Ensaymada
Buttery Filipino Sweet Bread with Cheese
About This Recipe
Ensaymada is a Filipino brioche-like bread with Spanish (Majorcan) origins. This soft, buttery bread is distinguished by its coil shape and generous toppings of butter, sugar, and grated cheese - a uniquely Filipino twist on the original. From humble bakeries to premium gifting versions with queso de bola, ensaymada holds a special place in Filipino hearts.
The dough requires patience for proper rising, but the result is an incredibly soft, pillowy bread that practically melts in your mouth. Paired with hot chocolate or coffee, ensaymada is the ultimate Filipino comfort breakfast or merienda. New to Filipino baking? Our Filipino ingredients glossary covers queso de bola, kesong puti, and other dairy and bread staples.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup warm milk
For the Topping:
- 1/2 cup butter, very soft
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup grated cheese (cheddar or queso de bola)
Instructions
- 1
Make the Dough
Combine flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Add egg yolks and warm milk. Mix until dough forms. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add softened butter gradually, kneading until fully incorporated.
- 2
First Rise
Place dough in greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm place for 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
- 3
Shape the Ensaymada
Divide dough into 12 pieces. Roll each into a long rope (about 12 inches). Flatten the rope, spread with softened butter, then coil into a spiral. Place in greased muffin cups or on baking sheets.
- 4
Second Rise
Cover and let rise for another 1-2 hours until puffy and doubled.
- 5
Bake and Top
Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes until light golden. While still warm, brush generously with soft butter, sprinkle with sugar, and top with grated cheese. Serve warm!
Tips & Variations
Soft Butter
Use room temperature butter for the dough and very soft butter for brushing. It should spread easily.
Ube Ensaymada
Add ube extract to the dough and fill with ube halaya before coiling for purple ensaymada.
Queso de Bola
For special occasions, use aged Edam cheese (queso de bola) - the classic Christmas pairing. (Source: FDA Food Safety).
History & Origins
Ensaymada descends from the Mallorcan "ensaïmada" — a coiled, spiral pastry made with saïm (Catalan and Mallorcan word for lard). The original Mallorcan pastry is lighter and drier than the Philippine version: it uses pork lard in the dough, anise liqueur, and powdered sugar as a simple topping. Spanish colonizers brought it to the Philippines during the 17th and 18th centuries, where Filipino bakers transformed it so dramatically that the two pastries share only a name and spiral shape. The Philippine ensaymada uses butter instead of lard, is enriched with more eggs into a brioche-like dough, and is topped with thick buttercream and generous grated quezo de bola (Edam cheese) — a combination with no precedent in the Mallorcan original.
Quezo de bola (literally "ball of cheese") is itself a Spanish colonial legacy — Edam cheese, imported from the Netherlands through Spanish trade networks, became deeply embedded in Filipino Christmas tradition. The red-wax-coated Edam wheel appears at every Filipino Christmas celebration and is the defining ensaymada topping. Pan de Manila, Goldilocks, and Red Ribbon have industrialized ensaymada production, but specialist bakeries (particularly in Pampanga and older Manila neighborhoods) produce what connoisseurs consider the superior hand-made versions. The bread's strong association with Pasko (Christmas) makes it one of the most seasonally specific Filipino foods.
Regional Variations
Ensaymada varies considerably between regions and between traditional and modern interpretations:
- Metro Manila (commercial standard): Soft, pale yellow, highly enriched brioche-like bread. Thick layer of buttercream topped with finely grated quezo de bola. Larger and sweeter than regional versions.
- Pampanga: Known for artisanal ensaymada with proportionally more egg yolks in the dough, giving a deeper yellow color and richer, more tender crumb. Often denser than Manila versions.
- Cebu: Cebuano ensaymada tends to be larger and is often filled rather than simply topped — ube, cheese, or a combination folded into the spiral before baking.
- Vigan (Ilocos): An older, drier version that is closer to the Spanish original — less enriched dough, less sweet, more bread-like. Often uses lard in the dough rather than butter.
- Modern (post-2015 Manila): Ube ensaymada (purple dough + ube halaya filling), matcha ensaymada, nutella-stuffed versions, and Basque cheesecake-topped ensaymada have proliferated in Manila's specialty bakery scene.
Ingredient Substitutions for Home Baking
Ensaymada can be replicated well outside the Philippines with these substitutes:
- Quezo de bola (Edam cheese): Gouda is the closest substitute — similar mild, slightly salty flavor that grates well. Young Gouda is best; aged Gouda is too sharp. Sharp white cheddar works as an alternative but changes the flavor profile significantly.
- Bread flour: Higher protein content than all-purpose flour, which creates the characteristic chewy, slightly springy texture. If only all-purpose flour is available, add 1 tablespoon of vital wheat gluten per cup of flour.
- Evaporated milk: Regular whole milk can substitute. Evaporated milk adds a subtle cooked-milk richness — if using regular milk, reduce by 20% (evaporated milk is more concentrated).
- Unsalted butter (for dough and topping): European-style butter (higher fat content) produces a noticeably richer ensaymada. Standard American unsalted butter works but produces a slightly drier crumb.
- Active dry yeast vs instant yeast: Both work. If using instant yeast, reduce quantity by 25% and add directly to dry ingredients without proofing. If using active dry yeast, proof in warm liquid first as described in the recipe.