Biscocho de Iloilo: butter-and-sugar PagkainPinoy version
PagkainPinoy’s 24–30 piece version twice-bakes day-old soft bread with a thin butter-and-sugar coating.
Modern adaptation
Filipino ensaymada, butter-sugar-cheese version
Ensaymada · Ensaymada (Filipino) · Ensaymada with butter, sugar and cheese
Soft Filipino ensaymada coils use enriched yeast dough, then receive butter, sugar and grated cheese. This modern Filipino version differs from Mallorcan ensaïmada and other Philippine regional formulas.
A Filipino butter-sugar-cheese ensaymada
PagkainPinoy presents this recipe as a Filipino ensaymada: soft enriched dough shaped into coils, baked in small molds and topped with butter, sugar and grated cheese. The topping amounts are not stated, so this version leaves them to the cook rather than adding new quantities.
The name also appears in the Mallorcan ensaïmada tradition. Filipino food writers and chefs describe differences in dough richness and toppings, while noting several Philippine regional styles. This recipe follows one modern butter-sugar-cheese formula and is not the Mallorcan pastry, Pampanga ensaymada antigua or a claim that every Philippine ensaymada uses the same dough.
Knead, rise and coil
The dough combines flour, instant yeast, sugar and salt with egg yolks, warm milk and softened butter. Knead until smooth and elastic; the recipe describes the dough as rich and slightly tacky. The first rise ends when the dough has doubled. After dividing it into 12–16 pieces, roll each into a rope and coil it in a greased ensaymada mold or muffin tin. Let the shaped rolls rise again until puffy.
The source card allows three hours including rising, but the method uses volume and appearance rather than fixed proof times. It gives an oven setting of 180°C and a 15–18 minute bake, until lightly golden. Cool the rolls slightly before spreading butter and adding sugar and grated cheddar or quick-melt cheese.
Sources for this section
Handling and limits
Flour is raw and egg yolks are uncooked when the dough is mixed. Do not taste the dough; keep it and its utensils away from ready-to-eat food, then wash hands and surfaces. Bake using the recipe's 180°C oven setting and time range. Lightly golden is a visual cue, not a measured internal safety limit.
The source advises chilling egg- and dairy-containing leftovers within two hours and consuming them promptly, but it does not give a product-specific storage duration. This record adds no duration or process-validation claim. Use oven protection when handling the hot tray.
History
Positively Filipino reproduces an ensaymada recipe from the 1949 Singalong-San Andres Women’s Club Menu Cook Book under Mrs. Mariquita V. Adriano; that is a dated example, not proof of the first Philippine attestation. Secondary accounts describe a Mallorcan antecedent and distinguish Philippine styles. This page records the specific modern soft, coiled butter-sugar-cheese version from PagkainPinoy, not a Mallorcan formula, Pampanga ensaymada antigua, or every Philippine regional variant.
Ingredients
Yield 12 to 16 rolls · Scaling: source batch only
Flour
946 mL4 cup as recorded
for dough11 mL2¼ tsp as recorded
118 mL½ cup as recorded
for dough4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
Egg yolks
4
237 mL1 cup as recorded
118 mL½ cup as recorded
for doughAmount not stated
additional butter for topping; amount not givenAmount not stated
for sprinkling; amount not givenGrated cheese (cheddar or quick-melt)
Amount not stated
cheddar or quick-melt; amount not givenMethod
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Raw flour and egg yolks
Uncooked flour and raw eggs can contain germs; eating raw dough can cause foodborne illness.
Hazard sourceHot oven and baking tray
The oven and tray can burn when the rolls are baked and removed.
Hazard sourceDo not taste uncooked dough. Bake according to the recipe and wash hands, bowls, utensils and work surfaces after handling raw flour or egg.
Control sourceUse oven protection when moving the baking tray.
Control sourceContains wheat, egg and milk; butter and cheese are used as toppings.
