Pandesal using the bread maker

Pandesal is a breakfast favourite, eaten by itself or with a bit of cheese or butter, it's simply divine. I remember when I was still a very young girl living with my grandparents in the province of Apalit, Pampanga, my grandpa and I used to wake up at 4 in the morning so that we were one of the first if not the first to get pandesal from the store where it's being delivered. And yes, they will still be very hot then and the store smells of freshly baked bread. We get 2 pesos worth, and that will be 20 pieces of pandesal then, and the sizes of the pandesal is about 5 or 6 inches long. Yup, they were only 10 centavos a piece during that time. And no, that wasn't in the 60's ... it was in the 70's. I'm not that old. Last time we went back to the Philippines (1997), I used to send my hubby to the nearest bakery and asked him to buy pandesal. That time, not only they're 1 peso a piece, they're only 2 inches long and mostly air inside. Oh bring back the 70's ... LOL. Now with the help of a bread maker, I can make my very own pandesal. I have tried so many recipes, and this is the one I prefer the most.

Ingredients:

2 cups lukewarm water
½ cup shortening or cooking oil
1 ½ fine salt
½ cup white sugar
6 cups plain flour
3 tsp dry yeast
2 eggs (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 220 C. Reduce to 190 C (180 C fan forced oven) when you put in Pandesal.

1. Place ingredients in baking pan in order listed or according to your manufacturer’s machine. Insert baking pan and close lid.
2. Program your machine to dough cycle. Press START
3. When the cycle stops, I usually leave the dough in the bread maker for another hour or so until the dough doubles in size. Sometimes, if I forget, it’s almost coming out of the bread maker. Alternatively, remove the dough from your bread maker and put it in a much bigger bowl (lightly greased) cover it with cling wrap and leave in a warm place to rise until it doubles in size.
4. Remove the dough from the bread maker, punch out the air then roll out on a floured board, into a 1 ½ diameter strips.
5. Cover with bread crumbs. Let rise for another 15 minutes
6. Cut into 1 ½ inch pieces, roll them into some more bread crumbs.
7. Arrange on a slightly greased baking sheet, cut side up.
8. Sprinkle with more bread crumbs. Let rise for another 30 minutes or until it doubles again in bulk.
9. Bake in a pre-heated oven.
10. Bake until slightly brown, about 15 – 20 minutes.