.

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WHAT IS ENSAYMADA

Ensaymada is a soft, sweet dough pastry from the Philippines that is smeared with butter or margarine and sugar before being topped with shredded cheese. The shape is usually spherical, resembling a swollen pancake. However, some are in the shape of huge muffins.

Because the Philippines was occupied by Spain for nearly 300 years, Filipinos have adopted many Spanish culinary traditions. One of these is Ensaymada, or Ensaimada as it is known in Spain, which originated on the island of Mallorca.

While the Ensaimada in Spain is usually made with saim, or reduced pork lard, the brioche in the Philippines is made with butter.

Also back then, ensaymada was simply brushed with butter (or margarine), and sprinkled with sugar.

Nowadays, there are many different types of ensaymada, especially the commercial ones offered in large bakeries. Being the most popular are the ones that are really soft and are stuffed with butter and grated cheese. Other variations include buttercream, salted egg slices, and queso de bola – a unique form of Edam cheese that has been aged. While others have a filling and diverse flavors, such as cream cheese and ube.

The classic ensaymada, though, with its plain sugar and butter or margarine coating, will always be an all-time favorite.

While it’s a delicious brioche that can be enjoyed all year round, it’s especially popular in the Philippines during the Christmas season. It is usually served with hot chocolate made with native tablea.

EQUIPMENTS IN MAKING ENSAYMADA

Below are the tools I use in making my ensaymada recipe. While you may have the option not use them, but I believe that it will make your ensaymada making a lot easier.

Ensaymada molds. I got my molds from the Philippines when my sister came from vacation. You can use a cupcake or muffin pan instead or a brioche molder if available.

Electric hand mixer or stand mixer. This will save you time and energy in kneading the dough. Also, since the dough will be sticky, using a mixer will help you not to put more flour into the dough.

Kitchen scale. This is essential for the precise weighing of your ingredients and dough. It will also be beneficial if you will sell your ensaymada.

SOFT ENSAYMADA INGREDIENTS

One of the things I like about this wonderful ensaymada recipe is that it only requires a few simple ingredients. It’s a type of bread, but it’s also a type of pastry. In this recipe, we will make a homemade bread improver that will make our ensaymada softer and fluffier.

Homemade Bread Improver Ingredients

Milk. Use WARM whole milk or evaporated milk instead of skim milk.

Sugar. A little bit of sugar helps in activating the yeast as it feeds on the sugar.

Yeast. Yeast releases gas and causes the dough to rise, forming the shape and structure of the bread. I use instant yeast but you can also use active dry yeast.

All-purpose flour. The flour’s primary function is to provide structure to the bread. Spoon, and level you flour. Do not submerge your measuring cup in the flour bag. You’ll get a pretty dense mixture as a result.

Main Dough Ingredients

Bread Flour. Also known as hard flour, combining the all-purpose flour and bread flour will make a chewy and soft bread, Make sure to spoon and level your bread flour as well.

Salt. Acts as a flavor enhancer to the bread. If using, salted butter, lessen the amount of salt by half.

Egg yolks and whole egg. Eggs give the dough structure, color, and flavor, as well as provide flavor. The combination of egg yolks and whole egg helps in making your ensaymada soft and fluffy. It should be at room temperature.

Sugar. Adds sweetness to the overall dough. You may adjust according to your preference.

Unsalted butter. Butter provides flavor and keeps the bread moist. It should be softened at room temperature and should not be melted. You may use salted butter but you may need to adjust your salt.

Toppings Ingredients

Unsalted butter. You can also substitute margarine.

Sugar. I used granulated sugar like that of classic ensaymada uses granulated sugar. Powdered sugar is a great substitute. You can regulate the amount of buttercream or sugar topping with granulated sugar and powdered sugar.

Grated Cheese. In the Philippines, Queso De Bola is commonly used to produce special Ensaymada. I use cheddar cheese in my ensaymada recipe, but feel free to use Gouda, Edam, Mexican mix or any other cheese you like. You can use shredded cheese from a container, but freshly grated cheese is more desirable.

