Recipe video above: My favorite Spanish Bread. Soft, fluffy, filled with butter and sugar then rolled in breadcrumbs. Make it at home and eat it warm fresh out of the oven.
In a medium-size bowl, combine lukewarm water, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and yeast. Stir until completely dissolved. Let it stand for 5 to 10mins until yeast begins to foam.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of your stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
Add warm milk, yeast mixture, egg yolks, and butter to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Attach the dough hook and turn the mixer on to the lowest speed and mix until flour is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Add additional flour as necessary, start with 2 tablespoons and go from there. Continue beating for 5 to 6 minutes until the dough is slightly sticky and elastic, and pulling away from the edge of the bowl. Be careful not to add too much flour.
Rise # 1 Warm rise or cold rise
Wipe or spray oil on the sides of the bowl then form dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until it doubles 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 the notes for more information.
Spanish Bread Filling
Combine all the ingredients of the filling in a small bowl. Make this just before the dough finishes rising.
Rise #2 Shape the rolls
Remove the plastic wrap and punch the dough down. Transfer onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 20 to 24 portions. (see video). For an evenly sized dough, use a kitchen scale. Mine was about 50g each. Adjust based on your preference.
Using a rolling pin, flatten each portion into an oval shape. Spread 1 tablespoon of the filling, then roll it into a log (see video). Lay it in the bread crumbs. Shake off excess then place inside the baking tray greased or lined with a parchment paper. Repeat with all the other portions. Make sure that the dough is arranged two inches apart. Cover with a towel or cloth and let it rise for 40mins to 1 hour.
Baking
Preheat oven at 180c/356f, 15 minutes before the dough rolls finishes rising. Bake the Spanish bread for 18 to 20 minutes until the top turns light brown.
Video
Notes
Yeast - use instant or dry active yeast. Follow the same procedure for frothing
Bread flour - substitute with all-purpose flour if not available. Use the same amount. Bread will just be less chewy with all-purpose flour.
Spanish Bread Filling - double the recipe if you prefer a thicker filling.
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.
Make-ahead: Make the dough ahead of time then place it in the fridge. The dough will slowly rise and double in size overnight. On the day of baking, remove from the refrigerator 30-40 mins before you’re going to shape them into rolls.
Baking tip: If you're using two racks, switch the trays after 12 minutes so all the rolls will brown evenly. Applicable only to 60cm/23 ovens and above. Bake in two separate batches if using compact ovens.
Storage and re-heating: Store in an air-tight container. Wrap in foil and re-heat in a mini-oven toaster for 1 to 2 minutes over low heat.