How to Make Ensaymada (2024)

Ensaymada is a Filipino style brioche that are deliciously slathered with softened butter, topped with grated cheese and finished with a sprinkling of sugar.

When these ensaymada came out of the oven, and when I took my first bite, my glee was immeasurable. Like a little baker’s victory. I’d shout to the roof if that was my style, but the face of glee for me is really just a big smile from ear to ear, and a heart that is secretly dancing inside my chest.

Now my assumption is that youare here because homemade ensaymada is your dream too. My only hope is that you don’t look at the recipe down here, find that it is so lengthy and then you walk away!

Please don’t.

While the recipe is long and seems complex, it is really simple. It is just broken down into stages to better illustrate the process. And the process is nothing more than having the heavy-duty mixer work for you!

Important notes for making Ensaymada:

• Be careful not to over bake them. This is because they are so fine-textured that if baked appropriately, you’ll be on cloud nine but overbaked, they will be tough and dry.
• Take the butter out of the fridge ahead. You need room temperature butter to add to the dough. It should be soft butnotoily or greasy.
• To measure the flour, fluff the flour in the container with a fork. Dip and scoop your measuring cup to get a heaping amount, then level it down by sweeping it with the edge of a knife. This way, the cup is not over-packed that you end up using more flour than needed. Or spoon the flour into the cup until heaping, level it out using a knife.

Ensaymada: The Process

In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the 2 and 1/4 teaspoons yeast, 1/3 cup warm milk ( 110 F), 1 egg and 1 cup of flour. Use a rubber spatula to combine them.

Once combined, add another cup of flour and sprinkle it on top of the yeast mixture to cover (Do not stir). Let this stand untouched for 40 minutes. After that time, the flour should develop some cracks on the surface.

The photo below shows the flour cracks after 40 minutes of letting the mixture still. You now have successfully completed the first process which is making the sponge.

Now add 4 lightly beaten eggs, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 cup all-purpose flour to the same bowl. Attach the dough hook to your mixer and beat the mixture on low speed just until combined, about a minute or so. Add another half cup of flour and beat the mixture on medium speed for about 15 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides and bottom of bowl if needed.

The dough is ready is when you see it gathering itself into the center of the bowl, and attaching itself into the dough hook. As the mixing progresses, you will see the dough slapping the sides of the bowl. It is like the dough is throwing itself, almost violently, into the sides of the bowl but still clinging to the dough hook. You can hear the slapping sounds the dough makes against the bowl.

After the slapping action, you are now ready to add the butter. Bit by bit, drop the softened butter into the bowl, letting them mix well after each addition. Now at this stage, the dough which has gathered beautifully earlier will start to fall apart again.

Just continue beating and you will see the dough gather again, and make the slapping sounds once more. This should take about five minutes. At this stage, you will have a shiny, sticky and smooth dough.

Place the dough in a large greased bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

After that, You are going to quickly handle the dough before the long chilling: Gently lift the risen dough from the bowl, section by section and letting it fall back to the bowl. Do not directly punch the dough down.

And again, cover the dough in the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.

After the long chilling, the dough is now ready to use. Take the dough out of the fridge. Allow to rest for about ten minutes, Gently deflate the dough and divide it into 20-22 portions. Shape each portion into a smooth ball and place them on lightly greased brioche molds, silicone muffin cups, or on a regular-sized muffin pan(s).

If you want the spiral logs of type ensaymada, divide the dough into 28 equal portions. Roll each portion into a log that is about 4- 5 inches long. Take two logs and twist them together to form spiral logs. Seal the ends close by pinching the logs together. Place in a large baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper. Do this with all remaining logs. You should have 14 spiral logs in total.

Cover the shaped dough loosely with plastic wrap and let them double in size for 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Bake the ensaymada at 350 F for about 12-15 minutes. The tops should just be lightly golden.

Spread the buttercream icing on top of each ensaymada, sprinkle the grated cheese, and finish with a sprinkling of sugar. ( For logs, brush them with softened butter or margarine, then sprinkle with sugar.)

Freezing the Brioche (Ensaymada Dough)

You can divide the dough in half and double wrap one half with plastic wrap, then with foil. It can stay frozen for up to a month. To use it, thaw it wrapped in the fridge overnight, shape, let rise for two hours then bake.

Additional notes:

• To keep the ensaymada fresh and soft, store at room temperature in a tightly covered container for ut to 3 days. Warm them in the microwave for 8-10 seconds before eating.
• You can also use just plain softened butter or margarine as the topping instead of making buttercream.
• Have you seen #ensaymada on Instagram lately? Lots of variety! People have topped them with many delicious things! Ham and cheese, chocolate, yema and so much more! They all look so good!

