Sweet and Easy Vegan Pandesal Bread Rolls

Practicing a plant-based diet allowed me to recreate recipes that I thought I can’t taste anymore, especially bread just like pandesal which I made as vegan pandesal bread rolls a morning breakfast favorite in the Philippines.

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This is our main breakfast during the weekends only because my mom prefers rice for breakfast on weekdays because she believes it will make us full longer and last the day at school. Although it is mainly eaten for breakfast, leftovers can be eaten as a snack at any time of the day too.

Pan de sal or Pandesal which means “salt bread” in Spanish, is commonly made of flour, egg, yeast, salt and sugar. Contrary to its meaning, pandesal is not actually salty but rather sweet.

Just like other countries if France has baguette and croissants, Poland has bagels, Germany is known for Pretzels, America has biscuits and cornbread and India has naan and chapati in the Philippines pandesal is widely available and can be bought as early as 5 or 6 am.

The countries I have mentioned and the Philippines have a wide range of different breads that are served on any day or occasion.

Making vegan pandesal bread rolls are so easy and can be made without using eggs and uses dairy-free milk of your choice. Bread baking doesn’t have to be intimidating although it requires some trials and patience.

These vegan pandesal bread rolls are soft and fluffy inside, after taking it out from the oven and cooled for about 10 minutes while dividing a piece of pandesal I can hear the crackling sound and it’s so good and fulfilling for me. 

For the breadcrumbs I couldn’t find something that resembles the fine breadcrumbs usually used in Pandesal in the Philippines and oh boy I forgot that I can actually make my store-bought breadcrumbs finer with a food processor, next time I will. Also if you have leftover pieces of bread you can easily make your own breadcrumbs too.

For this recipe, I was able to bake 12 big pieces of pandesal, yes just 12 but they are big in size and a piece of it can fill your tummy. If you will cut the dough smaller, maybe you can make around 20 to 24 pieces of pandesal.

How To Eat Pandesal?

• Divide and dip the end of pandesal in your coffee or hot chocolate before biting.
• Perfect with a spread of your choice, vegan butter, cheese or jam.
• Spread with nut butter.
• Eat plain while it’s hot.

Vegan Pandesal Bread Rolls

Ingredients

• 5-6 cups (750 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast
• ¾ cup & 1 tsp (150 g) white granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs (vegan)
• 1 ½ cup (360 ml) dairy-free milk ( I use soy milk)
• ½ cup (120 ml) lukewarm water
• 6 tbsp vegan butter (melted)
• 1 tbsp canola oil to grease a bowl

Note: There are several types of yeast that can be used for baking the most common are active dry and rapid rise.

Active dry yeast – requires warm water to be activated, once its mixture with water becomes fluffy it is ready for use.

Instant yeast / Rapid rise – it does not require proofing and can be mixed right away with your dry ingredients.

Instructions

1. In a small bowl make a proofing mixture. Mix ½ cup of lukewarm water with 1 tsp of sugar then add 1 packet of active dry yeast. Mix together and set aside for 10 minutes to activate yeast until it becomes foamy.
2. In a small pot under low heat, melt your vegan butter, you will need about 6 tbsp of melted vegan butter, transfer in a separate bowl and pour in 1 1/2 cups dairy-free milk. I use soy milk (unsweetened) but you can also use almond milk or any dairy-free milk. Although I have not tried other dairy-free milk. Let it cool for about 10 minutes or until warm.
3. In a separate large bowl transfer melted vegan butter mixture and add activated yeast. Mix together. Then add remaining ¾ cups of sugar and salt until combined.
4. Add flour slowly 1 cup or ½ cup at a time and ensure you mix well with the liquid before adding another cup of flour. You can manually mix or use an electric mixer until you are able to form a smooth dough. You may add more flour or less depending on your mixture. I use about 6 cups of flour.
5. Once you form a smooth dough, sprinkle flour on your working table and knead the dough for about 10 minutes.
6. Grease another large bowl with a little oil or 1 tbsp of oil and transfer the dough.  Roll around the dough to ensure it is moist. Cover with a clean cloth or kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
7. Allow the dough to rise for an hour in a warm area or until it has doubled in size. I just leave mine at the dining table. If your dough did not rise, cover it again and wait for another 1 hour.
8. Once your dough has risen remove it from the bowl and transfer it to your working table. Make sure to sprinkle first with flour and punch the dough to remove any trapped air. Do not poke your dough.
9. Prepare your baking pan,  you can grease it or use parchment paper. Cut the dough according to your size preference equally. Or use a scale for accuracy. Then roll it into circles.
10. Prepare your breadcrumbs in a small bowl and roll each piece of pandesal before transferring it into your baking pan. If the breadcrumbs don’t stick to your dough try to spray it with water or a little oil.
11. Place rolled doughs in the baking pan and ensure you leave space in between about ½ inches apart. Cover with a cloth and let it rise again for another hour.
12. While waiting, preheat the oven to 190C or 375F.
13. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until it is golden brown. Let it cool first for a few minutes before serving. The smell of pandesal is so good right after removing it from the oven.

