I prefer homemade because I like knowing what ingredients go into the food I eat. I also enjoy making my own food because I get to apply all the things I have learned and combine them in one recipe.
For this recipe of queso de bola ensaymada that I got from my tita, I made a tangzhong paste used in Japanese milk bread recipes that creates a softer, pillowy dough. I also ran it in the mixer until it passed the windowpane test, a technique especially used in making brioche bread to achieve an extra desirable chew in the bread, and when you tear it up, it’s just so fluffy and feathery like cotton candy.
Credit: Make Bread/YouTube
And of course, I went a little extra and ordered queso de bola online. It almost felt like Christmas.
Ingredients
- 3 egg yolks
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp instant yeast
- 1/4 cup shortening
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter for brushing
Topping
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
- 1 cup grated queso de bola
Directions
- Combine all the dry ingredients.
- Beat egg yolks.
- Make tangzhong paste with 1/4 cup water and 1 tbsp flour.
- Add tangzhong paste and shortening to egg yolks, then add dry ingredients, including yeast.
- Add the milk alternately with butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, letting each tablespoon fully incorporate into the dough before adding the next.
- Blend well. Knead until smooth and it passes the windowpane test, about 10 minutes on medium-high speed using the stand mixer.
- Cover the mixing bowl in plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Cut the dough into 12 pieces and form into balls.
- Roll out each piece into a rectangle about 4 x 10 inches, brush with butter as shown in the video and roll into a thin log. Shape into spiral ensaymada rounds tucking in each end under the dough.
- Let dough rest for another hour until puffy and doubled in size.
- Bake in 15-20 mins at 300F (or 150C) preheated oven until golden on top.
- Let cool 5 minutes then turn rolls out onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely.
- Brush with butter and powdered sugar mixture and top with queso de bola.
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