Ensaymada — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A soft, brioche-like spiral bread brushed with butter, topped with sugar and a generous blanket of grated cheese — a sweet-savory Filipino pastry perfect with hot chocolate.

Ingredients

500g bread flour
7g instant yeast
100g sugar
3 eggs
200ml warm milk
100g butter, softened (plus more for brushing)
1 tsp salt
150g grated aged cheese (queso de bola)
Extra sugar for topping
Extra butter for brushing

Instructions

1 Mix flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add eggs and warm milk. Knead 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
2 Add softened butter gradually, kneading until the dough is silky and passes the windowpane test. Rest 1 hour until doubled.
3 Divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a long rope, flatten, brush with butter, and coil into a spiral.
4 Place spirals on a buttered baking pan. Cover and proof 45 minutes until puffy.
5 Bake at 175°C (350°F) for 15-18 minutes until golden.
6 Brush hot ensaymada with butter, sprinkle with sugar, and top generously with grated cheese.

Did You Know?

The most famous ensaymada in the Philippines, from the bakery Mary Grace, can sell for over $10 each and are a prized pasalubong (homecoming gift) for travelers.