Pinagong

01 / ABOUT THE DISH

About the dish

Pinagong is a traditional bread roll originating from Sariaya (Quezon province) in the Philippines. This dense bread roll is usually made with a combination of flour, salt, yeast, sugar, and milk. Eggs and butter are sometimes also added to the dough mixture. It is believed that pinagong is a version of pan de monja, but it's distinctive for its shape and a complex scoring pattern on top before baking. The name of the bread roll is derived from the word pagong, meaning turtle, because once baked, it looks similar to a turtle. The roll is also soft in the inside and slightly crunchy on the outside.