Ensaymada

🏛 A little history

Ensaymada is a soft, buttery, coiled sweet bread that Filipinos absolutely adore. It traces back to the ensaïmada of Mallorca in Spain — its name comes from 'saïm', the Mallorcan word for lard, which the original used — and it arrived during the Spanish colonial era. Filipino bakers reinvented it with butter and a very generous topping.

The Filipino version is richer and sweeter, finished with butter, a dusting of sugar, and a thick blanket of grated cheese — classically 'queso de bola' (Edam). It's a Christmas favourite, especially dunked in thick hot chocolate (tsokolate), and is often boxed up as a gift. The dough is rolled thin and wound into a spiral, which is exactly what gives ensaymada its cloud-like, pull-apart softness.