HOW TO MAKE ENSAYMADA

While the recipe appears to be lengthy and complicated, it is actually rather simple. It’s just broken down into steps to make the process more clear. And all it takes is patience and right tools to make it easier and enjoyable for you.

Step 1: Making the homemade bread improver

First, we have to make sure that our yeast is active.

In a small bowl, combine the warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Stir well and set aside for about 5 minutes to bloom.

Place all-purpose flour in a medium bowl then combine the bloomed yeast. Mix well using a spatula and set aside for around 30-35 minutes or until doubled in size.

Step 2: Making the main dough

While waiting, prepare the main dough.

Whisk egg yolks, whole egg, and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine bread flour, and salt. Set aside.

After 30-35 minutes, your homemade bread improver might be ready.

Combine the egg-sugar mixture with the homemade bread improver. Using an electric mixer with dough hook attachment, beat the ingredients on low speed for a minute or so, just until incorporated.

Gradually add the bread flour-salt mixture and whisk to combine. Add the softened butter and continue to whisk the mixture for about 10-12 minutes on medium speed. Stop the mixer if necessary to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.

When you see the dough gathering itself into the center of the bowl and attaching itself to the dough hook, it’s ready. To confirm, do the window pane test by getting a small amount of dough and stretching it with your hands. If it doesn’t break and is elastic then it is done.

You can also knead the dough using your hands for about 12-15 minutes. The dough will be a bit sticky and you might be tempted to add more flour. Do not do that, instead use oil and rub it in your hands and the kneading mat as well.

This is the reason why I recommend using a mixer so it can spare you the messy part.

Step 3: Proofing and shaping the dough

Shape the dough into a ball. Place it in a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or cloth, and set aside at warm temperature for about 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down and transfer into a kneading mat.

Flatten to remove excess air and form into a log. Divide the dough into two pieces to manage it easily.

Divide the dough equally. Use a kitchen scale to make a uniform size. I made 20 pieces for 60 grams each and 15 pieces for 80 grams each.

Form each part into a smooth ball and place in brioche molds, silicone muffin cups, or a regular-sized muffin pan that has been lightly buttered.

If you want to make a spiral log ensaymada. Roll each pieces into a 4- to 5-inch long log. If you want to put a filling, you can do so.

Roll and form a spiral log by twisting two logs together. Pinch the logs together to secure the ends.

Cover the molded dough loosely with cloth or plastic wrap. Set aside for about 20-30 minutes or until doubled in size.

Step 4: Baking

Preheat the oven to 320°F/ 160°C.

Bake the ensaymada for 20-25 minutes or until lightly brown on top. NOTE: Do not overcook or they will become dry.

Remove from the oven and let them cool a bit in the molder, about 5 minutes.

Take out from the molds and cool completely using a cooling rack.

Step 5: Making the topping and serving

In a bowl, combine softened butter and sugar. Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, cream the butter and sugar until fully combined.

After the bread are fully cooled down, spoon a tablespoon of the creamed butter and sugar and spread on top. Note: do not do this step unless the bread are fully cooled down or else the butter will melt while spreading it.

Grate cheddar cheese on top. Serve and enjoy!

WHAT IS A BREAD IMPROVER AND ITS ADVANTAGES?

In this ensaymada recipe, we used a homemade bread improver. It is easy to make and no need for special ingredients. Although you have an option to buy it at stores, personally, there is no need for that. The result of this recipe are soft and fluffy breads.

A bread improver is a flour-based mixture of multiple ingredients with specific functional capabilities that are used to change dough characteristics and give bread quality traits. For their dough conditioning and enhancing capabilities, bread improvers are often prepared from a combination of enzymes, different emulsifiers, soya flour, and malt flour.

