Vegan Spanish bread, or as my best friend likes to call it, “sandy baby legs”, is a very common pastry in the Philippines. This veganized version stays true to the classic. Fluffy, filled with sweet buttery goodness, baked to golden perfection. The perfect dish to pair with a cup of coffee or tea! Eat it for breakfast, snacks, or even dessert! You won’t want to miss out on this deliciousness.
Pro TipIf a recipe calls for it, use a food scale to weigh ingredients in grams for the best results! Use the options below to toggle between cups or grams.
Combine all of the dough ingredients into a bowl of a stand mixer, including the yeast and softened vegan butter. Knead with the dough hook attachment on medium-low speed for 10 minutes until it forms one cohesive dough. You’ll know when your dough is fully kneaded when it springs back when you lightly press down on it.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let the dough rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Filling
In a small saucepan, melt the butter until bubbly. Then whisk in the brown sugar until it has slightly dissolved in the butter. Next, add in the non-dairy milk and whisk to combine.
Add in the bread flour, bread crumbs, salt, and vanilla extract. Whisk until fully combined. Cook for another 1 minute until it starts to bubble. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Assembly
Before you start, if your bread crumbs are chunky, blitz them in the blender or in a food processor until you get a sand-like texture. Then prep it by pouring it on a plate, and set it aside. Next, prep a large baking sheet with parchment paper, and set it aside until ready to use.
When your dough has doubled in size, punch down it down and divide it into 6 pieces. Use a food scale for more accuracy. Shape each piece into a ball, cover with a damp tea towel, and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, on a lightly floured work surface, roll out a piece of dough into a rough 4-inch x 9-inch oval. If the dough is resisting and springing back as you roll, allow it to rest for another 10-15 minutes. See notes.
Add about a heaping tablespoon of the filling, and evenly spread it across the surface, leaving about a half-inch border all around.
Starting from the bottom, roll it up while making sure that all ends are sealed. Roll the tops of the dough in the breadcrumbs, and set it aside on a parchment-lined baking sheet, seam side down. Repeat for the rest of the dough and filling.
Cover with a damp cloth and let it rise again for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Then bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow the bread rolls to cool over a wire cooling rack. Best served the same day!
Notes
Measure your flour properly. I test my recipes, 100% in grams. A common reason baked goods fail is incorrectly measured flour. I always recommend using a scale for accuracy when baking. This greatly improves your chance for success and lessens room for error.
If you’re measuring by cups, avoid scooping the measuring cup directly into the flour. This tends to pack the flour into the cup, resulting in too much flour and a very dense or gummy finished product. Instead, aerate your flour (fluff it with a fork or spoon) and then spoon it into your measuring cups, leveling it with your finger or the back of a butter knife. Keep in mind though, that this method is not guaranteed to be accurate.
These rolls will last for a week, keep leftovers in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave, oven, or toaster oven.
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below & tag @flouredframe on social!