Sunday, September 27, 2009

Pan de Pula/Pan de Regla/Kalihim/Kabukiran



For a good story on how this tinapay's name evolved through time, read here.

Maybe, for me, the most apt name would be kalihim, in reference to bucaio's theory that it got that name from the sweet secret of using old rolls.

In my father's bakery (now gone), we did use stale breads to make this tinapay (which we simply referred to as "pula'). I have to confess that I never liked this tinapay, and it was not because of this secret (because we had another tinapay, "pudding," that used old breads also and was brown and chewy but I loved it very much).

However, in my compulsion to add to my list of Filipino rolls and breads in my kusina, I tried to come up with my own version. And while my own version did not taste at all like the pan de pula my father's bakery used to make, I actually ended up liking this version, and made me wonder whether other bakeries made theirs like this, because if they did, then there is no wonder anymore why lots of Filipinos love "kalihim" or "pan de regla." Even my kids loved them (this batch was gone within 24 hours). Having said this, please do not treat/expect this recipe as an authentic pan de pula or pan de regla or kalihim or kabukiran recipe. I will leave it up to you if you want to try this. My method is how I imagined it was probably done by my father's bakers back then. I did not know exactly how they prepared the filling, but I knew they wrapped it in dough, and proceeded pretty much like how I did. I also did not know their recipe for the dough, but one time I was talking to my mother about it, she said to have a dough that had a small amount of yeast so that it would not be thick. I got the dough recipe from breadworld.com, as usual, and liked it. As for the filling, I made a pudding recipe based on the usual ingredients: stale bread, milk, eggs, sugar and vanilla. I used red food coloring mainly because that was what I knew we used in my father's bakery.

Ingredients:
Pudding Filling --
stale bread, cut into pieces (I used white bread, and filled a loaf pan 2/3 up)
2 cups milk
3 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
red food coloring (or whatever color you prefer or none at all)

Dough --
1-1 / 2 to 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope FLEISCHMANN’S RapidRise Yeast
3 / 4 teaspoon salt
2 / 3 cup very warm water (120o to 130oF)
1 tbsp oil
egg glaze (beaten 1 egg white plus 1 tbsp water)

Instructions:

Prepare the filling first. Place the cut up stale bread in a loaf pan up to 2/3 full. Mix all other ingredients in a bowl. Press the stale bread pieces then pour the mixture and let soak. Press some more with fork to make sure you release gas and bread pieces absorb the mixture. You may let this sit in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

Puree the pudding in a food processor. Cook in a saucepan on medium heat, stirring frequently to avoid scorching. Stop when it is thick. Let cool down then form into a log using a cling wrap. Chill when cool enough to place in the fridge.

Prepare the dough. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, and salt. Gradually add very warm water and oil to flour mixture. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

Roll dough to 12 x 10-inch rectangle. Place the pudding log onto it and wrap with the dough. Pinch seams to seal. Place on a greased baking sheet seam side down. Flatten a bit. Brush with egg glaze. Pierce with fork tines on several spots for vents. Place in warmed oven (or a draft-free moist and warm place) to rise for about 30 minutes.

Bake at 400 deg F for about 20 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes before slicing. Cool completely before placing in ziploc bags.

11 comments:

said...

I love bread and this absolutely looks delicious! I just wanted to say that I love your blog. Thank you for all these recipes, especially the Filipino ones. I am starting to cook different Filipino recipes for my mom and it makes her happy that I am learning more Filipino cuisine (I am Filipino-American, was born here).

Thank you again!

MaMely said...

Many sari-sari stores in the Philippines sold this bread when I was growing up, but I just couldn't rememenber how they called it in my province. (Pangasinan). It is interesting to know that it has several names and to know that the filling pala is made of bread pudding?!!!Nothing wrong with old bread... that's what bread pudding is made of.

foodbin said...

like the look of the bread but the red coloring-can't you substitute it with something natural like Screwpine leaves juice color?

Manang said...

Hi Joy,
Thanks for the wonderful comment.
Have you baked pan de sal for your mom yet? Hot pan de sal was what I truly missed during my initial months here.

Hi MaMely,
I also did not know about the different names (aside from "pula" and "pan de regla") until I came up with bucaio's post on it.

foodbin,
I just added the red food coloring to make it look like the way I remember it back in the Philippines, and for the sake of posting here. But if I were to make it again, no food coloring anymore, or I might use Screwpine leaves for excellent flavor, like you suggest.

Mitzi said...

Hi Manang,
We call this bread Pan Nora in my home province Basilan. This is one of the truly missed Filipino breads here in our household (at least, for my husband and I). I just have to try this recipe this weekend. Can't wait!

chubskulit said...

Katuwa naman ng name, pan de regla hehehe...

Anonymous said...

what should i do i dont have food processor how can i process the filling ate?

Manang said...

Hi jo,
I am not sure exactly how maganit means to you. The dough here (a bit crispy, no soft, but not chewy like french bread) did not come out same as the dough that I used to have (which I remember as soft, not crispy). The bread flour has more protein content than APF, which leads to more gluten development, plus the prolong rising time (you did one hour compared to my 10 minutes) would let the gluten develop further (especially with rapid rise yeast). I think that is way too much. I am surprised the dough still came out palatable (I usually have sour-smelling dough if I let it rise that long in room temp).
The second rising is also very long, even on room temp, for the same reason as above.

In short -- high protein content of bread flour + prolonged rising time = increased gluten formation => chewy dough.

Hope this helps!

josbookshelf said...

It helps very much! Thanks a lot, Manang, for your reply. I went out and bought some AP flour and followed your recipe to the letter. I came out with a great loaf! We all fell on it like there was no tomorrow. :)

Manang said...

You are so welcome, jo!

Anonymous said...

Hello,
Do you have a recipe for the plain read pudding they sell at bakeries in the philippines? No raisins or rum, just plain? I would appreciate it so much if you could share it. Thanks!!

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