DIDIscoveries: Panaderia's Spanish Bread

When I was younger, I would wake up to the smell of bread.  I was introduced early on to the humble pandesal, the pan de coco and the Spanish bread.

I will never forget the first time I tasted Spanish bread.

I was so amazed and surprised and very much in awe that a humble bread with sweet buttery filling can taste so good!  It was there that my love affair with Spanish bread started.  I would ask for it in every bakery that I go to.  Unfortunately, not all bakeries make them - and when they do, it easily runs out (obviously because of the yumminess!).

When we moved houses, there was no bakery nearby.  It was sad, but that was the fact of life.  Since then I would ask my mom to buy me Spanish bread - and most of the time, she would come empty handed - *they've run out!* she would always say.  When I was old enough to drive, well - I didn't realize that it was that elusive  I would stop is most street side bakeries that I would see and ask for it, but all my efforts remain futile - no spanish bread.  Either they've run out or they don't bake it at all.

Once I remember, our trusty driver handing me a bag of spanish bread, he said he remembered I wanted it.  I was so happy and excited, but when I bit into it - it was dry, tough and had very little filling.  I told him thank you and shared a piece of two to him.  When he bit into it, he gave me the same reaction - *hindi siya masarap*.  It was then that my search for the ultimate Spanish bread started, I think my driver too had that same idea.  So he would scour and buy me 2 pieces to try.  Most of our discoveries were not impressive, there was one that was promising - but it wasn't consistent.

I realized that maybe the baking technique and recipes then are different from now.  Now of course, there's technology at their side - new more cost efficient ingredients to be used.  So I just gave up, our driver gave up too.

Then last year, I would pass by this bakery along Scout Tobias in the morning after bringing Kailee to school.  I would see a long line inside this bakery.  I then told my mom about it and she said she's heard that this bakery sells good pandesal.  My SIL, L also told me that she buys their bread there.  So one Saturday, I decided to pass by and check it out.  I bought a loaf of *tasty* bread and asked if they had Spanish bread.  To my surprise they had Spanish bread - I asked for the price and it was a whopping Php16.00!  Yikes!  But I still bought two pieces to try.

In the car, I was so curious - I was also hungry and so I tried it.

And it was LOVE at first bite.

It was the exact Spanish bread taste that I had remembered from childhood.  The sweetness of the filling and softness of the bread.  It was sooooo wonderful.  My usual complaint on the other Spanish bread was that the filling was really few, but with this one - well - you had the right about of filling in EVERY bite, I repeat - IN EVERY BITE!  I told and shared to my mom and she said, it was good too!  The bread was soft and the filling very tasty!  I FINALLY FOUND IT!

THAT filling goes to the end, I mean literally end to end!

It was that good that I came back the next day to buy a LOT.  Hahahahaha!!

I was so glad to have found a childhood favorite again.  I was so excited that I would buy it every time I had the chance and HOARD!  I would keep a stash in the freezer just in case.

I'm just really happy that I found the holy grail of Spanish bread!  So if you are also into Spanish bread - I swear to you, try this one and you'll understand why.

Happy eating!