Pan de Azucar

I borrowed a Filipino cookbook from the library and wanted to try the pan de sal recipe straightaway.  The recipe had a half cup of sugar.  I thought it was quite strange that the pan de sal recipe had more  sugar than salt but I wanted to test the recipe before I dismissed the volume of sugar.

When I tried it out, I was amazed at the bread that came out of the oven.  It was the BEST pan de sal I ever baked.  I shared the recipe with my siblings, my Filipino officemates and with GI.  I am hoping they get as excited about this bread as I do.

Who would have thought that the secret of good pan de sal was actually sugar?

Pan de Sal  (makes 20)

1/2 c lukewarm water
2 1/4 t active dry yeast
1 t sugar
1 c water
3 T oil
1/2 c sugar
1 T salt
5 c flour
3 T breadcrumbs 

Place lukewarm water in a bowl.
Add yeast and 1 t sugar.
Let sit for 15 minutes until bubbly.
Add the rest of the water, oil, 1/2 c of sugar, salt and flour a little at a time.
Mix thoroughly and knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth and pliable.
Place kneaded dough in a lightly greased bowl.  Cover and let rise until doubled (about 2 hours).
When dough has doubled, punch down and divide into four.
Roll dough into logs and divide into five pieces each.
Roll sliced pieces of dough in breadcrumbs then place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour until double in size.
Bake the rolls for about 20 minutes in preheated oven at 325F or160C until lightly browned.