Bread of Salt

I remember our  literature class during college when our professor asked us to read the literary  work of Novelino Gonzales entitled "Bread of Salt". I was just quite intrigued because the title sounded familiar, only to realize that the author chose the title in reference to a staple Filipino breakfast commodity - the Pan de Sal. The story tells of a touching relationship between a boy who was madly in love with a rich girl whom he delivers pan de sal everyday. That affection developed into love only to realize at the end, that the world is unfair as they were separated only because of their difference in social  status. The  boy's hopes and dreams built on a love outgrown by the lowly - Pan de Sal shattered into pieces by this harsh reality. Yes, just like the story, we Filipinos also share the same sad romance with Pan de Sal as most would refer to it as poor man's bread. Early morning peddlers will stroll houses and shout for the sale of their hot  pan de sal produce. Pan de Sal with liver spread ( the cheap one only - Reno being the most popular) or with mantequilla served with hot coffee is an ambrosia to feast on. This makes up to signal the start of a brand new day for any ordinary filipino family.

Pan de Sal literally refers to salted bread.It is just ordinary leavened dough rolled into a long cane or baston and cut up in desired sizes as they are rolled in breadcrumbs then baked.  As a child, I remember my aunt asking me to go to and buy pan de sal at the nearest bakery every morning. Buyers would swarm the area to purchase the most coveted pan de sal. During those days, one pan de sal ( whole egg size) would cost around 25 centavos. Now with  price inflation on bakery items, pan de sal in the same egg size would cost at around 1 peso. Times have indeed changed, and pan de sal is slowly stealing on the up scale market as high -e nd bake shops and self proclaimed  primitive oven baked pan de sal stores have mushroomed everywhere.

Now, being abroad and sharing the reverence for this simple Filipino pastry, I have decided to make my first attempt  with pan de sal. Yes, I have always been a frustrated panadero - not to wit the stuff panaderos are largely associated with. The nasty they put much into use in the practice of their craft. I have always had this fancy towards bread. During my practicum days, bread work proved to be a regular task as I got assigned in the pastry area. Everyday was rolled sweet bread day ( enseymada) as this happens to be the hotel's coffee shop bestseller. I would mound dozens of this bread in buttercream and top it with generous servings of grated cheddar cheese and  dust it with powder fine sugar. But, I concentrated more on the final touches to the bread rather on the skillful bread making process. Not until I volunteered to participate in the making and the shaping of the dough did I discover the joy there is in bread work. it is only after my practicum that I mustered to try making other types of bread like Sticky Buns, Cinnamon Rolls and Steamed Bun Rolls. But never did I get my inklings towards making the simple pan de sal. 

Now, I finally  decided to try it out - maybe it would turn as good as the other breads I did before. One may conceive the idea that bread making is an easy task. Mix all of the ingredients together, shape them and bake them and you've got yourself freshly baked bread. But there are intricacies to baking other than those simple steps suggested in recipe books, for baking is a chemical process that, as do other chemical substances, require exact proportions and procedures to filter a good chemical outcome. The chemical concept to bread making is associated to its leavening properties. Which means, in order for bread to be in its fullest form, it has to be leavened with the aid of a potent leavening agent that has the capacity to emit gases and produce carbon dioxide. Yeast, contributes to the leavening property of bread. Yeast may be instant, active or fresh. In most bread work, the first is preferred.

In this case, I decided to use active yeast. Yeast is activated of its leavening properties once it gets in contact with water and fed with  an edible crystalline substance which is sugar. I added All Purpose Flour and allowed the sponge to expand its gases in a humid environment. After which, I proceeded in mixing the rest of the ingredients altogether - salt, eggs, sugar, milk and butter. I mixed all of these ingredients with the aid of a heavy duty commercial mixer for about 5 to 10 minutes as soon as the dough no longer sticks to the mixing bowl. After mixing, I took off the dough from its vessel and transferred it into a greased bowl covered with damp cloth. I placed the covered dough inside the oven for proofing. This would take around an hour or two, as soon as the dough doubles in bulk.

After proofing the dough, I then took it out from the bowl and punched it to expel the gases produced during the leavening process. The gases must be expelled because if not, it will contribute an off-sour taste to the bread. As soon as I kneaded the dough, I took  small portions of it and rolled them into a cylinder. I cut the long cylinder by 6 inches and rolled it on breadcrumbs. I then proofed it again and baked it until it turned golden brown. 

A baked Pan de Sal is perfect if it  is cracked and hard on the outside yet still soft on the inside. This is proof that all the trivial procedures and mixtures were followed accurately. 

Now, I am finally convinced that I have the fittings of a panadero. The pan de sal just tasted the way I wanted it. The bread was heavy and tasty. Wasn't too salty but rather, sweet. It was a feat brought about by luck. now, I can say that it is no poor man's bread. It is something that is borne out of love in the desire to appreciate food in its purest form - tasty, fresh and never compromised. Bon Apetit!