Notes:

• If your dough becomes dry add more milk about ¼ cup first or up to ½ cup but if your dough is too sticky try to add just a little more flour.
• The dough will still be sticky after kneading but after it rises it should be ok.
• Bread flour can also be used in pandesal, it has more protein and gluten content also it absorbs more liquid therefore you might need to adjust your recipe.
• You can also mix both all-purpose flour and bread flour, about 50/50.
• These vegan pandesal bread rolls have the right sweetness but you can add more sugar if you like it to be extra sweet.
• If your yeast mixture did not activate or become foamy you need to replace the yeast mixture and try again. Maybe the water is too hot.
• For finer breadcrumbs, you can use a food processor or blender to make it finer.
• The temperature will play a role for your dough to rise pick a warm location in your house.

Nutrition

Calories 271 per serving, total fat 2.9g | saturated fat 0.9g | cholesterol 3mg | Sodium 217mg | Total Carbohydrate 54.8g | total sugars 13.2g | Protein 6.3g | Calcium 16mg | Iron 3mg | Potassium 86mg.

The nutrition information is an estimate using a nutrition calculator.

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Vegan Pandesal (Filipino Bread Rolls)

Jeannie

A Filipino classic made vegan, these Pandesal is a breakfast favorite it is soft and fluffy and paired with coffee.

5 from 39 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 hrs 30 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 2 hrs 55 mins

Course Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Filipino

Servings 12 people

Calories 271 kcal

Ingredients Needed

  

• 5- 6 cups all-purpose flour (750 g)
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
• ¾ cup & t tsp granulated sugar (150 g)
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs (vegan)
• 1 ½ cup dairy-free milk (I use unsweetened soy milk) (360 ml)
• ½ cup lukewarm water (120 ml)
• 6 tbsp vegan butter melted
• 1 tbsp oil (to grease large bowl)

Instructions

 

• In a small bowl make a proofing mixture. Mix ½ cup of lukewarm water with 1 tsp of sugar then add 1 packet of active dry yeast. Mix together and set aside for 10 minutes to activate yeast until it becomes foamy.
• In a small pot under low heat, melt your vegan butter, you will need about 6 tbsp of melted vegan butter, transfer in a separate bowl and pour in 1 1/2 cups dairy-free milk. I use soy milk (unsweetened) but you can also use almond milk or any dairy-free milk. Although I have not tried other dairy-free milk. Let it cool for about 10 minutes or until warm.
• In a separate large bowl transfer melted vegan butter mixture and add activated yeast. Mix together. Then add remaining ¾ cups of sugar and salt until combined.
• Add flour slowly 1 cup or ½ cup at a time and ensure you mix well with the liquid before adding another cup of flour. You can manually mix or use an electric mixer until you are able to form a smooth dough. You may add more flour or less depending on your mixture. I use about 6 cups of flour.
• Once you form a smooth dough, sprinkle flour on your working table and knead the dough for about 10 minutes.
• Grease another large bowl with a little oil or 1 tbsp of oil and transfer the dough. Roll around the dough to ensure it is moist. Cover with a clean cloth or kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
• Allow the dough to rise for an hour in a warm area or until it has doubled in size. I just leave mine at the dining table. If your dough did not rise, cover it again and wait for another 1 hour.
• Once your dough has risen remove from the bowl and transfer to your working table. Make sure to sprinkle first with flour and punch the dough to remove any trapped air. Do not poke your dough.
  
• Prepare your baking pan, you can grease it or use parchment paper. Cut the dough according to your size preference equally. Or use a scale for accuracy. Then roll it into circles.
• Prepare your breadcrumbs in a small bowl and roll each piece of pandesal before transferring into your baking pan. If the breadcrumbs don’t stick to your dough try to spray it with water or a little oil.
• Place rolled doughs in the baking pan and ensure you leave space in between about ½ inches apart. Cover with a cloth and let it rise again for another hour.
• While waiting, preheat the oven to 190C or 375F.
• Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until it is golden brown. Let it cool first for a few minutes before serving. The smell of pandesal is so good right after removing it from the oven.
  

Video

Notes

Notes

• If your dough becomes dry add more milk about ¼ cup first or up to ½ cup but if your dough is too sticky try to add just a little more flour.
• The dough will still be sticky after kneading but after it rises it should be ok.
• Bread flour can also be used in pandesal, it has more protein and gluten content also it absorbs more liquid therefore you might need to adjust your recipe.
• You can also mix both all-purpose flour and bread flour, about 50/50.
• These vegan pandesal bread rolls have the right sweetness but you can add more sugar if you like it to be extra sweet.
• If your yeast mixture did not activate or become foamy you need to replace the yeast mixture and try again. Maybe the water is too hot.
• For finer breadcrumbs, you can use a food processor or blender to make it finer.
• The temperature will play a role for your dough to rise pick a warm location in your house.

Calories 271 per serving, total fat 2.9g | saturated fat 0.9g | cholesterol 3mg | Sodium 217mg | Total Carbohydrate 54.8g | total sugars 13.2g | Protein 6.3g | Calcium 16mg | Iron 3mg | Potassium 86mg.

 

 

Did you make these vegan pandesal bread rolls? Snap a photo and tag #therunningbaker24 and @therunningbaker24 on Instagram

 

Keyword dairyfree,, vegan pandesal

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