Supersoft Ensaymada

NOTE as of 2/23/09:
This has become a favorite of many of my readers, as well as mine. Easy to make, super moist and supersoft. Satisfaction guaranteed. :)

UPDATE: Sorry I was not able to come back yesterday to posting.

From supersoft ensaymada

I got busy cooking, (and experimenting yet again with my ensaymada recipe below. I am quite satisfied with the outcome I got with the recipe I am posting here, but I am currently waiting for the newest experiment to rise prior to baking. Once I get the results, I will post later today about comparison...)

This is dedicated to all homemakers like me, who have a life outside of the kitchen...I have tried to make my recipes easy to make and follow, with ingredients easy to find and not gourmet types which you will find in God-only-knows-what-specialty-store (and therefore they are very affordable) and which would not demand your whole day to make (unless you make several batches), yet will give you fulfillment and definitely will wow your friends, brown- or white-skinned. As one of my white co-workers told me after I made her taste a pinch of this roll minus the sugar and butter, "Hmmm, how come your rolls are always moist and pillow soft???".

But of course, if you have easy access to specialty items (like special cheeses) and you have the financial means, go ahead and do your own experiment in trying different ingredients.

Just kindly do me favor, my dearest readers/followers, if you know of people with whom you might like to share the recipes I have here, please point them to my website instead of giving them a copy of the recipe. I appreciate increased traffic to my website.

11-22-08
An absolute welcome give-away in any Filipino Christmas Party supersoft ensaymada that melts in your mouth(soft even without heating up in the microwave, even after two days. Yeah, we finished them after two days because I made a big batch trying to experiment with other ways to use the dough.)

The secrets:
(1) Potatoes
(2) Lots of butter
(3) No kneading!!! (You read that right!)

I have been telling some of those who have been emailing me that I have been experimenting with this ensaymada. I am posting this right before the Holidays, in time for preparing giveaways made with love. The recipe to be posted later...Gotta go grocery shopping first.

(I can hear you say..."Bummer! Whatta teaser!")
Ingredients:
5 cups bread flour (separate 1 + 1 + 3)
1/2 cup sugar
2 envelopes Fleischmann’s RapidRise Yeast (1 envelope is 0.25 oz = 2-1/4 tsp)
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup shortening (also known as lard, purico in Philippines, strutto in Italy)
1 cup mashed potato
2 eggs
3 egg yolks
2-oz grated sharp cheddar cheese, added to the 3-cup flour above(I used Helluva Good brand, because it comes closest to the kind of cheese paired with ensaymada that I grew up with. It's up to you to experiment with other cheeses.)- [UPDATE 12-23-08: I tried 2-oz crumbled feta cheese and it was wonderful! I loved the cheesy effect on the dough. Save your cheddar cheese for topping instead.]
melted butter (approximately 1 stick)
softened butter (approximately 1 stick to 1-1/2)(for rolled method)
(Note: Before you turn your nose up with the shortening here, wait for my next post comparing the two).

Directions
Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, undissolved yeast and salt. Heat milk, water and shortening until very warm (120º to130ºF). Gradually add to dry ingredients. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in mashed potato, eggs and 1 cup flour; beat 2 minutes at high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in remaining flour to make a stiff batter. Detach dough hook and cover dough plus hook loosely with plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 hours. Remove from fridge and add the 3 egg yolks, stir setting on the mixer. Remove hook from the dough this time and cover loosely again with plastic then refrigerate for another 1-22 hours.

The next stage will make use of a method depending on how hardworking you are or how time pressed you are.

Coiled: If you got lots of time, do the old-fashioned way of coiling like katol by pinching off pieces from the chilled dough about the size of a small pandesal. Get only a few at a time and chill the rest of the dough again because it becomes harder to handle when warmer; it becomes too sticky. Sprinkling flour on work surface helps lessen the stickiness. Shape the dough into a long rope about a foot long and coil as previously illustrated in older posts. Place on greased baking pan and brush with melted butter. See this post for step-by-step slideshow on how to shape into coils.

