Seorita bread is a kind of Filipino bread roll made from a particular pastry. Seorita bread (also known as Filipino Spanish bread) is traditionally cooked with a sweet buttery filling and topped with loose breadcrumbs. Yes, it is as delicious as it sounds!

Continue reading for a very easy bread recipe for this popular Filipino bread, and wow your friends with your baking abilities!

So, what is señorita bread?

Seorita bread is a sort of pastry bread roll that is traditionally prepared in the Philippines. The light breadcrumbs are sprinkled on top of the airy, fluffy bread, which is wrapped into a swirl of sweet, buttery filling.

These delightful pastries are known as Spanish bread in the Philippines, owing to the fact that Filipino baking skills are significantly inspired by Spanish cuisine, since the Philippines was previously occupied by the Spanish.

StarBread Bakery was the first to introduce these delectable delights to the United States. They are the only establishment in the United States that prepares seorita bread, and they are situated in South Sacramento. This training is out of reach for the most of us, but creating your own seorita bread would suffice!

What goes inside señorita bread?

Seorita bread has a thick, buttery, sweet, and creamy breadcrumb filling on the interior. Cinnamon is optional, though not often used in the region.

It’s no surprise that it’s so delicious, making it the ideal pastry for hosting breakfast with friends and family or giving as a pleasant treat.

Tips on how to bake the best señorita bread recipe

• Bread flour: Use bread flour instead of all-purpose flour. Bread flour has a greater protein concentration, which allows for the activation of gluten production.
• Salt: When baking with yeast, salt is essential because it serves as a yeast inhibitor, slowing the development and reproduction of yeast in the bread dough. If no salt is provided to limit yeast activity, the yeast will consume all of the sugar available in the dough due to enzyme activity. The pace at which the dough ferments will be controlled by the salt.
• Sugar: You may make your filling with either white or brown sugar, but the hue you pick will influence the color of the interior. Brown sugar is traditionally used because the added molasses gives it a rich caramel taste. I, like many others, prefer brown sugar, but you may use whatever you have on hand.
• Breadcrumbs: Bread crumbs offer a particular flaky texture to this bread recipe that other baked foods, such as cinnamon rolls, do not have. If you have soft breadcrumbs, you can always toast them in the oven for a few minutes to improve the texture of your rolls!

How to make señorita bread?

• Prep time: 50 minutes
• Cooking time: 20 minutes
• Total time: 1 hr 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the señorita bread dough

• 1 cup full fat heated milk (pre-warm in microwave for 20 seconds)
• 3 tbsp light brown sugar or golden brown sugar
• 2 (1 packet) instant yeast
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted softened to room temperature butter
• 3 cups of all-purpose flour

Making the filling

• of unsalted butter
• 2 tsp all-purpose flour
• cup of breadcrumbs, crushed
• 2 tbsp milk
• cup of white or golden brown sugar
• tsp cinnamon (optional)
• Pinch of salt

For rolling

• cup bread crumbs, toasted
• 1 oz. of unsalted butter

Señorita Bread Recipe

Prepare the dough

1. Whisk together the warm milk, active dry yeast, and a tablespoon of your preferred sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a big mixing basin if done by hand). Allow to sit for 5 minutes, covered with a tea towel.
2. Then, add the egg, butter, salt, and the remaining sugar. Add half of the flour as well. Beat the ingredients for 30-45 seconds on low speed using the paddle attachment or a dough hook. Before adding the remaining flour, scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
3. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the bread dough begins to come together (about 4 minutes). The mixture should be sticky yet soft enough to be kneaded.
4. Next, oil the inside of a bowl with parchment paper before transferring your dough and covering with a tea towel.
5. Place the lightly oiled basin in a warm spot for an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Make the filling

1. While the dough rests, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Turn off the heat after the butter has melted. Combine the flour, breadcrumbs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. This should result in a paste-like texture.
3. At this stage, it could be worth placing your bread crumbs on a sheet with parchment paper and baking them for 3 minutes. This will give the final touches a little additional zing! It will also pre-heat your oven for when the dough has risen!

Assemble the señorita bread

1. Once the dough has doubled in size, knead it well with clean hands to remove any trapped air.
2. Next, split the dough into 14-16 fairly equal pieces (don’t worry if they’re not exactly the same size). Next, roll each piece of dough into a smooth ball and place it on a lightly floured board.
3. Roll each dough piece into a triangle, with two sides longer than the third. Spread the sugar filling over each of the dough triangles.
4. Next, roll your dough inwards from the long edge of the triangle to form a little cylinder of dough.
5. Brush the top of the roll with the remaining heated butter using a silicone brush. Then, sprinkle your toasted breadcrumbs on top.

Bake the señorita bread

1. Use parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet to line your baking pan.
2. Place the rolls on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown on top. It’s recommended testing the inside by inserting a sharp knife into one of the rolls; if the knife comes out clean, the dough has cooked through.
3. Serve the rolls warm, or cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

FAQs

Bring the taste of the Philippines to your kitchen!

Now its your turn!

You won’t be sorry if you try this simple seorita bread recipe. These delectable sweets are ideal for brunch with friends and family, or just as a snack with a cup of tea or coffee.

Let me know how it goes in the comments!