Cheesy Ensaymada and Cheese Rolls

What do you do on weekends when your whole family is together?

For M, W and I --- we catch up on sleep! haha!

But when we're awake, we find time catching up on each others' stories about the week that has been.

We also bond over food, no matter how tight our budget is on a certain week and no matter how picky they are in the food they eat.

Despite of how high bread and baking ingredients costs have become, I've decided to prepare some ensaymada and cheese breads for this weekend. We're heading south this Saturday and I thought that instead of a McDo drive-thru (which usually costs us not less than Php300) I'll pack this bread along with some juice or coffee on our take-away tumblers.

I must say that it is really a transition for me living on our own now, as I have lived all my life with my parents who are very generous especially with food -- and now I have to stick to a certain budget every week for us to make both ends meet. Back then, I get to have just about any ingredient I want in the grocery whenever I want to experiment on a recipe. Though I prepare meal plans for our helper to follow, I also get a chance to hold the reins in the kitchen especially during special occasions.

Anyway, I still believe in the old adage, "Magtipid sa lahat 'wag lang sa pagkain." (Scrimp on everything except food.) So no matter how hard up we may all be nowadays, I still try to fit in at least once a week a special treat for my two boys.

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Cheesy Ensaymada (Recipe from Yummy Magazine's- Give, Bake, Sell cookbook, p.66)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup water

1T honey

1/2t salt

4 1/2cups sifted all-purpose flour

1/2cup grated cheese

1T and 1t instant dry yeast

1T full-cream milk powder

6 egg yolks

3/4cup sugar

1/2cup melted and cooled unsalted butter

1/2cup softened butter

For the topping:

1/2cup unsalted butter

1/2cup sugar

grated queso de bola

How I did it:

1. Combine water and honey.

2. In a bowl, blend salt with flour and cheese. Add honey mixture, yeast, milk powder, egg yolks, sugar and melted butter. Mix at low speed for 5minuted. Knead until smooth.

3. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover and let rise for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until dough has risen. Punch down the dough and scale at 60grams each.

4. Roll out each dough into a rectangle and brush with softened butter. Roll on the long side into a cylinder then twirl to a coil. Tuck the end at the bottom and place on a greased baking tray or ensaymada molder.

5. Cover and let rise until double in size.

6. Preheat oven to 350degF and bake the ensaymada for 15 to 20 minutes.

7. For the topping: Beat the butter with the sugar until fluffy. Spread on top baked ensaymada and sprinkle with cheese.

For a variation, I also made some cheese rolls from the same dough.

To make Cheese Rolls: Roll out dough into a rectangle and place a strip of cheese at the center. Fold and roll dough into a cylinder, enclosing the cheese. Seal edges then place seam-side down on a baking tray.

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They say when you bake, you have to be patient. I'd like to think I am patient. But for this ensaymada however, I was too excited to finish baking so I can eat that I was not able to let the dough rise fully the second time. My ensaymada turned out a little dense (but still soft to bite, so it is okay). I wanted to have fluffy ensaymadas and cheese breads like the ones I buy from Mary Grace, so next time, I'll make bread when I'm not hungry. =)

I also found a great way to consume the queso de bola we had in the ref for quite some time now. So if you still have some in your ref, maybe you should try making some ensaymadas too! =)

Xoxo,