Red Velvet Pandesal

Fall in love with this glammed-up version of our favorite Filipino bread roll! Red Velvet Pandesal with a hint of chocolate flavor, a touch of sweetness from the cream cheese filling, and gorgeous color are sure to wow the crowd.

Hello everyone! I am Sanna, and I am back with a must-try baked treat.

Last week, I shared with you my take on the hottest bread trend, ube cheese pandesal, and today, I’m bringing you another variant that’s inspired by red velvet cake.

Red velvet is one of my favorite cake flavors. The subtle hint of chocolate flavor, sweet cream cheese frosting, and bright-red color are pretty hard to resist.

It’s no surprise that this dessert has been adapted into many forms, such as crinkles, cheesecakes, brownies, and ice cream. And now, our pandesal, too!

Step by step

This recipe is based on Kawaling Pinoy’s delicious pandesal, which I modified to include cocoa powder, red food coloring, and delicious cream cheese filling. The result is a pillowy soft bun that is as pretty as it is tasty!

Step 1: Make The Dough

• In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast and about one teaspoon of the sugar in warm water and let sit for about 5 minutes, or until foamy. This step is to “prove” the yeast is alive and active. Make sure the water is at 105 – 115 F temperature as too hot liquids will kill the yeast.
• If using instant dry yeast, use the same amount, and add directly to the dry ingredients without proofing. Reduce the rise time by 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add the milk, the remaining sugar, eggs, softened, butter, salt, cocoa powder, and red food coloring. Stir everything well.
• Add 2 cups of flour and use a stand mixer to beat the mixture until combined. Gradually add 2 1/2 cups of flour, half a cup at a time, and continue beating to combine. If the dough is still too wet, add a few tablespoons of the reserved flour just until the dough gathers into a shaggy mass.
• Can you substitute bread flour for all-purpose flour? Yes, but the results won’t be exactly the same. Bread flour has a higher gluten content, resulting in a chewier texture.