January ABC challenge: ensaymada (Filipino sweet rolls)

 
This month's challenge was cheese.  I dug around in my recipe collection to see if I could find something interesting and came up with these Filipino sweet rolls.  This is a very common snack bread that I'm pretty sure holds a fond place in the hearts of all Filipinos -- a snack of their youth that carries over into adulthood.  (Like peanut butter and jelly.) They're quite satisfying -- very comforting with the soft bread, the rich cheese, and the light sweetness.  Pair that with the childhood memories of  mom's kitchen and the comforts of home, I can see someone who grew up eating these being passionately attached.  

Most versions are just a round bun topped with a thin spread of buttercream and sprinkled with cheese, usually cheddar or Parmesan.  How much buttercream and cheese, and even what sort of cheese, is a matter of personal taste.  The real star here is the bun, which should be rich, fluffy, and lightly sweet, usually baked in a fluted tin.  The twist here (no pun intended), was rolling up the dough into a rope with a cheese filling, then coiling it into a bun.  While not unusual, it's more time-consuming, so understandably less common.

I made one third of the original recipe (which states it makes 8 servings), but tried to stick with the quantity proportions as closely as possible.  I had to futz with the butter and sugar quantities slightly for easier measuring, and I increased the salt slight for personal taste (and ease of measuring.)  I also revised the preparation slightly.  For 4 rolls, here's what I used:

Dough
1/3 cup warm milk
3/4 teaspoon rapid rise yeast (plus 3/16 teaspoon for active dry)
1 ²/₃ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ tablespoons white sugar
1/3 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2 ½ tablespoons soft butter

Filling
1 ½ tablespoons melted butter
1 ½ tablespoons white sugar
1/3 cup finely grated mild cheddar cheese, plus more for topping

Proof the yeast in the milk with a little sugar.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, 2½ tablespoons sugar, and the salt.  Add the egg and activated yeast mixture and mix to form a soft, sticky dough.  Knead the dough to a smooth consistency, then add the butter and knead to fully incorporate and the dough is silky.  Shape into a tight ball, place in buttered bowl, and allow to rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

To make the filling, combine the 1½ tablespoons melted butter with 1½ tablespoons sugar and set aside. Punch down the dough and knead on the counter a few times to distribute the gas.  Cut into 4 pieces.  Working with one piece at a time, roll out thinly into a rough rectangle.  Brush the dough lightly with the butter mixture, leaving a border, and sprinkle with cheese down the middle.  Roll up tightly lengthwise, then into a rope about 14 inches long; pinch the seam and the ends to seal.  Coil the rope tightly and tuck the end underneath and into the center.  Place on a greased baking tray and continue with the remaining pieces.  Cover with a cloth and allow to rise for 45 minutes, then bake at 350F for 15 minutes.  While still warm, spread the remaining melted butter and sugar mixture on the tops of the rolls and sprinkle with additional cheese.  Serve immediately.  Otherwise, allow buns to cool completely, then keep tightly wrapped; apply the toppings just before serving.

I was very happy with my results, but I'm not sure I achieved a bun consistency that would be lauded by the native eaters.  (Some recipes employ the tangzhong technique, which would produce a softer bread.  Also, another video used a lower temperature oven in order to keep the buns only lightly colored.)  The bread was very tasty, very moist and buttery, and certainly within acceptable standards for European or U.S. enriched dough, but I wouldn't describe it as fluffy.  The videos I saw showed buns with a consistency like a soft dinner roll.  Perhaps I should have let the dough rise longer, as I went by the times in the recipe, which were for rapid rise yeast; active dry takes longer.  And rather than letting the dough double, it's possible it should actually triple, as in one video.  Many also were much richer, moistened primarily with egg yolks.  Nonetheless, I might have to save this as my go-to enriched bread recipe.

Conclusion:  These were delicious and the perfect not-too-sweet bun for breakfast or a snack.  If I make them again, I'd stick with a simple bun shape, as I don't think the filled coil added anything and it would cut a lot of time and hassle off preparation.  However, even one sent my glucose levels crashing like the space shuttle Challenger, and, despite the ample calories, I was hungry 15 minutes later.  Soft white bread is my nemesis.

 Recipe:  Ensaymadas via Panlasang Pinoy