Sourdough Filipino Spanish Bread Rolls {Señorita Bread}

These Sourdough Filipino Spanish Bread Rolls, also known as Señorita Bread, are made with an enriched KAMUT dough (70% white and 30% whole grain), rolled, spread with butter, and filled with sugary bread crumbs.  To add even more deliciousness, they are brushed with milk and then sprinkled with more sugary bread crumbs before baking.

Aparna, of My Diverse Kitchen, the host kitchen for September, described these rolls as simple, deliciously soft, mildly sweet, and perfect with a cup of coffee or tea.  It seems these Spanish Bread Rolls are very popular as breakfast bread in the Philippines, and they are also enjoyed as a mid-day snack at merienda.  I can understand why.  They are scrumptious!

Filipino Spanish Bread Rolls are made with an enriched brioche-like dough. Smaller pieces of dough are rolled out thin, brushed with butter (melted or creamed depending on the recipe used) and sprinkled with breadcrumbs and sugar. They’re then rolled up jam roll style and then baked till golden. 

What is unusual is the use of breadcrumbs in the filling for these rolls. Perhaps the breadcrumbs are used to keep the butter inside and keep it from leaking out.  Whatever the case, I like the texture and crunch the bread crumbs provide to these tasty morsels.

Different recipes suggest varying amounts of butter for the dough and the filling. Some suggest a creamed butter and sugar filling, while others use melted butter and then sprinkle breadcrumbs and sugar over it.  I went with the melted butter method because you use less butter and it’s easier.  If you prefer to cream the butter and sugar together, increase the butter in the filling to about 1/2 cup. 

Cinnamon is not a traditional ingredient in this recipe; however, I chose to use it in one batch of eight and cardamom in the other batch.  I shaped each batch differently as well.  I think I prefer the croissant-type shape the best although some of them weren’t rolled tight enough so they came apart. 

Proposed Schedule:

• Day 1 – Evening: Feed your sourdough starter
• Day 2: Prepare the final dough
• Day 3: Bake the rolls and enjoy for breakfast or brunch

Sourdough Filipino Spanish Bread Rolls {Señorita Bread}

Aparna put together her recipe from various sources on the net. I adapted it further by converting it to sourdough and using 30% whole grain KAMUT along with 70% white KAMUT flour instead of all-purpose flour.  I only used 1 egg instead of 2.  It probably needed that extra egg.  I ended up adding more almond milk instead. This bread freezes very well. You can reheat frozen rolls for about 30 seconds in the microwave.

Ingredients:

Sourdough Starter:

• 75-80 grams (1/4 cup) recently fed & active sourdough starter

Final Dough:

• 375 grams (2 1/2 cups) white Khorasan flour
• 160 grams (1 cup) sprouted wheat Khorasan flour
• 80 grams (1/3 cup) organic sugar
• 8 grams (1 tsp) fine sea salt
• 250 grams (1 cup) almond milk, more if needed *
• 113 grams (8 Tbsp, 1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 eggs

*Khorasan flour soaks up more liquid than regular flour.  If you use a different flour, you’ll probably need less milk.  If you add 2 eggs instead of one, you’ll need less milk as well.

For the Filling:

• 3-4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 80 grams (1/3 cup) organic sugar
• Cinnamon or Cardamom, to taste (optional)

For Coating:

• A little milk
• 1/4 – 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• 2-3 Tbsp organic sugar

Method:

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.

Three ways to shape Filipino Spanish Bread Rolls  

Whatever 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 out each portion into a round and spread the filling over it. Then cut each into 8 triangles like you would a pizza. Each triangle would be rolled up croissant style.
• Shaping method #2: This is a more traditional way. For this shape, roll each half of dough into a log, and divide 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 and completely with melted butter. Sprinkle half the breadcrumbs and the 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.

 

 

For more inspiration, take a look at the different variations the Babes made:

• blog from OUR kitchen – Elizabeth
• A Messy Kitchen – Kelly
• Judy’s Gross Eats – Judy
• Karen’s Kitchen Stories – Karen
• Bread Experience – Cathy
• Feeding My Enthusiasms – Elle
• Thyme for Cooking – Katie
• My Kitchen in Half Cups – Tanna
• My Diverse Kitchen – Aparna

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

 

Disclaimer:  I’m sending a big shoutout and thank you to KAMUT International in partnership with Montana Flour & Grains for sending me a 10 lb bag of white Khorasan flour. I’m having lots of fun baking through the bag.