Rolled (para sa tinatamad): Get a chunk of dough about the same as one that you have for 2-lb recipes of bread (or about the size of a grapefruit or suha). Flatten to disk, fold over the four edges like that of an envelope, and roll to make a rectangle about 8 x 10 inches. Place a generous layer of softened butter except near the edges. Roll tightly from the long end. Cut in 1 to 1-1/2 inch intervals. Dip one end of cut side in melted butter then place on baking pan. Brush the rest of the surfaces with melted butter. [UPDATE 12-23-08: This whole batch can be divided into 3. When shaped into logs after you place your filling, wrap tightly in cling wrap and freeze. After freezing, let stand in room temp for about 15-20 minutes and cut with a knife to end up with 8-9 pieces minus the ends. Place in baking pan, preferably where they will crowd together to compress so they rise upward; ex., in 8x8 or 9x9 or round pans. Brush with butter. Let rise in warmed oven for about 45 mins to 1 hr, or until doubled in size. Bake as directed below. Cool down some or completely before applying topping of choice.]

Let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (My favorite thing to do is place them in the oven and "start" baking then turn off after one minute then let rise for 30 mins to 1 hr. Once puffy enough, remove from oven and start heating up the oven).

Bake at 350ºF for 12-15 minutes or until done. Remove from pans; cool on wire rack for about 30 minutes or until completely cool if not consuming immediately, and store in ziploc bag.

To enjoy ensaymada the traditional Filipino way:
Brush softened butter to warm ensaymadas (not too hot that it melts the butter), dunk in a bowl of sugar (or sprinkle the sugar on top), and top with finely grated cheese (the finer grater gives you soft looking curls of the cheese like in the photo above).


TAGALOG VERSION:

Sangkap:
5 tasang "bread flour" (paghiwa-hiwalayin 1 + 1 + 3) = hula ko, eto yung primera sa Pilipinas
1/2 tasang asukal
2 pakete Fleischmann’s RapidRise Yeast (instant yeast din to)
1 kutsarang asin
1 tasang gatas
1/2 tasang tubig
2/3 tasang purico
1 tasang "mashed potato" (maaaring gumamit ng purong nilagang patatas, o yung tirang mashed potato)
2 itlog
3 pula ng itlog
2-oz ginadgad na sharp cheddar cheese o kaya ay gumamit ng "crumbled feta cheese" at ihalo ito dun sa nakahiwalay na tatlong tasa ng harina (pwedeng gamitin ang food processor para mabiyak nang husto ang feta cheese at mahalong maige sa harina)
tinunaw na "butter" (mga 1 stick, pampahid bago i-bake)
pinalambot butter (mga 1 stick to 1-1/2)(para sa nirolyong dough)

Paraan:
Paghaluin ang 1 tasang harina, asukal, yeast (lebadura) at asin (eto ang tuyong sangkap). Pagsamahin at initin ang gatas, tubig, at purico hanggang 120º to130ºF. Unti-unting ihalo ang mga likidong sangkap sa tuyong sangkap. Paandarin ang electric mixer sa medium speed ng 2 minuto (paminsan minsan ay kaskasin sa gilid ang bowl para mahalong maigi). Idagdag ang mashed potato, itlog, at 1 tasang harina at i-beat uli ng 2 minuto sa high speed (pinakamabilis); kaskasin uli para mahalo maige.Unti-unting ibuhos ang natitirang harin (na me halong keso) habang umaandar ang mixer. Sa puntong ito, kung hindi kaya ng mixer maghalo ng makapal na dough, pwedeng gamitin ang wooden spoon o kamayin hanggang maging malambot na dough. Takpan ng plastic (cling wrap) at ilagay sa ref nang 2 oras.

Ihalo ang 3 pula ng itlog. takpan uli at ilagay sa ref. Maghintay ng 2 oras o kahit abutin ng 22 oras pa bago ihulma.