The source gives visual rise cues and bake time but no measured internal temperature or product-specific storage duration.
- Mix the flour, instant yeast, sugar and salt. Add the egg yolks, warm milk and softened butter. Knead until smooth and elastic; the dough should feel rich and slightly tacky.
- Put the dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled.
- Divide into 12–16 pieces. Roll each piece into a rope and coil it in a greased ensaymada mold or muffin tin. Leave to rise again until puffy.
- Bake at 180°C for 15–18 minutes, until lightly golden. The recipe card gives 18 minutes cook time while the method gives a 15–18 minute range.
- Cool slightly. Spread softened butter on top, then sprinkle with sugar and grated cheese. The source gives no amounts for these toppings.
Conditions
Yield12 to 16 rolls
Temperature180°C
Places
Philippines
Documented preparation · Country evidenceThe source identifies the dish as a Filipino recipe; this association does not locate a birthplace or cover every ensaymada style.
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Sources
Philippine Heritage Kitchen / PagkainPinoyComplete modern Filipino recipe and method · Identity and geography
Ensaymada (Butter–Sugar–Cheese) – Filipino Recipe | Philippine Heritage KitchenThe recipe page identifies this version as Filipino and describes soft enriched rolls topped with butter, sugar and grated cheese.
The batch makes 12–16 pieces from 4 cups flour, 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp salt, 4 egg yolks, 1 cup warm milk and 1/2 cup softened butter for the dough; topping butter, sugar and cheddar or quick-melt cheese are listed without amounts.
Mix the dry ingredients, add yolks, milk and butter, and knead until smooth and elastic; the dough is rich and slightly tacky. Rise covered until doubled, divide into 12–16 pieces, roll into ropes, coil in greased ensaymada molds or muffin tins, and rise again until puffy.
Bake at 180°C for 15–18 minutes until lightly golden, cool slightly and finish with softened butter, sugar and grated cheese. The card lists 3 hours including rising and 18 minutes cook time.
The page advises clean utensils, chilling egg- and dairy-containing leftovers within 2 hours and consuming them promptly; it gives no exact storage duration.
Cited in: A Filipino butter-sugar-cheese ensaymada; Knead, rise and coil; Handling and limits
Positively FilipinoDated printed example
From Bahao to BreakfastThe article reproduces an ensaymada formula from the 1949 Singalong-San Andres Women’s Club Menu Cook Book under Mrs. Mariquita V. Adriano; it provides a dated example but does not establish first attestation.
F&B Report Magazine / InquirerContext on Mallorcan comparison and Philippine variants
Tracing the history of ensaymadaThe article discusses Mallorcan ensaimada, Pampanga ensaymada antigua, and Philippine regional forms; it is secondary commentary and does not establish that they share the same formula.
Cited in: A Filipino butter-sugar-cheese ensaymada
SPOT.phContext on distinct Philippine versions
The Origins of Filipino Ensaymada, According to PanaderiaThe article describes Manila, Pampanga and Bulacan variants and attributes interpretive remarks to the authors of Panaderia; it does not establish one universal method or birthplace.
James Beard FoundationFilipino style and Mallorcan comparison
Ensaymada (Cheese-Topped Yeast Buns) RecipeFilipino restaurant chefs describe sweet coiled yeast buns topped with sweetened butter and Edam/queso de bola, contrasting this with the Mallorcan ensaimada's lard and powdered sugar. This supports the distinction, not the PagkainPinoy formula.
Cited in: A Filipino butter-sugar-cheese ensaymada
Centers for Disease Control and PreventionRaw flour and egg safety
Raw Flour and DoughUncooked flour and raw eggs may contain germs; do not eat raw dough; bake according to the recipe and wash hands, bowls, utensils and counters after handling raw ingredients.
Cited in: Handling and limits
National Health ServiceHot oven and tray hazard
Burns and scaldsHot items and surfaces can burn; hot liquids and steam can scald.
Cited in: Handling and limits