Pan Será (Antillean bread rolls) ⋆ SOULFOOD.nl

Share this recipe:

Pan será are delicious Antillean bread rolls. These flat, white bread rolls are very popular on Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. You can recognize the bread rolls by the holes poked in them with a fork.

At every 'Truk'i Pan' (our version of a food truck!) you can buy these bread rolls, filled with the tastiest things: Braised (threads) meat, slices of sausage, eggs – but let's be honest… with a slice of cheese they can't be resisted either!

You don't have to have any special skills to make these bread rolls. However, it is important (to get the real look of the Pan Será) that some holes are pierced in the dough with the fork here and there when it has finished proving.

With this recipe you make about 10 pieces of pan será.

Ingredients:

500 gr wheat flour
1 bag / 8 grams of yeast (instant)
OR 25 grams of fresh yeast
2 tablespoons of sugar
50 gr butter or margarine
250 ml (warm) water
1 / 2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of milk

Preparation of Antillean pan será

Put the flour, the yeast, the sugar and the salt in a bowl and stir these ingredients well together. Then make a hole in the middle.

Melt the butter or margarine and put it in the well just made. Don't mix yet!

Then add half of the water and start kneading the mixture. Add the rest of the water little by little, until a firm (but not sticky) dough forms.

Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. Optionally, a little more flour or water can be added to get the right firmness.

Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap. Let the dough for the pan será rest for half an hour. Then divide the dough into 10 pieces.

Form each piece into a ball and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Then roll the balls with a rolling pin into circles about 2 cm thick.

Then place the dough circles on a (floured) baking tray and place the baking tray in a cold oven. Let the pan será rise for 1 hour. Make sure there is enough space between the balls, because they will double in size while rising!

Now preheat the oven to 200 degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper. Prick the dough balls lightly with a fork several times and brush with some milk.

Finally, bake the pan será for about 20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Top them with a slice of cheese, or with another topping of your choice… enjoy your meal!

Pan será from our cookbook

The recipe for the real Antillean pan será is of course also published in our cookbook, 'De complete Antilliaanse keuken'. In this cookbook you will find no less than 300 recipes from the traditional, Antillean kitchen and of course this delicious dish should not be missing!

In addition to these (and other!) classic bread rolls, you will find other traditional dishes in the book, such as authentic stews (stobá), soups and, of course, fried fish with sauce. In addition, the book is full of delicious snacks, cakes, cookies and drinks.

Also try…

Do you love Antillean bread rolls? Then try our delicious Johnny Cakes! These are flat, round buns that have about the same shape as the pan será, but they are deep fried. They are also not made with yeast, but with baking powder. So you can make them quickly if you feel like it!

The charm of Pan Será, or Antillean bread rolls, goes beyond their delicious taste. These bread rolls are deeply rooted in the culture and daily life of the people of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. They are a symbol of community and sharing, often served at family gatherings and celebrations.

Making Pan Será is a loving process that requires patience and care, just like kneading the dough and waiting for it to rise. But the result is totally worth it – soft, airy buns that are perfect for scooping up sauces or wrapping up fillings.

One of the unique aspects of Pan Será is the way they are pricked with a fork before being fried. This gives them their signature look and ensures that the heat is evenly distributed during baking, resulting in a perfectly baked bun every time.