Señorita Bread – Satisfies Your Sweet Tooth!

Last Updated on December 22, 2023

You won’t believe how delicious Señorita Bread is! This Filipino Spanish bread is soft and fluffy and with a sweet caramel filling inside. Makes it the perfect candidate for breakfast and treats.

I like to eat these sweet treats with a cup of coffee for breakfast or afternoon tea. I like vegan bread when I want something savory. 

Matcha, Passionfruit overnight oats, Chia seed pudding, and these bread rolls are some of my favorite sweets. They’re the most convenient snack on the go.

This recipe has been veganized to make it completely eggless and dairy-free, but there is no deprivation of flavor! If you’ve never tried Señorita Bread before, you need to give it a try. You won’t be disappointed!

Senorita Bread Recipe

During the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines, Filipinos adopted bread-making from Spanish kitchens.

In the Philippines, they have Pandesal (Spanish: pan de sal, lit. “salt bread”), also known as Spanish bread, a soft and airy flour roll. They are small, oblong-shaped rolls made of enriched bread dough slathered with butter, sugar, and breadcrumbs. 

The name of Señorita Bread (also called Senyorita or Senorita bread) was created by a Filipino couple called Romy Maranan and Nelly Maranan, who migrated to California from the Philippines in the 1980s to search for a better life for their family.

They opened the first store in the 1990s under the name Quinley’s Filipino Bakery. The chain includes nine stores in South San Francisco and Natomas, and one is already open in Vacaville. About seven years ago, they changed the name to Starbread Bakery.

My Filipino friend told me, that Señorita Bread, is more like the U.S. version of Pandesal. It is often referred to as Spanish bread, despite its Spanish-sounding name, it’s 100% Filipino. 

Why is it called Señorita Bread?

How did it get its name? I wondered. 

There are many stories about the origin of the name “Señorita bread.” One popular story is that the bread was created by a Mexican baker who named it after his daughter.

Another story claims that the name comes from the Spanish word for “young lady.” Whatever the true origin of the name, “Señorita bread” has become a popular name for a type of sweetbread that is often served at Mexican restaurants.

I would guess because these sweet rolls are smaller in size and contain more sugar than Pandesal. This makes them ideal for young girls who like sweet and small treats.

But hey, don’t worry! This Filipino delicacy is not just for young ladies. I’m sure that anyone with a sweet tooth will enjoy this tasty treat, from toddlers to the elderly! 😊

What is it made of?

It is a fluffy, yellowish Filipino bread roll made with wheat flour, melted butter, and yeast that is filled with butter, brown sugar, and breadcrumbs (a buttery caramel) filling.

Roll the enriched bread dough into cylinders. Sprinkle it with breadcrumbs, and bake it. The texture of the dough is somewhere between a dinner roll and a pastry.

Senorita Bread Recipe

Ingredients for the Dough

• Plain flour – plain flour or bread flour for this bread roll recipe.

• Vegan Butter (melted) – melted but warm not hot. In addition to keeping your pastry moist, vegan butter adds a delicious flavor. 

• Organic Castor Sugar– white sugar would work too. Organic sugar is preferred if you’re in the US.

• Non-dairy Milk– I use soy milk, but any unsweetened plant-based milk would work except coconut milk. Its strong coconut flavor will overpower the bread.

• Active Dry Yeast– make sure your dry yeast is not expired as it will affect the fermentation process (proof). The yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is a single-celled organism that needs food, warmth, and moisture to survive. In the dough, yeast converts starches and sugars into carbon dioxide gas and alcohol. When activating yeast, the liquid should be around 105-115°F/40-45°C (you don’t feel hot, but warm). Yeast will be killed if the temperature is too high, and the dough will be flat.

• Salt– When baking sweets, a pinch of salt is usually necessary to enhance the sweet flavor.

Ingredients for The Sweet Fillings

• Vegan Butter– it gives the bread extra moisture and flavor.

• Organic Brown Sugar– Due to the addition of molasses, brown sugar has a deep, caramel-like flavor that white sugar lacks.

• Fine Breadcrumbs- some for the filling and some for sprinkling on the top before baking.

• No-dairy Milk– Except for coconut milk, any unsweetened plant-based milk would work.

How to Make Señorita Bread

I like to use a hands-free stand mixer to knead my bread dough. It makes the job much easier. (I’ve gone through a lot of mixers myself, and honestly, you don’t want that).

I highly recommend buying a reliable KitchenAid and it will never let you down).

Make the Dough & Sweet Filling

1. Warm up the soy milk and butter together in a small saucepan on low heat to around 105-115°F/40-45°C then pour the mixture into the mixing bowl. Mix all the dry ingredients for bread dough in a mixing bowl.
2. Using the dough hook of a stand mixer, mix the dough at a speed of 3-4 for 5 minutes (start at the lowest speed and increase the speed once they are combined, so the flour doesn’t fly everywhere), and mix until the dough is elastic and pulls away from the hook. Take out the dough hook and scrape the dough. Cover the mixing bowl with a damp tea towel. Let it rest (proof) for 1.5-2 hours in a warm place until it doubles in size.
3. When the dough is proofed, we’re going to prepare the sweet filling. Heat a small saucepan on low heat. First add vegan butter, soy milk, brown sugar, and mix.
4. Once the butter is melted, stir in the breadcrumbs. Stir frequently until they are combined. Off the heat. Set aside to cool.

How to Assemble

1. Preparation: line parchment paper on a baking tray, place sweet filling in a bowl with a spoon, a plate with breadcrumbs for dusting, and spray oil on your work surface and rolling pin. I’d avoid adding more flour to the dough as it will make the bread denser.
2. If the dough has doubled in size, scrape it out onto an oiled surface and knead the dough for a couple of minutes to get rid of the bubbles. Divide it into four equal portions.
3. Separate each portion into four smaller portions.
4. Roll each ball into a triangle shape and spread a spoonful of sweet filling on it.
5. Roll inwards until it becomes a cylinder. (I find it easier to roll them one at a time rather than 16 at once due to the limited working area).
6. Then roll it in breadcrumbs and transfer it to a baking tray. (You will get 16 portions out of the recipe).
7. Continue until you have 16 pieces of bread rolls. Cover them with a damp towel for 30 minutes (second proof). Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F.
8. Place the baking tray in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown on the surface.

How to Serve Senorita Bread?

It is preferred to serve Senorita bread warm. You can enjoy it as a snack, for breakfast or brunch with some spread. My favorite way to enjoy senorita bread is to dip it into a cup of coffee or tea. 

Can You cook Senorita Bread in an Air Fryer?

The answer is YES! I’ve tried several times baking them in an air fryer, all you need to do is adjust the temperature and time. Bake in an air fryer at 160°C/320°F for 15-18 minutes until golden. No need to preheat the air fryer.

Can You Freeze it?

Yes, of course! Let the bread rolls cool completely before freezing them in a ziplock freezer bag. Let them thaw completely before reheating.

How Do You Reheat Señorita Bread?

Wrap up the Señorita bread rolls in al foil to prevent drying out during reheating (if you don’t want your bread directly in contact with the al foil, you can put a piece of parchment paper in between).

Reheat them in a preheated oven or an air fryer at 350 degrees for around 5-6 minutes, what we’re looking for is to warm them up only, not pipping hot. Alternatively, you can microwave for 10 seconds. 

Hope you like this tasty Señorita Bread (Filipino Spanish bread) !😚

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