Top-Tier Panaderia Favorites

Most of us, Filipinos, grew up with bread as our snacks or what we call, “merienda”. Paired with milk during breakfast, or orange juice after siesta in the afternoon, local bread is somehow nostalgic—a remnant from our childhood. In lieu of this, we listed some of the Filipino’s top-tier Panaderia (bakeshop) favorites of all time.

Pan de sal

It is safe to say that Pan de sal has the highest ranking among the top-tier panaderia favorites. Our parents always ask us to buy pan de sal usually in the morning, always given hot and fresh in a brown paper bag. If there’s extra money, we sometimes buy sticks of margarine, cheese, liver spread, or even sardines. I remember buying these soft and milky bread for only fifty cents each before. Truly, pan de sal is a favorite of every Filipino, no matter what your social status is.

Ensaimada

This soft bread shaped like a coil is one of the best merienda of all time. The sweetness of margarine with sugar matches the saltiness of the cheese perfectly.

Kababayan

You can call this a Filipino muffin, made with just eggs, flour, sugar, and milk. One trivia, Kababayan means “fellow countrymen ”. It looks like a “salakot” which is a native straw hat that Filipino farmers and townspeople wore.

Putok

If you are not into so many sweets, Putok may be your best partner for coffee. The cross-cut on top gives it the appearance of an explosion, which is what the word putok means.

Spanish bread

This bread has a very similar texture to pan de sal, but with a very sweet filling. Even though its name is Spanish, it is believed to originate in the Philippines and has no Hispanic roots. For me, Spanish bread is best when eaten with hot black coffee.

Kalihim

Kalihim is a Filipino soft bread with bread pudding, usually colored brightly red or purple. It is also called “pan de regla” by some because of its color.

Pan de coco and Pan de monggo

These are two types of soft bread with either sweetened coconut or monggo (mung beans) filling. Personally, this is my favorite local bread, best eaten even if it’s not hot anymore.