Vegan Malunggay Pandesal (Moringa Filipino Bread Rolls)
Servings 16 pieces
Equipment
- Mixing bowls
- Spatula
- headstand mixer (optional)
- Food processor (optional)
- food thermometer (optional)
- food scale (optional)
- cling wraps or towels
- sharp knife & cutting board
- parchment paper
- baking tray or baking dish
Ingredients
- 4 cups (500g) unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 cup (20g) fresh malunggay (moringa) leaves removed from stem
- 2¼ tsp active dry yeast or 1 packet
- 4 tbsp (56g) vegan unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1½ cup (350g) unsweetened plain non-dairy milk lukewarm or between 95-100°F
- 1 tsp (5g) salt
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- panko bread crumbs (see notes)
Instructions
- Rinse malunggay leaves thoroughly and pat dry (or squeeze out excess liquids). Using a food processor or knife, chop the malunggay leaves to fine small pieces. Pat dry again and try your best to get out as much liquids as possible. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl (or headstand mixer), dissolve active dry yeast into warm milk with a teaspoon of sugar. Mix and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. You will know the yeast is active when it foams or bubbles on top of the liquid.
- Mix in the rest of the sugar to the liquids. If you are using a headstand mixer, set the speed on low to mix. Add the teaspoon of salt.
- Using a hook attachment for the headstand mixer, gradually add in the flour until it forms into a soft dough. Mix in the malunggay leaves and, little by litte, the softened butter. Kneed onto the dough until all ingredients are well combined. Continuously kneed on a medium speed (or by hand) until dough is smooth or elastic enough to stretch without tearing.NOTE: Do not add the flour all at once. Every flour is different. You want to avoid from the dough from being too dry or too sticky from the initial mix.
- Grease another mixing bowl with butter or oil and place your dough to rest covered with a damp kitchen towel or cling wrap. Leave it for an hour or until it has doubled in size. If you have a thermometer, the ideal dough temperature would be between 74° - 78°F to activate faster.
- Once your dough has doubled in size, punch down the gas and kneed on a smooth surface. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Form each pieces into a ball by rolling it on a smooth surface. You can eyeball the size of each piece as best as you can. If you want to be precise, each dough ball should roughly be around 1" in diameter and about 57g in weight to make 16 pieces. If the dough is sticky to work with, you may lightly flour your hands or the dough to work with. However, try to avoid using too much flour - your bread might result in dryness after baking.
- Coat each dough ball with breadcrumbs. If you find the breadcrumbs not sticking onto your dough pieces, you may lightly brush each piece with oil or coat with a cooking spray. Line each dough ball on a baking tray, leaving about 1½" breathing room to expand. Do not worry about spacing them apart too much as they will be touching after the second proof. Cover with a damp towel and let it rest for another hour or until it has doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until bread is golden brown on top. Best served when it is freshly baked with vegan cheese, butter, or peanut butter and a side of hot chocolate or coffee.
Notes
For using panko bread crumbs - the finer the bread crumbs, the better. You can grind your panko bread crumbs on a food processor or blender beforehand. This, of course, is optional.