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This Pan Sobao is deliciously soft and fluffy; it’s perfect for making sandwiches or french toast from scratch. Made with instant yeast and bread flour, this subtly sweet Puerto Rican bread comes together in under 3 hours. There’s truly nothing better than a fresh loaf spread with butter!

A plate with sliced pan sobao.

Pan Sobao is a universally loved Puerto Rican recipe, and for good reason. You’ll find this bread in every panaderia, supermarket, and sandwich shop.

It combines a soft and chewy texture with a subtly sweet, subtly salty flavor that goes great with just about anything.

Everyone has their own way of enjoying it, I have a relative who likes spreading it with mayo and dipping it into her coffee… not for me – but I respect the individuality! For me, it doesn’t get any better than when it’s fresh out of the oven with a little bit of butter and salt.

It’s also great for soaking up sauces in your favorite stew or for filling with all of your favorite sandwich fixings.

A plate with sliced pan sobao.

How To Make It

A bowl with flour, yeast, water, and more.
Whisk together bread flour, salt, sugar and yeast before pouring in the warm water and melted vegetable shortening. Knead until a consistent dough forms.
A hand punching dough down.
Cover the dough and let it rest until it doubles in size.
Pan sobao dough on a counter.
Punch the dough down before kneading for a minute and dividing in half. Roll each half into a flat rectangle shape then roll into a log. Tuck the ends of each loaf under to prevent them from drying out.
Two loaves of pan sobao being sprayed with water.
Gently move the loaves to a parchment lined baking sheet, cover and rest until they double in size. Spray or brush the loaves with water and bake at 350°F until golden brown.
Two loaves of pan sobao on a counter.

For a fancy finish: Brush the bread with butter or shortening fresh out of the oven to soften the crust and add some shine and flavor, if desired.

Don’t Kill Your Instant Yeast!

When working with instant yeast it’s important to make sure your water isn’t too hot, as it can kill the yeast if it’s above 130°F! We want warm water to activate it, but if you don’t have a thermometer available, lean on the cooler side of ‘warm’ to be safe.

A cutting board with sliced pan sobao.

How to Enjoy Pan Sobao

The sky is the limit when it comes to this Puerto Rican sweet bread! Use any leftovers to make bread pudding, french toast, or a really epic sandwich.

Puerto Rican-Style Baked Budin (Bread Pudding)

Puerto Rican-Style Café con Leche

Torrejas (Spanish French Toast)
A cutting board with sliced pan sobao.

Buen Provecho,

Salima written in cursive
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A plate with sliced pan sobao.

Pan Sobao (Soft Sweet Bread)

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  • Author: Salima Benkhalti
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 3 hours
  • Yield: 2 loaves 1x
  • Category: bread, side dish, appetizer
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: Puerto Rican, Latin, Caribbean, American
  • Diet: Vegetarian
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Description

This Pan Sobao is deliciously soft and fluffy; it’s perfect for making sandwiches or french toast from scratch. Made with instant yeast and bread flour, this subtly sweet Puerto Rican bread comes together in under 3 hours. There’s truly nothing better than a fresh loaf spread with butter!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp instant yeast
  • 1 1/4 cup warm water (between 120-130°F)
  • 1/3 cup vegetable shortening, melted
  • optional: butter or additional vegetable shortening to finish

Instructions

  1. Make the dough: In a large mixing bowl combine bread flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Whisk together before pouring in the warm water and melted vegetable shortening. Knead everything together until a consistent dough forms, about 5 minutes.
  2. Let the dough rest: Cover the dough and let it rise on the countertop for 1 hour.
  3. Work the dough: Punch the dough down to deflate any air pockets then transfer to a clean flour dusted surface. Knead for a minute before dividing in half. Roll half of the dough out into a flat rectangle shape then roll into a log. Tuck the ends under. Repeat for the second half.
  4. Rest and bake the bread: Arrange the loaves of dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Rest for 1 hour. Spray or brush the loaves with water then bake at 350°F until golden brown on the outside, about 25-30 minutes.
  5. Optional: Brush with butter or shortening straight out of the oven.

Equipment

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