Finally, here is the recipe! I hope you enjoy this!

Yield: 22

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Additional Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 17 minutes

Ensaymada are Filipino style brioche topped with softened butter, sugar and grated cheese.

Ingredients

• FIRST PART: THE SPONGE
• 1/3 cup warm milk (temperature should be 110 F)
• 2 and 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• SECOND PART: THE DOUGH
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 large eggs lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (6 oz) room temperature
• FOR THE TOPPING
• 3/4 cup softened butter unsalted, for brushing the top
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• granulated sugar for sprinkling
• 1 cup grated cheese (Filipino processed cheese like Eden or Magnolia. You can also use a cheddar cheese Best Buy brand, it is light and creamy like the Eden)

Instructions

MAKE THE SPONGE

In the bowl of heavy-duty mixer, Add the yeast, milk, egg and 1 cup all-purpose flour. Mix with a rubber spatula just until combined. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of flour over the top as if to cover the mixture. Let this stand for about 40-45 minutes. There will be cracks on the flour surface at this point.

MAKE THE DOUGH

Add the sugar, salt, eggs and 1 cup of flour to the bowl with the yeast mixture. Using a dough hook, run the heavy-duty mixer on low speed for about a minute, until the mixture is just about incorporated. Add the remaining half cup of flour and run the mixer on medium speed. Continue to beat, scraping the bowl as needed, for about 15-20 minutes. You will know when the dough is ready if it is coming together in the center of the bowl, and also attaching itself to the dough hook. You should see the dough slapping the sides of the bowl like it is almost violently throwing itself to the sides white it still clinging and rotating with the dough hook. You should also hear the slapping sounds. ( If you don't see the slapping action after ten minutes into the mixing, sprinkle about 2 -3 tbsp of flour into the bowl. Continue to beat until you reach the slapping stage, giving the dough a total of about 15-20 minutes in the mixer ).

Now add the butter bit by bit. Make sure that the butter is at room temperature, but not warm or oily. It should be pretty soft and malleable. It helps to enclose the butter inside a wax paper, press it down using your thumb or beat it with a rolling pin to give it a malleable consistency. When you add the butter, the dough will fall apart again for a moment. Continue to beat until you hear the slapping sounds again. This should take about 5 minutes or so. The dough is now, once again, clinging together in the center and in the dough hook with the slapping sound. The dough is sticky but shiny at this point.

FIRST RISE:

Place the ball of dough into a greased bowl and cover with a plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature until the size is doubled, about 2 hours.

SECOND RISE:

After the dough has doubled in size. Simply lift it in sections until you have gone around the entire circle of dough, lifting and then letting it fall back to the bowl ( like deflating it but very gently. Cover the bowl again with a plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight. The dough will double in size again.

Shape and Bake

Take the dough out of the fridge. Allow to rest for about ten minutes, Gently deflate the dough and divide it into 20-22 portions. Shape each portion into a smooth ball and place them on lightly greased brioche molds, silicone muffin cups, or on a regular-sized muffin pan(s).

(If you want the style of the twisted log ensaymada, divide the dough into 28 portions) Roll each portion back and forth on a surface to shape it into a log that is about 4-5 inches long. To make the twisted log, take two logs and twist them together, like braiding. You can make 14 ensaymada this way.)

Cover the shaped dough loosely with clean kitchen towels and allow them to rise for another 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake the ensaymada for 12-15 minutes, or until the tops are very lightly golden. Allow them to cool until they are warm to the touch.

Spread the buttercream icing on top of each ensaymada, sprinkle the grated cheese, and finish with a sprinkling of sugar. ( For logs, brush them with softened butter or margarine, then sprinkle with sugar.)

To Make the Buttercream Topping

In a mixing bowl, beat together softened butter and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. To soften your buttercream, add a few teaspoons of milk until the desired consistency is achieved. If you don't use your buttercream right away after mixing, you may need to whip it again using the mixer to make it spreadable.

Notes

Flour- For accuracy, spoon the flour into a measuring cup. Use a knife to level it out.

Butter- Take the butter out ahead ( 5-6 hours prior) You want it to be at room temperature. It should be soft, but not oily or melty.

Toppings- You can use plain softened butter or margarine, in place of the buttercream topping. Top with sugar and grated cheese as usual.

Storage- Store ensaymada on a covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, refrigerate for up to a week. To serve, reheat in the microwave for 5-7 seconds.

Brioche Recipe from Nancy Silverton, Baking with Julia book, By Dorie Greenspan.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 22Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 198Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 158mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 3g

See Also

Ensaïmada de Mallorca

Originally published on December 1, 2016.

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