The softest Ensaymada you will ever have! It's light, fluffy, and butter-rich. This is the best homemade Ensaymada you'll ever make. Shape into bread rolls and use a regular baking pan or coil and use an ensaymada molder.Milk - The recipe previously uses 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup milk. I replaced water with milk to simplify the ingredients. The total amount of milk is now 3/4 cup milk. Use 1/2 cup water + 1/4 cup milk if preferred.Shaping - To make the dough easier to handle, place it in the fridge for 1.5 hours AFTER punching down the air and BEFORE shaping. This will help set the butter making it easier to shape. Room temperature can affect the consistency of the dough, especially during the summer.
In a medium-size bowl, combine lukewarm milk, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and yeast. Stir until completely dissolved. Let it stand for 5 to 10mins until it froths.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of your stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
Add milk-yeast mixture, eggs, and egg yolks to the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula until just combined. Attach the dough hook and turn the mixer on to the lowest speed and mix until flour is incorporated. about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the cubes of butter one at a time while running the mixer at medium speed. Beat for 5 minutes.
Increase the speed to high and beat for 15 to 20 minutes. Add additional flour as necessary while kneading, start with 2 tbs, and go from there. I added about 4 tbsp more. After kneading, the dough will be slightly sticky, soft yet stretchy, and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
Rise # 1 Warm rise or cold rise
Transfer to a greased bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and seal the edges. Let it rise for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature until double in size. To make ahead, do a cold rise by placing the dough in the refrigerator. The dough will slowly double in size the next day. See notes 4, 5 and 6 for more information.
Rise #2 Shape the rolls
Greased baking pan and line it with parchment paper. If using non-stick brioche molder greased it thoroughly specially the flutes. You can use butter or oil.
Remove the plastic wrap and punch the dough down. Transfer onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 1 to 2 minutes in a stand mixer or by hand. If the dough is too loose, chill in the fridge for 1.5 hours(see note 6).
Divide the dough and form into the desired size of rolls (see video). For an evenly sized dough, use a kitchen scale. Mine was about 50g to 60g or 2 ounces each. Adjust based on your preference.
Transfer the rolls to a baking pan or brioche molder greased with butter. Cover with cling wrap and let it rise until double in size. This could take 1 hour or more depending on the room temperature.
Baking
Preheat oven at 180c/350f, 15 minutes before the dough rolls finishes rising. Bake the Ensaymada bread rolls for 12 to 15 minutes or until the top turns light brown. Do a check at 10 minutes just to be sure.
Let the bread slightly cool then remove from the pan. Place a wire rack and cool completely.
Topping
Mix butter and sugar. Spread over the Ensaymada bread rolls.
Sprinkle grated cheese on top. Serve with coffee, hot chocolate or tea. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Milk - previously uses 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup milk. Replaced water with milk which amounts to 3/4 cup milk in total. Use 1/2 cup water if preferred.
Yeast - you can use instant or active dry. Personally, I always proof my yeast no matter the type to make sure they're working before adding it to the rest of the ingredients. Note: Do not use stale or expired yeast.
Bread flour - substitute with all-purpose flour if bread flour is not available. Replaced the same amount as mentioned in the recipe. Bread will just be less chewy with all-purpose flour.
Rising time: Because of the amount of butter in this recipe, the rising time is longer compared to other bread recipes. Mine took 2hrs and 15mins.
Proofing in colder months: Place a baking dish on the bottom rack of the oven (DO NOT TURN IT ON) and fill it with boiling water. Put the dough in the middle rack and shut the door. The steam and heat from the boiling water will create a warm environment to help raise the dough.
Overnight Rising: Make the dough then let it proof for 30 minutes at room temperature covered in cling wrap. Place in the fridge and the dough will slowly rise and double in size overnight. On the day of baking, remove them from the refrigerator 45 mins to 1 hour before you’re going to shape them into rolls.
Types of cheese recommended: Cheddar cheese, Edam cheese (queso de bola), Gouda cheese, and quick melt-processed cheese.
Storage/Shelf life: Refrigerate in an airtight sealed container. When properly stored, it can last 3 to 5 days.
Re-heating: Ensaymada is best served warm. Reheat in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds. Serve immediately and enjoy with coffee, hot chocolate, or tea.
Variation: Ensaymada Ube and Monggo - ensaymada bread filled with ube halaya and sweet mung bean paste.
Ensaymada Molder - the molder for ensaymada is called "brioche mold". They usually come in different sizes. The ones I used are 3 1/2 inches to 4 inches wide. A regular cupcake pan can be used as a substitute. It's suitable if you want a small size of bread. Another option is an "egg tart molder" which also comes in different sizes. All these can be bought online and in most baking stores.