Almost any item that is added to a flour and water dough will improve it in some way. The use of yeast, for example, improves the bread’s lightness and palatability, but salt alters the handling capabilities of wheat flour doughs as well as the flavor of the baked bread. However, the phrase “bread improver” is now often used to refer to ingredients that are normally added at much lower quantities than yeast or salt. Its goal is to enhance gas production or retention in the dough, maintaine bread crumb softness, and achieve a whiter crumb color.

Bread improvers have a number of functional advantages, including the ability to speed up the development of dough from start to finish, lowering the time required to obtain a comparable result to traditional long fermented doughs.

ENSAYMADA RECIPE NOTES

• Avoid using expired yeast by checking the expiration date at the back of the packet. Also make sure that it is active before adding to the rest of the ingredients by proofing it.
• It takes longer for the dough to rise when you use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast. I recommend using SAF Instant brand which is the brand I always use on my bread recipes. Because they rise quickly, they have less of a chance of developing an acidic, fermented flavor.
• Remove the butter from the refrigerator ahead of time. You’ll need room temperature butter to make the dough. It should be supple but not greasy or oily.
• When measuring flour, spoon and level your flour with the edge of a knife or spoon. This prevents the cup from being over-packed, causing you to use more flour than necessary.
• This ensaymada recipe dough is rather soft and sticky at first. Do not dust the working table with flour or tempted to add flour while kneading as it will make the dough hard resulting in hard bread. Instead spread oil on the mat and hands to prevent the dough from sticking.
• Allow your dough to rise in a warm, dry location for the fluffiest ensaymada. You can also create a warm environment by turning on the oven. You might also try to use the method I use when I want my dough to rise fast. Please check out some of my tips in my monggo loaf bread, ube loaf bread and pandesal post.

ENSAYMADA RECIPE TIPS

• Do not overcook the bread, bake it for around 20-25 minutes only. This is due to their fine texture, which means that if baked properly, you’ll be on cloud nine, but if overbaked, they’ll be rough and dry.
• Allow the bread to cool completely before topping it. The buttercream will melt when the bread is still warm.
• This dough can be prepared ahead of time. Cover it with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator overnight after kneading. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before using, then deflate and shape it.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do I need to proof instant yeast?

Although instant yeast does not require frothing, there is no harm in doing so. Personally, I usually check to see if my yeast is active before adding it to the other ingredients. Bad yeast = unrisen dough = wasted ingredients, sayang naman!

This is something we don’t want to happen in this recipe, especially with the amount of butter and eggs we use.

Can I use only all-purpose flour?

Yes you can! But the bread will not be as soft and chewy compared to combination of bread flour.

Can I use only bread flour?

Yes you can! You may only need to add 1 more egg yolks.

Do I need to make the homemade bread improver when making this bread?

No. You can use the direct method of dough making. You can skip step 1 (but not the yeast blooming) and combine all the ingredients in the bowl. But I highly recommend doing step 1 as it results in softer and fluffier ensaymada.

How to make uniform size ensaymada?

You can use a kitchen scale to ensure that the dough is evenly divided for evenly sized ensaymada. They will not only look gorgeous but also bake evenly. It is also important to weigh your dough when you plan on selling them.

What other molds I can use to make ensaymada?

I use ensaymada molds in this recipe. These molds look like brioche molds and may be found at your local baking supply store or on Amazon.

However, you are not required to purchase them. You can bake them in large muffin pans or on a baking sheet.

You can also use a cake pan. Your ensaymada would be similar to cinnamon rolls in that it would be pull-apart.

HOW TO SERVE

Serve with hot chocolate, coffee, or tea right away. It’s better to eat ensaymada while it’s still warm. Microwave for 10-15 seconds to warm.

HOW TO STORE

Keep refrigerated in an airtight container. It can last 3-5 days if properly stored. I bet that these breads will be gone in less than four days. Hahaha!

Before eating, warm them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.

And that’s all there is to it! Enjoy your freshly baked cheesy, buttery delights for breakfast or as a merienda (afternoon snack) like most Filipinos. While you’re at it, dunk it in tsokolate. Happy tummy!

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