Yema and Kabocha Pastel

Filipinos have a wide variety of sweet breads. One of the most popular rolls I see on blogs and bake books is Pastel. It's a sweet bread typically filled with yema paste (egg yolk, sugar, and milk cooked to a paste). Pastel in the Philippines could be savory, as in meat or chicken pie, and also sweet empanada/pie and bread rolls.

For this recipe I adapted Peter Reinhart's Poor Man's Briocherecipe and used half bread flour and half White Lily all-purpose flour but you can use all bread flour. I made half a dozen 2-ounce rolls filled with sweetened kabocha paste.

Pastel
sponge

½ cup bread flour flour

2 teaspoons instant yeast

½ cup lukewarm whole milk

dough

4 large eggs at room temperature

3¼ cups bread flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup room temperature unsalted butter, cut into 1 tablespoon pieces

filling
chilled yema, sweetened pumpkin, or kabocha paste

• Stir together flour and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer with paddle attachment. Stir in milk until flour is hydrated. Cover with plastic wrap and let ferment for 45 minutes.
• Add the eggs and beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the rest of ingredients except butter and mix on low speed for 2 minutes until all the ingredients are hydrated and evenly distributed. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 5 minutes.
• Replace paddle attachment with dough hook. On medium speed, gradually add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, letting the butter get absorbed before adding the next tablespoon.
• Continue mixing on medium speed for 6 minutes or until the dough clears the sides and bottom of bowl. Transfer dough into a lightly oiled rectangular container. Lightly oil the top of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and lid. Refrigerate overnight.
• Remove the dough from refrigerator and let rest on kitchen counter for 1 hour.
• Using a 1-tablespoon ice cream scoop, scoop out filling and set aside.
• Divide dough into 2 ounce portions and shape into a ball. Flatten dough and place a filling ball. Gather edges of dough and pinch to seal. For pastel, place seam side down in muffin cups. For kabocha or pumpkin, place seam side down 2 inches apart on cookie sheet; flatten slightly. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 hours or until double in volume.
• Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 12 minutes. Lower temperature to 350°F and continue baking for another 15 minutes or until tops are golden brown.
• Transfer rolls on wire racks to cool completely.