The Secret Jewish History of a Filipino Pastry

Featuring a recipe for Buttery Bulemas with Ube filling!

Shalom from Israel.

What do a Filipino breakfast pastry, Spanish lard, and Sephardic Jewish baking traditions have in common? The answer lies in one of history's most fascinating examples of culinary code-switching: the ensaïmada. 

I’ve become the go-to guy for culinary tips when my friends are traveling - a culinary concierge if you will. But not just any culinary guidance, more like: here’s a list of bakeries you need to visit and here are the local foods you have to try.

My friends are well aware of my food nerdom and my fascination with the evolution, migration, and introduction of regional ingredients to Jewish baked goods. If you take a bite of a bourekas next to me, before I tell you that you have crumbs on your shirt, I’ll wax poetic about how yufka is the superior dough over phyllo and how using puff pastry is a criminal act. It’s a price they are willing to pay for this advice. 

Clark has been my best friend since we met on the first day of Ulpan, an intensive Hebrew class, back in 1997. We served in the IDF together and worked at our first Tel Aviv startup together. We’re tight. There’s little I won’t do for him, so when he told me he was going to the Philippines, I squealed with glee, grabbed my laptop, and got to work.

I do know a little something about Filipino-American baking thanks to the cookbooks Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed and Sugarcane, Sweet Recipes from My Half-Filipino Kitchen. I’ve played around with flavors such as pandan in my hamantaschen and have used ube (a purple yam that is to Filipino baking what poppy seeds are to Ashkenazi Jewish baking) in my babka. 

A babka with an ube filling (Filipino purple yam jam).

While my knowledge of the Philippines is cursory, my connection to the islands runs deeper than cookbooks. My great grandfather fought there in the Spanish-American War¹, one of those peculiar twists of fate where Jewish immigrants found themselves fighting for their new country in a Spanish colony across the Pacific. That same colony was, a few centuries earlier, also shaped by Spain's influence - they were colonized in the 16th century, heavily influencing their food and culture.

I also know that during this time period where there were Spaniard colonies, there were Crypto-Jews, Jews who were forced to convert to Christianity but secretly practiced Judaism. And where there are Jews there is Jewish food, or in the case of the Philippines - Jew-ish food. This era didn't just bring Catholicism and conquistadors, it brought an unexpected wave of Jewish influence that would lead to the creation of one of the Philippines’ most beloved pastries.

It didn’t take me long to see that the Philippines has its own version of the Ensaïmada, a light, flakey and fluffy spiral-shaped pastry whose origins can be found on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The word ensaïmada comes from the Catalan word "saïm," meaning "lard," so how can it possibly even remotely be considered Jewish?

Let’s return to the Crypto-Jews. Since both Judaism and Islam forbid eating pork products, eating swine became a way to prove one’s adherence to the Christian faith and avoid suspicion of still observing Judaism. So it’s likely that Jews began incorporating lard into their traditional pastries as a survival strategy: In a cruel twist of history, the very thing that made their pastries 'unkosher' became their ticket to security.

So what was the ensaïmada before it was the ensaïmada? The likely answer is Bulemas - one of The Big Three of Sephardic baking - Bourekas and Boyos being the other two. Bulemas are spiral shaped yeasted pastries made with olive oil and often stuffed with cheese, spinach, pumpkin and eggplant. These predecessors, using olive oil rather than lard as the fat, were deeply rooted in Jewish and Arab culinary traditions.

But let's go back to the Philippines. Over the centuries, the Filipino ensaïmada (spelled ensaymada locally) has evolved into something uniquely its own. In a comforting twist of culinary karma, it's now typically made with butter instead of lard. The pastry has transformed into a light brioche-style creation, crowned with butter, sugar, and grated cheese after baking. It's one of the most ubiquitous pastries in the Philippines, gracing the display cases of every bakery from humble neighborhood panaderias to bakery chains. 

---

No artificial intelligence was harmed in the baking of the real bulemas.

While bulemas are generally a savory pastry, I want to share with you my sweet version. In developing this recipe, I decided to honor both culinary traditions by maintaining the authentic Sephardic technique and shape of bulemas while incorporating the ube halaya, the beloved Filipino sweet ube jam. In a way, we're completing a historical circle, reconnecting these pastries with their possible Jewish roots while celebrating their modern Filipino evolution. Allow me to go all kabbalistic for a second and declare this fusion embodies the Jewish concept of gilgul - a spiritual cycling and return of souls - as these pastries complete their own culinary reincarnation, reconnecting with their Jewish roots while embracing their Filipino evolution.

Until next week,

Harry

Buttery Bulemas with Ube Filling

A fusion of Sephardic Jewish pastry and Filipino purple yam filling.

Don't panic about finding ube - you've got options! Asian supermarkets usually stock frozen grated ube in their freezer section. For the "I don't feel like stirring for 45 minutes" crowd, they also carry ready-to-spread ube halaya in jars (no judgment). And for those who prefer their ingredients shelf-stable, ube powder can be found in baking supply stores and online - just add water.

