Spanish Bread...with a twist

Spanish bread is our daily merienda when I was a child. Young boys will be peddling newly baked bread kept in a brown box every afternoon. It is a bread roll filled with breadcrumbs normally from left over unsold bread, margarine and sugar.

I put a twist into the filling by using half breadcrumbs and half toasted almond meal. I experimented a healthy version of it last week by using wholemeal flour, canola oil into the bread and low fat butter for the filling. Obviously, I craved for a more tastier Spanish bread. I used a combination of bread and plain flour because I want a softer finished product. It passed the discriminating taste of my kids and husband so I guess it's worth posting.

Happy baking!

Ingredients:

2 cups bread flour
1 cup plain flour or all purpose flour
1 sachet of dry instant yeast (7 g per sachet)

1/4 c sugar

1/2 t bread improver
2 t salt
2 T butter or margarine
1 pc. beaten egg added to 3/4 c to 1 c warm water (if weather is hot, regular tap water is fine)

Filling:
Equal parts of bread crumbs and toasted almond meal (1/2 c each)
approximately 1/2 c butter or less, as desired
1/2 c brown sugar

Procedure:
1.For the dough, refer to the mixing procedure of Pan de Sal, my previous post.
2. After step 5, roll each dough into a ball and rest for few minutes.
3. Flatten each ball with a rolling pin and spread around 1 Tbsp. of the filling evenly.
4. Roll with the tapered part at the bottom. Lay each piece in a tray and let rise for approximately 30 minutes.

5. Bake in pre-heated oven (200degC or 400degF) for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Basic Pan de Sal

If France is known for its baguette, in the Philippines, we have our Pan de Sal. They are not alike though. It is our basic bread and every household buys pan de sal for breakfast or merienda (snack). I don't normally bake bread here in Aus for fear of breaking my precious Kitchen Aid. Hahaha. Even it has a dough hook, which is designed for making breads, I just feel so sorry for the mixer because I would prefer using a proper dough mixer. 

Anyway, I had a short lived love affair with pan de sal. We opened a bakery or panaderia in early 2000 and sell  basic and filled pan de sal. We had to close operation when I got pregnant with my younger daughter, Sabina, for I won't be able to look after the business as we have the coffee shop to manage too. I said goodbye to the bakery but not to my bakery equipment. They're all in my "bake lab" in the Philippines waiting for me. They are regularly maintained and my parents use it once a week to bake soft wheat bread and some muffins.

Here's my version of home made basic pan de sal (At last! a lot of my friends are asking for this recipe.):

3 c bread flour or high protein flour

1/4 c sugar

1/2 t bread improver*

1 sachet of instant dry yeast (7 g)

2 T butter or margarine or shortening

2 t salt dissolved in 1 c lukewarm water

*Note: Bread improver is a food additive combined to the flour that improves the quality of dough and bread. You can do away with it but it is highly suggested.

1. Combine dry ingredients and butter in a mixing bowl. If using a mixer, mix until ingredients are blended then, gradually add water. Mix until dough is smooth and elastic. This make take 8-10 minutes.

If you wish to do it manually, form a well in the centre of the flour mix and slowly add the water. Mix with wooden spoon until combined then use hands to form into a dough. Transfer the dough in floured surface and knead for 12-15 mins. until smooth and elastic.

2. Shape the dough into a ball and place into a clean, lightly greased bowl . Cover with cling wrap and leave for 45 mins to one hour. It should double in size. (Leave in warm place if the weather is cold.)

3. Degas the dough by slightly punching the dough to release the gas. Turn the dough again in a floured surface and flatten. Form a rectangular shape. You are now preparing the dough for shaping.

4. Starting from top, roll the dough until you form a log. 

5. Using a dough cutter or plastic dough scraper, cut into one inch.

6. Roll in bread crumbs and arrange in tray,leaving small clearance in between.

7. Leave for another 30-45 minutes for final rising. While waiting, preheat the oven at 220deg C (200degC for fan forced) or 400deg F.

8. When ready, bake for 15 mins. or until done.

Homemade Pizza Roll

It's been a busy month of May for me. I needed to do a lot of catching up with work, chores and school since I came back from a half month holiday to Singapore and home.

Anyway, I hope you'll like this recipe. Pizza roll  is getting popular in the Philippines lately. I think I first tried it in 2007 or 2008 at C Italian Restaurant, which was managed by Chef Chris. It is actually a thin square or rectangular pizza sliced diagonally. Then, it is filled with rocket, pesto and alfalfa. Lastly, rolled and eaten like a sandwich wrap.

My husband loves it so much that he requested it for dinner last Sunday. 

Quite reluctant for I'm not a savoury person, he is though. I tried and luckily, it was a success ha.ha.
So here's my version of the pizza roll.

Pizza Crust
Yield: 3 small rectangular pizza

2 1/2 c all purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

1 T dry instant yeast

220-250 ml lukewarm water*

1 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

*I used lukewarm water because it's autumn here. When I'm in the Philippines, room temp water or sometimes slightly cold is used. The warm weather is enough to have a dough temperature of 27-30degC after mixing.

Procedure:

1. Place all dry ingredients together in a  bowl. Start mixing at slow speed to incorporate them.

2. Add oil and gradually pour the water. Do not put all the water at once. Leave approx 15% of the total amount of water.

(Not all flour have the same level of absorption. It is always safe not to put everything).

3. When the dough starts to form together, check if the dough is dry, if it is, add water little by little until it  forms into a ball. The sides of the bowl will appear cleaner.

4. Mix until the dough is developed and appears finer in appearance. If manual kneading is done, this may take 12-15 minutes. Using my kitchen aid, it took me approximately 8-10 minutes. To check if the dough has developed, try getting a small piece of dough and slowly stretch. If it appears opaque, also known as the windowpane test, then it is ready. If it easily tears apart, more kneading is needed.

5. Rest the dough for 20 to 30 mins. Cover with plastic or cling wrap. It will somehow double in volume.

6. After resting, punch the dough to remove the gas. Divide the dough into three pieces.

Using a rolling pin, roll each dough thinly, slightly less than 1/4 inch. Transfer in slightly greased flat tray and dock the crust using a fork.

7. Put desired topping.

8. Bake at 350 deg F or 175 deg F for about 15 mins. or until done. (I didn't bake it at very high temperature because I don't want it to become crispy; Pizza are normally baked at 200 or 220 deg F.)

9. Slice diagonally and serve with rockets/arugula, pesto and alfalfa sprouts.