When I was asked to do a Guest Post for “Go Bake Yourself“, I was extremely excited by the opportunity! The author, Choc Chip Uru is a young teen who grew up in Aussie land. She’s definitely one of the most inspiring teens I have ever met to date! I must say, don’t judge a book by its cover! A dedicated baker with a sweet tooth, Uru has started baking since she was little and her impeccable baking skills has taken the blogging world by a storm! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how this wonderful young baker has so many followers on her blog!
Anyway, I decided to bake up an ensaymada as my guest post. You can also find the post here
While living in global cities, it is not uncommon to have friends from all walks of life. The best part about it is that you also get to exchange cultures, be it in the form of language, values, and most importantly, FOOD. Now having said that, one of my best friends who grew up in Vancouver, Hambie, is of Filipino descent. It should not come as a surprise that I grew to learn a fair bit of this fellow Southeast Asian culture, due to our frequent girls’ night out, study sesh-es, and dinner dates. But let’s also not forget “Le rendez-vouz de la maison”. This is when your best friend’s mum invites you over for dinner and showcases her best dishes. Filipinos are one of the most hospitable people who enjoy sharing, especially via the channel of food! Aside from our frequent dinners at Pin Pin, a Filipino home is where I learned of the various traditional cuisines that my friends and their families consume on a daily basis.
When I just got to know her, I recall a certain “rendez-vous de la maison” where Hambie offered me some bread to snack on. Being of Singaporean descent, my first instinct is to always say “no” out of courtesy. Yes, it is considered impolite to ask for food when visiting others’ homes, but when offered, always say “no” first. If thought bubbles could be seen above one’s head, mine at the time would have been the vivid image of my mum pulling me to a corner and saying, “Don’t trouble others. Say no!”. However those buns looked too damn good to pass up and Hambie could see my eyes beaming with delight as I tried to contain my drool…
“Try it! It’s really good. Don’t be shy! My food is your food too!” she said with a smile. This was when I first had a taste of the amazing Ensaymada. A sweet bread rolled in a spiral or tied in a knot with sugar sprinkled on top, and paired with some savoury shredded cheddar to finish. As you bite into the fluffy dough, the mix of sweet and savoury delight sends you straight to orgasm.
Hooked.
That was the only word I could use to describe my feelings towards a Filipino bakery. I very much enjoy the numerous items one can find in a Filipino bakery, but I gotta say, this is still my favourite Pinoy bun!
This year, I received a Goldilocks recipe book from a very special and sweet friend of mine in Vancouver. I couldn’t be happier with the thoughtful gift. I was already fortunate enough to be introduced to such a wonderful cuisine, but the thought that I was able to learn to cook and bake (more so bake) it was overwhelmingly enchanting.
Without further ado, I present to you my first attempt in making the delicious Ensaymada! Enjoy!
Ā Ā
Ensaymada
makes 8 Ensaymada buns
adapted from Goldilocks Bake Book by Milagros Leelin Yee & Clarita Leelin Go
- 2 tsp instant yeast
- 2/3 cup water
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup evaporated milk
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
- Topping: creamed butter, grated cheddar cheese, sugar (to taste)
Directions
- Dissolve yeast in 1/3 cup of water. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl with dough hook, place sifted all-purpose flour, sugar and salt. Mix at low speed until incorporated.
- Add the dissolved yeast, remaining water, eggs and evaporated milk. Mix for 2 minutes at low speed then mix at medium speed for approximately 4 minutes.
- Add unsalted butter and continue mixing until gluten is slightly developed.
- Transfer the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic.
- Let the dough rest for about 15 minutes at room temperature.
- Punch down the dough and divide it into pieces weighing 60 grams each.
- Let the dough rest for 15 minutes then cover with plastic sheet to prevent from drying.
- Roll out the pieces thinly into 8″x5″ rectangles. Brush surface with butter.
- Roll into a long rod and twirl into shape, locking ends to seal.
- Place each piece in a greased ensaymada moulder.