Total Time: 6-7 hours (including resting and cooling)

Active Time: 2-3 hours

Makes: 8 medium bulemas

UBE HALAYA (MAKE AHEAD)

Ube Halaya is traditionally made with evaporated milk, but this version uses with coconut milk. Will you have extra filling? Yes. Could I have scaled down the recipe to use half a can of sweetened condensed milk? Also yes. But we both know that partial can would just hang out in your fridge until it develops its own civilization, so let's be realistic here. You can freeze your ube halaya and use it in a future culinary adventure.

Ingredients:

• 450g (16oz) frozen grated ube, thawed

• 397g (14oz) sweetened condensed milk

• 400ml (13.5oz) unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Combine ube, sweetened condensed milk, coconut milk, salt, and butter in a heavy-bottomed pot.

2. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pot frequently to prevent scorching.

3. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture becomes very thick, about 45 minutes.

You'll know it's ready when:

• Mixture pulls away from sides of pot

• Spoon leaves a clear trail when dragged through

• Holds its shape when stirred

4. Add vanilla extract and cook for 1-2 minutes more, stirring to incorporate completely.

5. Transfer to container and press plastic wrap directly onto surface.

Cool completely, then refrigerate overnight.

BULEMAS DOUGH

Ingredients:

For the Dough:

• 5 cups (600g) all-purpose flour

• 2¼ teaspoons (7g) active dry yeast

• 1 teaspoon (4g) sugar

• 1½ teaspoons (9g) kosher salt

• 1¼ cups (300ml) warm water (110°F/43°C)

• ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For Resting & Shaping:

• 1 cup (240ml) canola oil for dough ball rest

• ¼ cup (55g) softened butter for brushing

For Egg Wash:

• 1 large egg

• 1 tablespoon water

• Pinch of salt

Instructions:

Dough preparation

1. Combine warm water with yeast and sugar and let stand until the yeast is foamy and activated.

2. Sift the flour and salt in a large bowl.

3. Add cooled melted butter to yeast mixture.

4. Gradually mix wet into dry ingredients.

5. Knead by hand for 10-12 minutes until smooth or in a stand mixer using the dough hook attachment, knead for 6-7 minutes on medium speed. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

6. Place the dough in lightly oiled bowl and cover with a plastic wrap or a damp towel.

7. Let rise until doubled in size (approximately 90 minutes).

Oil Rest (30-45 minutes):

1. Pour 1 cup oil in wide bowl or small baking tray.

2. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces.

3. Shape each piece into a smooth ball.

4. Roll balls in oil to coat completely.

5. Cover bowl / baking tray with plastic wrap.

6. Let rest 30-45 minutes.

7. Note: This step is crucial - don't skip! This oil rest step is crucial for two purposes:

• The oil coating enables you to stretch the dough paper-thin without tearing.

• The oil absorbed into the dough creates the signature crispy exterior of traditional bulemas.

Shape Each Dough Ball:

Important: Work with one dough ball at a time from stretching through filling and coiling, completing each bulemas entirely before starting the next. Keep remaining dough balls covered in the oiled bowl until needed.

1. Remove one dough ball from the oil while keeping the other covered and place on a piece of parchment paper. You can also do this step on a well-oiled smooth kitchen counter.

2. Using your fingertips, gently press and flatten from the center outward.

   1. OPTION A - Traditional Hand Method:

   2. Continue stretching gently with your hands, working from center to edges

   3. Use your palms and back of oiled hands to carefully stretch dough

   4. OPTION B - Rolling Pin Method:

      • Place a second piece of parchment paper on top of flattened dough

      • Using rolling pin, gently roll from center outward

      • Lift and adjust parchment as needed to prevent sticking

   5. Regardless of method:

      • Goal is a very thin sheet, roughly 18x24 inches

      • If dough resists or springs back, let dough rest 5 minutes, then resume stretching.

      • Use oil from dough ball to help with stretching process. Add a few teaspoons of oil if needed.

Fill and Roll:

1. Brush the entire surface of the thin sheet with softened butter.

2. Using a offset spatula, spread a generous layer of room temperature ube filling, leaving a 1-inch border from the edge.

3. Starting from the long edge, roll tightly, coil into a snail shape and tuck the end under and pinch to seal.

4. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet.

5. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.

One more rest then bake:

1. Cover shaped bulemas loosely with a clean kitchen towel and let rise until puffy, no more than 30-40 minutes.

2. Preheat your oven to 375°F / 190°C.

3. Gently brush the bulemas with prepared egg wash (1 beaten egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of salt).

4. Bake the bulemas for 25 minutes or until deep golden brown.

5. Cool 15-20 minutes before serving

Storage & Notes:

The ube keeps refrigerated up to 5 days, but freezes well.

Bulemas are best eaten same day, but can be frozen for up to 3 months.

⌇⋰ Instagram 

⌇⋰ Website

⌇⋰ Email : harrysbaked@gmail.com or respond to this email, I love to hear from you.

This newsletter may contain affiliate links.

1. My great grandfather’s Spanish-American War service medal - a reminder that Jewish immigrant soldiers found themselves fighting in these distant islands long before I discovered their pastries.