Sa paghulma, pwedeng hugis katol o nirolyo. Kung tinatamad ka, irolyo mo. Kung matyaga ka, gawing parang katol.

Wisikan ang countertop/lamesa ng maraming harina. Ilagay ang dough. Budburan ang ibabaw ng maraming harina. Gamit ang rolling pin, i-flat ang dough (Budburan lang na harina sa madikit na parte.). (Mas mabilis ito kesa paisa-isang piraso na pinahaba ng kamay).

(1) Katol: Gamit ang "dough cutter", maghiwa nang pahaba para makagawa ng "lubid" na kasingtaba ng hinlalaki na 1 ft ang haba.. Eto ang gawing parang katol. Ilagay sa baking sheet na pinahiran ng manipis ng purico. Yung dulo ng katol ay dapat nasa ilalim, para hindi hihiwalay habang umaalsa. Maglaan ng 2 inches na pagitan bawat piraso. (Pwedeng i-freeze sa puntong ito: ilagay sa freezer ng 3 oras, ilabas at ilagay sa makapal ng plastic bag/ziploc. Alisin ang hangin hanggang kaya. Pag handa na paalsahin, ilabas sa freezer, ilagay sa mold na me pahid ng purico, at paalsahin ng mga 4 na oras sa countertop/room temp, o ilagay sa pinainit (1 minuto) na oven para mas mabilis umalsa.)

(2) Nirolyo:
Itupi ang apat na gilid para makagawa ng parihaba (8x10 inches). Pahiran ng pinalambot na butter maliban sa pinakagilid para magselyo pag nirolyo. Irolyo nang mahigpit mula sa mahabang gilid. (Pwede i-freeze sa puntong ito: Balutin nang cling wrap nang mahigpit. Pag handa na paalsahin, ilabas sa freezer, palipasin ang 15 minuto bago hiwain.) Hiwain na mga 1 inch hanggang 1-1/2 inches ang kapal. Ilagay sa ensaymada mold na pinahiran ng purico/pinalambot na butter.

Pahiran ng tinunaw na butter. Hayaang umalsa sa lugar na mainit-init at kelangan, walang malakas na hangin (draft); takpan ng plastic na pinahiran ng purico. Pwedeng ilagay sa oven. Ganito: Painitin ang oven ng isang minuto, saka ilagay ang baking sheet (hindi na kelangan takpan ng plastic). Hayaang umalsa hanggan dumoble ang laki. Pahiran uli ng tinuna na butter. Ihorno (bake) sa 350 F ng 12-15 minuto or hanggang maging golden brown ang ibabaw. Pagka-alis sa oven, ilagay agad sa wire rack para lumamig nang mga 30 minuto. Kung hindi kakainin agad, ilagay sa ziploc.

Kung kakainin agad, pahiran ng pinalambot na butter ang ibabaw (ang iba ay gustong gawin to habang mainit pa ang ensaymada, kaya natutunaw ang butter. Ako, ang gusto ko ay makapal yung malabot na butter, hindi tunaw.) Maglagay ng asukal sa mangkok (bowl) at idukdok ang ensaymada na may butter. (Maaaring paghaluin ang malabot na butter at asukal, tapos eto ang ipahid sa ensaymada. Mas kakapit ang keso pag ganito.)

Kung gusto mo na me keso, maggadgad ng cheddar cheese sa ibabaw.