- Let the dough rise until it doubles in size. (Approximately 1 1/2 hours at room temperature)
- Bake for 17 minutes at 325 F or until golden in colour.
- Let the bread cool then remove it from moulder.
- Brush the top of each ensaymada with creamed butter and sprinkle with grated cheese and sugar.
Cheers!
Sweet Samsations 
You are so sweet my friend and thank you for such an awesome guest post š
Cheers
CCU
Wow its nice to see some ensaymada here. Love this bread š
So fluffy and delicious!! Love sweet and savory buns so much, especially while growing up š
I just visited another blog and they had these buns featured. Now since seeing them on your blog, I am definitely going to make them as soon as possible
Yum! I grew up on these buns!
I’m unfortunate that I’ve never tried this buns before in my life! Looks so delicious!!!
Never tried these buns before and oh Mann, I’m craving for one or 3, now..
This is one of the biggest sweet temptations I can imagine, Sammie.
These cakes look amazing fluffy and delicious.
looks so hearty and delicious. my kind of meal. yum!
These ensaymada look perfect, I sure would love 0ne or two for breakfast…\
Have a wonderful weekend Sammie š
Sammie these little buns are gorgeous. I think these need to get pinned on pinterest! Have a super weekend. BAM
these are simply beautiful!
Mary x
I have never used evaporated milk before, and this looks like a great place to start!
These look amazing — like the perfect treat to give you a lift in the afternoon.
Big yum! I loved drooling over your guest post!
These look SO good and your guest post was awesome!
These buns look delicious. I’d love to have one just hot from the oven.Nice to visit your blog.
Hi Sammie, Iām happy to nominate you for the Liebster Award for your blog. For that you need to follow some proceduresā¦they are given in the link below
http://ambassadorstable.blogspot.com/2013/08/sharing-joy-my-first-award.html
Please answer the last 11 questions asked by me, nominate 11 other new bloggers. ask them 11 questions of your choice and do post all this in your blogā¦for example the way itās posted in my blogā¦ Glad to nominate you š Have a great day!
Sammy,
these look INCREDIBLE)))!! Xx mmm
Oh my goodness, these look fantastic! When my mom gets back from the Philippines, I should make these for her!
Wow!
These look awesome!
hey
would the ensaymadas taste better if I use StarMargarine instead of butter as topping?
because I think StarMargarine gives a lot more traditional flavour than butter…
Agree? what do you suggest?
thanks ^^
Did you use WHOLE EGGS? Or just the yolks? What if you don’t have a dough hook?
Hi Hollyn. I used whole eggs. If you don’t have a dough hook you may also use your hand to mix it.
Hello, is all purpose flour the same as plain flour?
Thanks, Vanessa
Hi. Yes it is! You may also use “bread flour”
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I followed the recipe except that I am a mother of a 3 year old and a 2 month old so the fifteen minutes waiting time for the dough to rise became three hours. I also used my kitchen aid stand mixer and the dough came out really wet. I added some flour to it but I was afraid that it would mess up my ensaimada so I decided to keep the dough wet. I had to powder it with a bit more flour while I was weighing and dividing them. Anyway, it came out PERFECT! Really wonderful. This was my first time to bake ensaimada and I am so pleased with the result. It is actually better than Goldilocks! BTW, I was able to make 16 ensaimadas, not 8, and I added only a couple tablespoons of flour.
Hi…love the recipe. So simple and easy. But how come mine turned out a bit tough?
Hmmm! I would say it might be due to the kind of flour you use. Different flour contains different levels of gluten. Perhaps what you used had too much gluten. You could try cutting down on the volume of flour used! Hope that helps!
yummy ensaymada loveeee soooo much:-)
Awesome recipe. Thanks for sharing! Would definitely make this. Where can you get the ensaymada moulds?
I’m frm Vancouver, btw!
Hi Eleanor, I got my moulds from my auntie who bought them in Asia! Unfortunately I’m not sure if they’d be available in Vancouver. But not to worry, I’ve made them without the moulds before and they turned out fine š just parchment paper / silicon mat on a flat baking tray will do!
