Spanish Bread

If you are craving for something that the local bakery doesn't have, one has to be resourceful.

The solution :   Just make it yourself!

That is what MyGirl and I did when we wanted a taste of some Spanish bread two weeks ago (when I took a day in lieu in the middle of the week).

The recipe we used didn't indicate the expected yield.  In fact, the original instructions involved flattening the dough to about 8mm thick then spreading the filling ingredients over the dough, then cutting the dough into isosceles trapezoids which would then be tightly rolled before rolling them in breadcrumbs.   And the filling was a simple mixture of butter and sugar.

I suppose that is how desperate we were to have some Spanish bread.  It was an impulse decision to bake it that I jumped into the first recipe I had come across.  By the time it came to assemble the Spanish bread, I decided I didn't like that recipe and started checking others online.  

I asked MyGirl if she wanted to go with the instructions we had or if we should look for one that involved dividing the dough and rolling them out individually.  She said she wanted the 'traditional' Spanish bread, so we decided to divide the dough into twenty-four.  (I figured it was better to have small portions.  That way we could pretend to be eating less.)

I opted to look for a different filling recipe because I like my Spanish bread to have that sugary blobs in the middle.  A simple butter and sugar mixture (unless there was a ton of sugar) would probably just dissolve into the bread.  So we opted to add breadcrumbs (and a splash of vanilla for taste).

They turned out great!  I was happily surprised.  Everyone home at the time had at least one piece fresh out of the oven.  (Thank goodness for more pieces.)

Now MyGirl wants to try to make pan de sal.

MyGirl started taking pictures when we were half-way into forming the dough.  

As you can see, not all Spanish bread are created equal.

How does one divide the filling into twenty-four?  

Divide by four then divide by six.

These are the Spanish bread rolls before ...

 ... and after.

This is to prove that we didn't eat the whole batch

fresh out of the oven.

We were still able to pack some away.  

SPANISH BREAD (makes 24)

2 t      yeast
1/2 c  warm water
1 t      sugar
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c  sugar
4-1/2 c  flour (or bread flour)
2/3 c  warm milk
1        egg
2        egg yolks
6 T    butter, softened
bread crumbs for dusting

Filling*  
1/4 c   butter, softened
1/2 c   sugar
1/4 c   bread crumbs (or up to 1/2 c)
1/2 t    vanilla

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  

Sprinkle yeast and 1 t sugar over warm water in a small bowl.  Mix to combine.
Let sit for about 5 minutes until bubbly.

Combine salt, 1/2 c sugar, and about 4 cups of the flour in a big bowl.
Make a well and pour in the yeast mixture.

Combine warm milk, egg, egg yolks and butter in a small bowl 
(ok to use the bowl that held the yeast)

Add egg mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture.

Mix together.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead until dough is elastic (about 8 to 10 minutes).
Add rest of the flour as needed.

Divide dough into 24 pieces.
Combine filling ingredients in a separate container then divide into 24 portions.
Place bread crumbs in a small clean bowl.

Flatten one piece of dough into a rectangle and place one portion of the filling along one of the long sides about a cm away from the edges.  
Roll up the dough tightly the roll in bread crumbs to coat.
Place on prepared pan.

Do the same with the rest of the dough.
Cover tray with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour.
Bake in preheated oven at 180 C for 12 minutes.
(Or 160 C for 15 minutes if lighter colour desired.)
Let cool on wire rack.

*The regular filling recipe calls for twice the amounts indicated however I know that the extra butter and sugar would just go straight to the hips, thus the "toned down" recipe. Of course I can imagine if I doubled the filling recipe (or divided the dough into 12 instead of 24), I would get that sugary crusty filling I look forward to when biting into Spanish bread from the bakeries back home.