Leche Puto
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Ingredients for the Leche Flan
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 can 14 ounces condensed milk
Ingredients for the Puto:
- 2 cups flour
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 4 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cup water
- 4 egg whites
Instructions
- Lightly brush the insides of the molds with melted butter and set aside. Fill the lower bottom of the steamer with water and bring it to a boil.
- In a bowl, combine egg yolks, condensed milk, and calamansi juice. Stir in a circular motion until smooth. Fill the molds with the flan mixture until ⅓ full. Arrange them in a single layer on the steamer basket.
- Cover the steamer with a clean kitchen towel and steam the flan at low heat for 5 to 7 minutes or until it’s no longer liquid but not fully set. Remove from heat and let it cool completely.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add water and egg whites. Stir until just combined.
- Add the puto mixture over the flan in the molds, filling them almost to the top. Steam on low heat for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the puto has risen.
- Remove from heat and allow the leche puto to slightly cool. Gently remove them from the molds and serve.
Details Behind My Leche Puto Recipe
Leche Puto Recipe – Also known as puto flan, this delightful treat combines the beloved Filipino snacks puto and leche flan. Puto, a culinary staple, is made from fermented rice dough, created by soaking rice overnight and sometimes adding yeast. The dough is then steamed to achieve a light and fluffy texture.
Leche flan, a thicker version of Spanish flan, is crafted using condensed milk and more egg yolks, often steamed in a special oval tin mold called llanera or baked. This rich dessert is a festive favorite and is frequently paired with other baked goods like puto. Whether enjoyed on its own or with a warm beverage like coffee or tea, leche puto offers a delightful blend of flavors.
Desserts Similar to Leche Puto
As stated, leche flan can be combined with a variety of pastries. If you want a similar dessert to leche puto, try out leche flan cake. We know leche flan is a popular treat but do you know chiffon cake is popular among Filipino desserts? As the name indicates, leche flan cake is a chiffon cake topped with a layer of leche flan, creating a delicious blend of textures and a hint of sweetness for a truly indulgent treat. It also has several variations like ube leche cake.
Another option that features a leche flan layer is graham de leche. Graham de leche is a delicious layered dessert with a leche flan layer. It features smooth custard, cinnamon graham, and sweetened cream, offering a playful twist on the well-known Filipino dessert, mango float. Similar to mango float, Graham de leche is an icebox cake with layers of ladyfingers or graham crackers, whipped cream, condensed milk, and ripe carabao mangoes.
Other Puto Dishes
If you want to try other puto dishes, you should check out cheese puto. Cheese puto is similar to leche puto in that it features a simple rice cake. However, rather than a flan base, it is topped with a simple strip of cheese. Another rice cake you should try is royal bibingka. Royal Bibingka is a distinct and chewy version of the traditional bibingka. With its cheesy and crisp topping, it stands out for being baked in the oven, a departure from the usual bibingka preparation. The rice cake is made with glutinous rice flour, eggs, and coconut cream, resulting in a delightful texture.
Other Leche Flan and Steamed Desserts
There are a variety of leche flan desserts, if you want a mix of the classic with something different, try cassava flan. Cassava flan is simply leche flan topped with crisp cassava and a caramel sauce. If you are unfamiliar with cassava, it is a root vegetable characterized by earthy, nutty, and slightly sweet notes, with a hint of bitterness. For another steamed dessert, check out puto bumbong.
Puto bumbong is a steamed rice cake that stands out for using “pirurutong,” a deep purple or nearly black glutinous rice that becomes soft and aromatic when cooked. This unique rice is combined with white glutinous rice to create the dish. Typically served during holidays, the steamed cakes are carefully arranged on banana leaves and brushed with butter or margarine.
There are various Filipino desserts featuring different combinations. With puto, there is more to explore than you think.