Thanks
Looks yummy! Thanks for sharing this.
Just finished making these. They were a hit!
That’s awesome! So glad to hear that! š
This is my 2nd attempt at making these. Both times my dough is super sticky and too difficult to work with let alone roll out and twist. What could I possibly be doing wrong? I follow the recipe to the T. Thanks for any help.
Hi dear, if you find the dough too sticky to knead, go ahead and add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup flour! Some flour may contain lower gluten content than others which causes this difference
I like insayamada suweet Filipino I try mix bake insayamada today very God tasty thank you very much
Hi Sammie! I tried this recipe last night and it was a big hit! Good ensaymada is hard to find here in Ontario and I’m so glad I stumbled upon your recipe.
I did not put the buns in separate moulds but I made the 8 buns and fit them in a 9 inch round springform pan. Also I forgot about the 15 minute rest period (I probably let it rest for an hour) so they were a little taller than usual and they almost overflowed out of the pan, so maybe for next time I’ll make 16 smaller buns in two separate pans. In other recipes they also spread butter and sprinkled sugar and cheese before rolling the buns and it turned out fine with this recipe. I also baked it at the lower temperature (300F) for ~30 minutes because my oven is old and finicky and I didn’t want to ruin them.
I already got another request to make another batch of buns, thanks for this awesome recipe!
hello..I never bake this before is it possible to use baking power instead of yeast because yeast very sensitive could kill it if the water bit too warm? just a thought..well what is the out come with my 1st attempt right now then i well experiment with baking powder…!thanks cely,
Hi Cely, I’ve never tried using baking powder before as it’s v different from yeast since we need to proof this. š if it does turn out good let me know! š
it is yummy i try the baking powder it work as well…yum yum…yummy!
Haha that’s great!
thanks for the recipe now i bake and sale them!
hi there, i’ve been wanting to make esaymada for such a long time..but everytime i make it it turn out not ok =( can i use my bread maker instead?
Hi Chie, you can try! I haven’t tried with bread maker before. š
Thanks for the recipe. I’ve been baking for many years but this is my first time making ensaimada. I’m already letting the dough rise now. Hope this will turn ok later.
I’m so happy to see a Filipino recipe in your blog. Now, I miss ensaymada! I gotta try this recipe. Thanks for sharing š
Hi, I’m not sure what I did wrong, but I’ve waited a while and my dough hasn’t set yet it is still just a thick liquid! What do I do?
Hi there, add more flour if you feel your dough is still wet. š
Hi Sammie! I was craving for ensaymada so I HAD to make it. There is no place to buy it where I am. I just want to clarify. Di you sift the 3 1/2 cups of flour first before measuring or did you measure first then sift? Since you put 3 1/2 cups sifted flour, I sifted first then measured. The dough was extremely wet. I had to add a significant amount of flour to handle the dough. I used all purpose flour. It came out pretty good just a teensy bit dry for me. I’ll use less flour next time. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Hi Georgina, thanks for your feedback! I’ve been making this a bit more and have made some slight modifications to the recipe. For the butter, use softened butter (not melted). Also, adding about 1/4 cup would be perfect! Use 3 3/4 cup of flour instead! The dough should be easier to handle! Let me know if you try this again. š
I missed ensaymada. This is one of my favourites since childhood. Wanna try this recipe and thank you my dear for sharing. God bless.
Hi! your creations are fantastic! I am daphne and am residing in the US, been really looking for the recipe of a cheap pineapple pie that is just probably made with cornstarch and pineapple syrup with light crust and top. It is usually seen in small bakeries and get along the sides of the red pie (aka pie made out of day old bread with red food coloring!)! Thanks so much!!
pls email me if you have something in mind! daphne.abellon@gmail.com
I want to try your recipe for ensaymada. Please guide me as to how big the molders should be? Thank you.
More power. Twas so nice of you to have shared a seemingly successful and yummy recipe.