, one of the softest, fluffiest and cheesiest ensaymada in Melbourne, came about because of a yearning for a loved one and for food from back home.
Originally from Pangasinan, newly-sworn in Australian citizen Marishell Evangelista never really took on baking as a hobby when she lived in the Philippines. But when you’re living abroad and you’re missing the familiar, you’ll always find a way to connect to the people and food you know and love.
Ms Evangelista’s partner, who happens to be a baker, currently lives in the Philippines. The pair decided that one of the things they can do while video chatting is to bake ‘together’. While others learned how to bake by browsing through recipes or attending classes, Ms Evangelista learned how to make ensaymada in between “How are yous” and “I miss yous”.
“Na-mimiss ko yung mga pagkain natin sa [Pilipinas]…mga bread natin. Nung naghahanap ako dito, nahirapan ako. Kaya sabi ko, ako na lang kaya ang gumawa.”
Marishell Evangelista learned how to bake ensaymada while video chatting with her partner. Source: Marishell Evangelista
And make them she did, and in different flavours too. Her ensaymada comes in classic cheese, ube, yema, pandan, almond nutella, and even a vegan alternative for those wanting a healthier snack.
As a home baker, Ms Evangelista only refers to her ensaymada endeavour as a hobby rather than a business. After all, the reason why Weekend Ensaymada is named as such is because she has a full-time job and only bakes on the weekends. Nevertheless, she’s perfected the product she bakes by keeping these in mind:
1. Baking ensaymada is labour-intensive.
“Everything was manual in the very beginning,” she shares, reminiscing about the days she didn’t own a mixer yet, “Talagang masa talaga ako.”
2. Use activated instant yeast.
According to Ms Evangelista, yeast is sold as an active dry yeast or instant yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be mixed with warm water and sugar in order to be ‘brought to life’. It can be tricky activating this kind of yeast because using water that is too hot can ‘kill’ it.
Ms Evangelista suggests using instant yeast you can add directly to the dough to get better, more predictable results.
3. Be aware of the Melbourne weather.
Cool weather slows down and even prevents dough from rising. Ms Evangelista shares that because of this, baking bread is easier during summer.
“Sa atin, sa Pilipinas, napakadali lang talagang magpa-alsa ng tinapay,” she notes, “yun yung isa sa mga challenges ko sa paggawa ng ensaymada dito. It takes me six hours para magawa yung ensaymada kasi longer yung time ko ng pagpapa-alsa ng dough.”
4. Bake small, and bake low.
While the dough takes around five hours to rise, baking time typically takes only ten minutes for Ms Evangelista.
She suggests to bake ensaymada in the size of cupcakes, and to avoid baking in high temperatures. When the temperature is too high, the ensaymada will be hard on the outside and undercooked on the inside.
5. There are certain things to consider should you decide to sell your baked goods.
Ms Evangelista has a Facebook page to promote her ensaymada through vivid and stylised photos. She also joins food fairs to sell her products.
For any home baker who wants to earn from his or her products, she suggests to go about it the right way.
“Kung gusto nilang magbenta eventually, kailangan meron silang Food Handling certificate. And depende dun sa product na gusto nilang ibenta, they might need a Food Supervisor [certificate].”
Should you make your own ensaymada at home, or purchase this Pinoy favourite from Ms Evangelista, here’s a recipe reminiscent of ANZAC cookies using leftover ensaymada (as if there would be any left!):
Ingredients:
Toasted ensaymada reminiscent of ANZAC cookies Source: Weekend Ensaymada
6 pcs ensaymada
1/8 cup butter
4 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp glucose syrup
4 tbsp milk
1 egg
Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 175 Celsius for 20 minutes.
2. In a saucepan, melt butter, dark brown sugar and glucose syrup under very low heat. Pour in a bowl and set aside.
3. Press to flatten the leftover ensaymada. Soak them into the mixture for about five minutes on each side.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk milk and egg until evenly blended.
5. Dip each ensaymada disc thoroughly in the mixture before arranging them on your cookie tray.
6. Toast the ensaymada for around 25-30 mins or until they turn caramel-brown.
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