Pan De Sal

Original Recipe Yield 20 to 30 rolls

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F / 45 degrees C)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil  {review: replace with 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp vegetable oil}
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 egg yolks ( no whites)

Directions

1. Put the warm water in a small mixing bowl and add the yeast and 1 teaspoon of the sugar; stir to dissolve. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining 15 teaspoons of sugar and the oil and mix until smooth. Add the salt, 1 cup of flour and the yeast mixture; stir well. Add the remaining 5 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, supple and elastic; about 10 minutes. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in it and turn to coat the dough with oil. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let sit in a warm place until the dough has doubled in volume; about 1 hour. { If you want your pan de sal dense, just let the logs rise for about 30mins to 1 hour. The longer you let it rise the less dense or softer the pan de sal gets: recommended - 2 hrs}
4. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 4 equal pieces. Form each piece into a cylinder and roll out until the 'log' is 2.5 inch in diameter. Using a sharp knife, cut each 'log' into 2 inch pieces (size of 1 large AA egg) . Place the pieces, flat side down, onto two lightly greased baking sheets. Gently press each roll down to flatten.
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
6. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.
7. I brushed an egg/milk wash onto the tops of each roll, and sprinkled them with fine bread crumbs
8. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) until golden brown, about 20 minutes.