Filipino Spanish Bread

Filipino Spanish bread is a popular 'merienda' in the Philippines with a sweet buttery filling for your afternoon snack.

Ingredients:

FOR DOUGH
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter / margarine, melted
1 egg

FOR FILLING
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/8 cup water or milk
1/2 cup brown sugar /white sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt butter - for brushing

FOR BREADING
2 tablespoon milk - or water
1/2 cup bread crumbs

Instructions:

1. In a big bowl, mix together flour and yeast. In a smaller bowl, combine sugar, salt, milk and margarine or butter. Warm liquids in the microwave for 1 minute on high power. Remove from microwave and add the egg and beat several times until well blended.

2. Pour the liquid mixture over the flour mixture and fold until a dough forms. Knead the dough on a clean surface dusted with flour until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 5-10 minutes. 

3. Form the dough into a ball and place the dough in a greased bowl cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and place it in a warm area and let it rise until it doubled in size. Depending how warm it is, could take 30 minutes to an hour. 

4. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add the flour and 1/4 cup bread crumbs and mix well. Once it starts to boil, add water or milk, sugar, salt and rest of breadcrumbs. Cook until it gets thick. Remove from heat and continue stirring until it forms paste-like texture. 

5. Punch down the dough and divide into 16 equal parts using a knife of dough slicer. Roll each piece into a long triangle (like a pizza slice). Brush the middle part with butter or margarine then spread filling on the surface leaving about a centimeter around the edges unfilled. Jelly-roll from the wider end towards the smaller end. 

6. Brush each rolled dough with milk or water then roll it on a plate of breadcrumbs and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper: make sure that the end part sits at the bottom so it won't open up while baking. Cover with cloth or kitchen towel or cling wrap and let them rise for another 10-15 minutes. Remove cover before baking. 

7. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. 

You may also use active dry yeast but it needs to be proofed first by dissolving it in lukewarm water or, in this case, in the milk with a tablespoon sugar (taken from the ingredients for dough)