Day 1 – Evening

Feed your sourdough starter the evening before you plan to make these rolls.

These rolls can be made completely by hand using a Danish dough whisk and a bowl scraper or your hands.

Day 2 – Morning or Afternoon

Whisk together the flours, sugar, and salt in a separate bowl.

In a large bowl, add the active and fed sourdough starter.  Stir in half of the milk to break up the starter.  Then add the melted butter and egg and mix thoroughly.  Add in the flour mixture and mix until there are no dry bits of flour.  Incorporate more milk, as needed, a little at a time until the dough is completely hydrated.

Cover the dough and let it autolyse (rest) for 30 minutes.  Uncover, stretch, and fold the dough in the bowl.  It should feel more elastic.

Recover the bowl and let the dough ferment for about 5 hours.  Do three stretch and folds in the bowl, on the hour, for the first 3 hours, then let the dough rest in the bowl for the final 2 hours.  At this point, you may proceed to shaping and baking the rolls or let the dough ferment in the refrigerator overnight.  This is what I did.

Day 3 – Morning

Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it warm up to room temperature for 2 hours.

Divide the dough into two equal parts.

3 ways to shape Filipino Spanish Bread Rolls

Whichever method you choose, be sure to roll the dough fairly tight; otherwise, it might come apart when baked.  Still tastes great though!

Here’s a link to a video showing how to make these rolls. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHfh9WlYNuI)

Shaping method #1: Roll each portion into a round and spread the filling over it. Then, cut each into 8 triangles like you would a pizza. Roll each triangle up croissant-style.

Shaping method #2: This is a more traditional way. For this shape, roll each half of the dough into a log and divide it into eight equal parts. Roll each piece into roughly a 3- by 5-inch rectangle. Brush with melted butter, then sprinkle with breadcrumbs and sugar. Roll the piece like you would a jelly roll, starting from one corner and rolling towards the opposite corner.

Shaping method #3: Roll each piece of dough into a large rectangle about 10” x 10”.  Then brush the surface generously with melted butter. Sprinkle half the breadcrumbs and sugar (and cinnamon or cardamom, if using) evenly over the top. Cut the dough in half from top to bottom. Again, cut each half into 4, left to right. You will have 8 rectangles about 5″ x 3.3″

After shaping the rolls, place them seam-side down on a lined or greased baking sheet. Let the shaped rolls rise for 30 minutes.

Brush them with a little milk and sprinkle with more breadcrumbs and sugar.  You can also roll the shaped dough in the breadcrumbs and sugar if you like.

Bake until golden brown at 190 C (375 F) for about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a rack.