This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
This easy Senorita Bread recipe makes 15 scrumptious Filipino Spanish Bread that tastes just like the one they make at Starbread Bakery! It uses basic pantry ingredients, and takes 20 minutes to bake! Vegetarian.
If you ask me, one of the best food spots to go to in South Sacramento has to be Starbread Bakery. And the best thing to get there? Their famous Senorita Bread!
So because I live in Lawrence, KS, and buying this on the daily is a bit out of reach for me (though I totally would), I’ve settled on the next best thing: homemade Señorita Bread!
In the Philippines, Senorita Bread is known as Spanish bread. It’s a popular afternoon snack that, here, was made popular by Starbread Bakery.
A good description of Senorita Bread is this: perfectly delicate rolls filled with a decadent combo of melted butter, sugar, and breadcrumbs. It’s almost like the Filipino version of Cinnabon without the frosting!
In a large bowl of your stand mixer or manually in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon of sugar together. Cover with a plastic wrap or towel and allow to sit until the yeast is activated and looks foamy, about 5-10 minutes.
Add the egg, butter, salt, rest of the sugar, and half of the flour. Using a dough hook or paddle attachment, beat the mixture on low speed for 30-45 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula in between, then add the other half of the flour .
Beat the mixture on medium speed until the dough is smooth and comes together, about 4 minutes. The dough should be a little sticky, but still soft and can be kneaded.
Trasnfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with a clean towel or cling wrap. Let it rest in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled.
Make the Filling
While the dough is resting, add butter into a saucepan over medium-low heat. Once melted, turn off the heat and add in the flour, breadcrumbs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon together. Mix until combined.
Since I used dark brown sugar in this batch, the filling looks a bit darker. If you use white sugar or light brown sugar, the filling will be more of a light caramel color. Regardless, the texture should resemble a spreadable into a paste-like mixture that looks like this:
Assemble the Senorita Bread
When the dough has doubled, punch down the dough with your clean fists to release the air inside.
Then divide the dough into 14-16 equal pieces (it does not need to be exact), then shape each one into a smooth ball. Transfer the dough pieces onto a floured surface. Then, roll each dough into a triangle shape, like this:
Spread the sugar filling on each piece of the dough. Starting from the long edge of the triangle, roll each piece inwards, like this:
Brush on the extra melted butter, then roll in the crushed bread crumbs.
If you make this easy Senorita Bread recipe, please drop a comment below! I’d LOVE to know what you think! Or take a picture and share it on Instagram by tagging @dwellbymichelle so I can repost it on my stories!
This easy Senorita Bread recipe makes 15 scrumptious Filipino Spanish Bread that tastes just like the one they make at Starbread Bakery! It uses basic pantry ingredients, and takes 20 minutes to bake! Vegetarian.
In a large bowl of your stand mixer or manually in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon of sugar together. Cover with a plastic wrap or towel and allow to sit until the yeast is activated and looks foamy, about 5-10 minutes.
Add the egg, butter, salt, rest of the sugar, and half of the flour. Using a dough hook or paddle attachment, beat the mixture on low speed for 30-45 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula in between, then add the other half of the flour .
Beat the mixture on medium speed until the dough is smooth and comes together, about 4 minutes. The dough should be a little sticky, but still soft and can be kneaded.
Trasnfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with a clean towel or cling wrap. Let it rest in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled.
Make the Filling
While the dough is resting, add butter into a saucepan over medium-low heat. Once melted, turn off the heat and add in the flour, breadcrumbs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon together. Mix until combined.
Since I used dark brown sugar in this batch, the filling looks a bit darker. If you use white sugar or light brown sugar, the filling will be more of a light caramel color. Regardless, the texture should resemble a spreadable paste-like mixture(see picture on the post above for reference).
Assemble the Señorita Bread
When the dough has doubled, punch down the dough with your clean fists to release the air inside.
Then divide the dough into 14-16 equal pieces (it does not need to be exact), then shape each one into a smooth ball. Transfer the dough pieces onto a floured surface. Then, roll each dough into a triangle shape (see picture on the post above for reference)
Spread the sugar filling on each piece of the dough. Starting from the long edge of the triangle, roll each piece inwards (see picture on the post above for reference)
Brush on the extra melted butter, then roll in the crushed bread crumbs.
Bake the Señorita Bread
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet (LOVE these!).
Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top.
Serve warm, or allow the Señorita Bread to cool before transferring to an airtight container. ENJOY!
Delicious! Thank you for the recipe! We moved to Florida a couple years ago, this was one of the many things my kids miss from California. We used to buy these for family get togethers. It tasted just like home 🙂
Instead of forming individual dough into a triangle, you can roll it out into a circle and use a pizze cutter to cut into like a pizza into a triangle. You can also save more time if you put the mixture down before cutting, but it won’t have the raw dough on the outside to seal it together.
NorCal Native here now living in GA and MISSING my Statrbread. They put one in Roseville where I lived. Can’t wait to try these. Hoping they come out just like Stabread and that my family can have a taste of home. Thanks!
So funny you mentioned South Sacramento! That is where I live and I actually went to the Starbread bakery today! I bought the 20pc box and between everyone in my house, it is already gone. It is absolute heaven! Thank you for the recipe, I wanted to try and make it myself.
Forgot to post the rating 🙂
Delicious! Thank you for the recipe! We moved to Florida a couple years ago, this was one of the many things my kids miss from California. We used to buy these for family get togethers. It tasted just like home 🙂
Can any part of this be made in advance? Can I make the dough one day and then make the filling and assemble the next?
Pretty dang good. Might add a bit more filling next time.
Hi Roger! Thank you so much for your feedback!
Can I use Panko Bread crumbs?? If not, will homemade bread crumbs work? Thanks ☺️
I did and they came out great.
Instead of forming individual dough into a triangle, you can roll it out into a circle and use a pizze cutter to cut into like a pizza into a triangle. You can also save more time if you put the mixture down before cutting, but it won’t have the raw dough on the outside to seal it together.
Hi Greg! That sounds like a great idea! I appreciate you sharing!
NorCal Native here now living in GA and MISSING my Statrbread. They put one in Roseville where I lived. Can’t wait to try these. Hoping they come out just like Stabread and that my family can have a taste of home. Thanks!
We moved to Ohio from NorCal and lived about 5 mins from StarBread. Missing it so much but maybe this recipe will suffice.
So funny you mentioned South Sacramento! That is where I live and I actually went to the Starbread bakery today! I bought the 20pc box and between everyone in my house, it is already gone. It is absolute heaven! Thank you for the recipe, I wanted to try and make it myself.
Followed your recipe to a T and it turned out great. Not as pretty as your picture because I rolled it wrong but the taste and texture was incredible!
i will absolutely make this recipe again. My bread came out fluffy and just super good!
Fabulous recipe! senorita breads are my favorite!
For the filling, what do you mean by “breadcrumbs”? Plain 4-C breadcrumbs?
I’m SO excited to try this recipe! I lived in NorCal for 3 years about a decade ago and fell in love with Señorita Bread!
This is the one I used: https://amzn.to/3d74K38 🙂 I hope you give it a try and let me know what you think!
This recipe was very delicious. My niece and I made it together and we loved it. Tastes just like senorita bread!
Super yummy! Your senorita bread recipe was so fluffy and so perfect. First time bread maker here!