The Bread Basket, Your DC Hookup for Filipino Pan de Sal and Ensaymada

The Bread Basket is a longtime staple in Daly City, a well-loved source of fresh-baked Filipino breads, pastries, and desserts. The signature item here? Pan de sal, traditional Filipino rolls, usually eaten for breakfast but scarfable any time of day. They’re similar to American dinner rolls, only fluffier and sweeter. The ones here ($2 for 15) are pillow-soft — they melt in your mouth, especially when just out of the oven. They’re good enough to devour on their own, but split and spread with a little butter, the rolls’ subtle sweetness really comes out. The pan de sal and other pastries emerge from the Bread Basket’s ovens between 7 and 9 a.m. daily, definitely the best window for satisfying your cravings. Also check out the ensaymada ($1.50), sweet rolls topped with butter and sugar. Like the pan de sal, they’re light and fluffy, and the sugar-encrusted tops are almost creamy, sweet without being cloying. You can also order the ensaymada stuffed with ube (sweet purple yam), macapuno (young coconut), or cheese. And while you can score other Filipino pastries and desserts here (cakes, muffins, empanadas, pies), the bread and rolls are the standouts.

The Bread Basket Bakery 7099 Mission (at E. Moltke), Daly City, (650) 994-7741