Pandesal is a panlasang pinoy bicol express pork yeast-raised bread in the Philippines. These are then portioned, allowed to rise, and baked.
It can also be complemented with butter, margarine, cheese, jam, peanut butter, chocolate spread, or other fillings like eggs, sardines and meat. Its taste and texture closely resemble those of the Puerto Rican pan de agua, French baguette, and Mexican bolillos. Contrary to its name, pandesal tastes slightly sweet rather than salty. Some pandesal in supermarkets and some bakeries are less crusty and lighter in color. These also tend to have more sugar than the traditional pandesal, which only has 1.
On Siargao Island, famous as a surfing spot, an oval-shaped version is locally known as “pan de surf” as it resembles a surfboard. It is baked on makeshift ovens fueled with coconut husks, and usually sold alongside pan de coco. It is characteristically purple like all ube-based dishes. Other contemporary variants include chocolate, matcha, strawberry and blueberry flavors. A soft, yellowish type of Filipino bread roll that is similar to pandesal except that uses eggs, milk, and butter or margarine is known as Señorita bread, Spanish bread, or pan de kastila.