KABABAYAN (fILIPINO MUFFINS)

Kababayan Bread is a very famous Filipino Muffins being sold in most bakeries in the Philippines. If you are Filipino living in another country, you might say "childhood memories". Because before, there were not as many bread choices in bakeries unlike today. As far as I remember, the ones I always see on display were Spanish Bread, Kababayan, Pianono, Pan de Ube, Pan de Regla, Monay, Donut and a few others and I do not what they are called. Pandesal is always served hot and you will have to ask the vendor for that. 

Anyway, the term Kababayan actually means "countryman or townmate" which is widely used. I am not really sure what the origin of this Kababayan Bread but it could be because in the past many Filipinos like to wear our Native Hat or Salakot that's similar to this Kababayan's domed top shape. But to make this, there's really a technique to achieve that.
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This is actually not the first time I tried this recipe. Few years back when I made one but I did not achieve the same taste and shape I wanted. This time I thought of making another recipe and tried baking it at a higher temperature as its initial stage to shock the bread then lower the temperature after but it didn't really create the "salakot" shape. Yes, it has some bump or "bukol" on top but that 's just similar to other muffins I've made. See my photo below.

So, I tried again and made another batch. This time, using a combination of vegetable shortening and flour for greasing and it worked! And to really test the difference, I filled 6 cavities of the muffin pan with the shortening and flour mixture then greased the other 6 cavities with margarine. To check the result while baking, I took a peek at the oven window and noticed that during the first 10 minutes of baking, the one greased with shortening created a crater, like it's hollow in the middle of the muffin then it slowly rose to the top and created the domed shape. Unlike the one greased with margarine, it was flat in the middle then it was baked like how we normally bake our muffins. See photo below.
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Again, if you wanted to achieve the "Salakot" (domed top shape), do not use margarine or butter. Also stick to 350F/175C and really there's no need to shock the muffins to achieve the shape, it's the vegetable shortening so do not ever skip it. 
Also, this recipe is not overly sweet. It is super soft and moist!  Super easy to make!
​Give it a try and please let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. Enjoy!
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KABABAYAN BREAD RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter,  melted
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour

VIDEO

Procedure:

• Preheat the oven to 350F / 176C.
• In a large bowl, add milk, water sugar, and eggs. Whisk well until sugar is fully dissolved.
• Add melted butter and vanilla. Mix until well incorporated.
• Add 2 cups flour through a sieve then sift.
• Add baking powder and salt. Give it a good mix. Set aside 
• In a small bowl. combine shortening and 2 tbsp flour. Mix until smooth then generously spread onto your muffin tin.
• Pour the batter over your prepared pan, about 3/4 full.
• Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Recipe yields about 16 muffins.
• Enjoy!

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RECIPE TIPS AND NOTES:

• No evaporated milk? You can use 1 cup fresh/whole milk.
• If you want it sweeter, you can add 1/4 cup more granulated sugar. 
• Make sure not to omit the vegetable shortening mixed with flour because this is the key to achieve the domed shape.
• If you are using a darker pan, expect the sides to be somewhat darker. I used a lighter colored pan that's why my muffins have even color from top to base.
• Generously grease the pan but do not overly do it. If it's too thick, the sides will be too thick as well and will have a rough texture.
• Recipe yields about 16 muffins.

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PRINTABLE RECIPE

​Kababayan Bread by PinoyCookingRecipes