Variations for topping:

A. glaze/frosting
1 cup confectioners' or glazing sugar
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon milk
better recipe from Spice Islands (good for 24 rolls)
# 6 1/2 cups powdered sugar
# 6 tablespoons butter, softened
# 6 tablespoons milk
# 1 teaspoon Spice Islands® Pure Vanilla Extract
# 1 teaspoon Almond Extract

B. cinnamon-flavored frosting
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon salt
grated zest and juice of 1/2 orange
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons hazelnut liqueur, such as Frangelico, or almond liqueur, such as Amaretto)

Why do I like this recipe aside from it giving me those tender, light-colored ensaymadas that very much reminds me of red ribbon or goldilocks (my previous recipes were only a bit more special than the ensaymada I grew up with, made by my Tatay or Manong)? Well, aside from those reasons mentioned above, this recipe also is pretty much like a slow cooker. Prepare then forget for a while until you are ready to cook. This recipe gives you a whole 24 hours to finally get going with the baking stage. Prepare today, put in the fridge, shape, rise and bake tomorrow. Or you can prepare today, shape hours later and refrigerate, bake the next day. Your choice. Just don't let 24 hours pass before you bake.

TIPS: For those who have a cellar with temps almost like that of a fridge, and you would like to bake several batches of this, I suggest you get a shelf (maybe 5-tier aluminum) and a damp sheet to wrap around the shelves once you have pans with the buns shaped already to keep them moist. You might want to experiment with just one or two pans and see how it turns out.

To those planning to give these away for Christmas (or maybe making a business out of it?), may I suggest baking them in Christmas baking boxes like those by KAF (star or tree).

UPDATE (12/11/08)
I tried to freeze some of the dough after rolling like a log, then tried to cut with a knife after about 20 minutes out of the freezer, as shown in the additional photos in the slideshow. I let it rise in room temp after brushing some more with melted butter, which maybe took one hour before I baked them. Taste-wise, they turned out perfect still, if not for the fact that placing them on baking sheet made them expand laterally so they looked flat. They probably would look better if placed in 8x8 or a tree-shaped pan, where they would be compressed and forced to rise upward.
Happy Holidays!

UPDATE as of 12-21-08:

From Holiday tree baking pan

I baked them in tree-shaped pan after freezing, and they rose after about 1-1/2 hour (would have been faster if I let them rise inside a warm oven, but I was baking something else that time). So this is how they looked like after baking. Beautiful, ain't it? Just add toppings of softened butter, sugar and grated cheese just before giving to your friends/relatives.

UPDATE: 1-24-09
Does this task seem daunting to you? Don't feel intimidated. Wena has tried making this and was very pleased with the results, too. And as you will see with the comments by Crystal, she found this very satisfactory as well. So shake off you fear and JUST DO IT!


UPDATE: 1-29-09
Anonymous EQ, a pastry chef, tried this recipe and states it is better than the ensaymada of goldilocks or red ribbon. Here's a photo of what pastry chef made. Pwedeng pang-business! Click on the photo to see a larger picture. Basing on his story in the comments section below, seems like he played with the dough (like it was Play-Doh, haha!), especially that he did not have his Kitchen Aid Mixer to prep the dough. I remember when I was just learning to bake from scratch (not play with dough, as that is something I have done since I was a kid), I was soooo scared to handle the dough that I myself produced, and it took time for me to get comfortable again to handle it like it was clay.

To EQ, Thanks a lot for your comment. It means a lot to me!

UPDATE as of 3-15-09: Joy L. also made these today and was very satisfied with the results. She is going to bring them the next day to her homeschooling group.

The next day she again emailed me about how these were received by his husband. "My husband said:"WoW! It's one of your best bread ever!! I can easily eat more but I have to watch my carb." My husband is diabetic but is addicted to bread and chocolates My 6 years old boy ate 2 for merienda while my little girl ate one whole piece too!! They want me to pack ensaymada for their lunch tomorrow."

Thanks Joy L for letting me know about your outcome!

UPDATE as of 4/3/09: Mai also baked these (first time for her to bake!), and was so nervous before placing the dough inside the oven to bake. The results brought joy both to her and to her husband. Her husband said, "masarap pa to kesa Goldilocks."

Thanks, Mai, for trusting me and giving this recipe a try!

UPDATE as of 4/21/09: I was at work when I received this email of Marlene's ensaymada photos.Truly inspiring! Thanks for sharing this photo of your gorgeous ensaymadas, Marlene! Glad your family enjoyed them!