Monay (bread) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Pan de monja

Alternative names	monay, pan de monay
Type	Bread roll
Place of origin	Philippines

Monay, also called pan de monja, is a popular bread roll from the Philippines. It's a soft, slightly firm bread made with flour, milk, and salt. Monay has a special shape: it's round with a line pressed down the middle. This makes it look like two small, round halves joined together.

This simple bread is often eaten as a snack, called merienda, in the Philippines. People enjoy it with cheese or by dipping it into hot drinks. Monay is considered one of the most basic types of bread in the Philippines. Some even call it the "mother of all Filipino breads" because many other kinds of bread can be made by changing its recipe.

What's in a Name?

The name pan de monja comes from Spanish and means "cloistered nun's bread." Over time, people in the Philippines started calling it pan de monáy or just monáy. This is a common way for words to change as they are used more often.

How Monay is Made

Monay bread is made from a dough that uses all-purpose flour or bread flour. Other important ingredients include milk (often powdered milk), yeast, egg yolks, and a little bit of salt, sugar, and butter.

First, the ingredients are mixed to form a dough. This dough is then carefully kneaded, which means pressing and folding it to make it smooth. After kneading, the dough rests for a few hours. During this time, the yeast makes the dough grow and double in size.

Next, the risen dough is rolled into a long shape and cut into smaller pieces. Each piece is then shaped into the familiar round monay. Before baking, the top of the bread is often brushed with an egg wash. This helps give it a nice golden color.

Traditionally, monay has a light yellow or yellow-brown color. However, some monay breads you see in stores today might be a paler brown.

• ''Pan
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  Pinagong

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  Putok

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  A large version of Pinagong

Monay is a very important bread in the Philippines. It's so basic that it's often called the "mother of all Filipino breads." This is because many other types of bread are made by changing the monay recipe. For example, breads like pinagong and putok are similar to monay but have their own unique twists.

See also

In Spanish: Monay (pan) para niños