Ingredients
1 tsp White Sugar
2 tsp Dry Yeast
2 Cups Lukewarm Water
2/3 Cups White Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 tsp Olive Oil
6 Cups All-purpose White Flour
cornmeal
Pandesal
1. Put 1Tsp. Sugar and the yeast in a large bowl.
2. Add 2 cups lukewarm water and stir until dissolved. Set aside for 10 minutes in a warm place.
3. The mixture should look foamy. If it doesn't, the yeast might be stale.
4. Add 1½ teaspoons salt, ⅔ cup white sugar, and ¼ cup olive oil. Mix well.
5. If you're using a mixer, add all 5½ cups of flour at once. Otherwise, add one cup at a time.
6. Use a dough hook if you have one. Turn the mixer on at the lowest setting. If the dough doesn't form into a ball, add more flour ¼ cup at a time. It should look smooth and elastic after about 8 minutes or so.
7. Take the dough out of the bowl and set aside. Add about 1-2 tbsp olive oil into the bowl. Put the dough in the oil and swirl it around to coat. Make sure the dough is fully coated in oil. Otherwise the uncoated parts will dry out in the next step.
8. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about an hour. I usually leave it in a cool oven.
9. Pour some cornmeal out onto a large cookie sheet. You'll be dipping the bottom of the rolls in this to prevent it from sticking to the cookie sheet. It also makes the crust crispier.
10. After about an hour, the dough should have doubled in volume.Cut the dough in half. Put one half back into the bowl.
11. Roll the other half of the dough into a large rectangle. Roll it out about 5-10 mm thick.
12. Starting with the long end, roll it into a tight log. Squish the seams together, then form it back into a log. Cut the log in half, then each piece in half again until you have 16 pieces.
13. Dip one cut end of each piece in the cornmeal. Arrange the pieces in a 4x4 grid on one half of the cookie sheet, cornmeal side down. Repeat with the other half of the dough to make a 4x8 grid.
14. Let the rolls rise in a warm place for about an hour. Preheat the oven to 170 °C (325 F). Time it so that when the dough has risen, the oven is ready to go.
15. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
16. When they are ready butter them as long they are still hot and scatter some sugar over them!