Ube Bread

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Ube Bread is soft, fluffy, and pillowy bread that steals the show at every Filipino gathering. I bake it once a week at least. My family loves and enjoys this bread!

the difference between ube and taro

Ube and taro are two types of root vegetables that are commonly used in various recipes and desserts. Ube, also known as purple yam, is native to Southeast Asia and has a sweet, nutty flavor. It is usually used in desserts and is often used to make an ice cream of the same name. Taro, on the other hand, is a root vegetable native to Southeast Asia and parts of the Pacific Islands. It has a slightly sweet, nutty flavor and is usually used in savory dishes, like stews and soups. Both ube and taro have a similar texture when cooked, but their taste and uses are quite different.

I remember when I was a little girl, my grandma used both ube and taro to make “halaya”. It’s a jam made with cream, sugar, and butter. Compared to ube, taro is starchy and a lot thicker in consistency when cooked. For the most part, I like ube in anything e.g. jams, smoothies, even cakes. If you like to read more about ube, visit “Ube Kinampay” for further information. 

Due to accessibility, I used Stokes Purple sweet potatoes for this recipe. I got them from Mariano’s grocery store. You can also get them from Whole Foods. 

ingredients notes

FILLING:

• Stokes Purple – sweet potatoes are my go-to when making any ube desserts. Compared to the frozen grated purple yam available from Asian stores, stokes potatoes have deeper purple color and for that reason, I don’t need to use any artificial coloring. Firstly, peel the stoke potatoes, and then cut them into inch cubes, boil, and cook until fork tender. Similarly when cooking regular potatoes. Drain the water and mash with a potato masher or fork if you do not have an immersion blender. 
• Salted butter – so no need to add extra salt. Cut it into cubes before adding it to the mixture.
• Heavy cream – or whole milk. Likewise, you can also use canned evaporated milk. 
• Brown sugar – for added sweetness.
• Pure maple syrup – adds an earthy flavor. Make sure to get pure maple syrup and not pancake syrup. 
• Cinnamon – boosts the flavor and it’s the perfect spice for ube jam. 
• Vanilla – for flavoring. 

BREAD DOUGH:

• For the bread recipe, you’ll need bread flour, warm whole milk, instant yeast, sugar, salt, butter, and eggs. Check out my recipe for Parmesan Pull-Apart Rolls for complete instructions. 
• Sesame seeds – add a nice finish to the bread. 

how to make Ube Bread

UBE JAM FILLING:

1. Wash and peel the stokes potatoes. Cut them into inch cubes, and fill a stockpot with water just enough to submerge the potatoes. Boil and cook until fork tender. Drain the water, and mash the potatoes or use an immersion blender when ready to make the jam. 
2. Use the same stockpot, bring it back to the stove add the rest of the ingredients, butter, cream, sugar, maple syrup, sugar, and vanilla. Stirring constantly until incorporated. Use the immersion blender and blend until smooth (see note).
3. Cool completely before filling the bread. Use a small retractable cookie scoop, roll it between your palm and form a ball. Place them on a platter then refrigerate for an hour. 
4. See the recipe for Ube Hand Pies and watch the full video on how to make the ube jam. 

BREAD DOUGH:

1. Check out my recipe for Parmesan Pull-Apart Rolls to watch the full video on how to make the bread rolls. However, I’m going to write the recipe down for you. In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of bread flour, yeast, and sugar. Use a whisk and mix the dry ingredients. In a cup, add the cold milk, and place it in a microwave on high heat for one minute (95-100ºF). Make sure the milk is not too hot (body temperature). Pour the milk into the mixing bowl with the flour mixture. Whisk until smooth. 
2. Use a hook attachment to your mixer. Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add the rest of the flour (3 cups), butter, eggs, and salt. Continue mixing on low until well combined. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl to get all the flour mixed in. Pour a teaspoon of olive oil if the dough sticks. Once the dough comes together, turn the mixer to medium-high speed. Mix for 12 minutes or until the dough is smooth and you see a “windowpane” (elasticity test).
3. Remove the dough from the mixing bowl and form it into a ball. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and rest for one hour or until it doubles the size.

REST THE DOUGH:

1. After an hour or so and the dough has doubled its size, remove the plastic wrap and punch it down to remove the air bubbles. Lightly dust a surface with flour. Divide the dough into two pieces. 
2. Place the other half back in a greased bowl and cover it to prevent drying while working on the other half of the dough. 
3. Now, for the dough that you’re working on, use a knife or bench scraper to divide it into equal parts about eight pieces. 
4. Work on them one at a time. Roll them into a circle using a small roller. Fill in the center with ube jam. Grab one piece and pull the sides of the dough to form into smaller rolls. Seam side down, and roll it on a surface with your hands in a counterclockwise motion. 
5. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Rest for 45 minutes or until it doubles the size. 

BAKE:

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Brush the top of each bread roll with egg wash. Option to sprinkle sesame seeds. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush the top with melted butter while still hot. 

recommended recipes

Ube Bread

Jen Paleracio

Fluffy and Pillowy bread rolls filled with creamy ube filling. The purple yam is made with Stokes Purple potatoes with butter, sugar, cream, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla. It's one of the most popular and delicious desserts in the Philippines.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Filipino, Japanese

Servings 16

Equipment

• baking sheet pan
• Bowls
• Electric stand mixer with hook attachment
• Spatula
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Immersion Blender

Ingredients

  

UBE FILLING

• 3 medium size Stokes Purple potatoes, peeled and cut into inch cubes
• 4 oz. salted butter or 8 tablespoons
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

BREAD DOUGH

• 4 cups bread flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 packet of instant dry yeast
• 1 cup warm whole milk
• 4 oz. or one stick of butter, softened, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

MAKE THE UBE FILLING

• Peel the Stokes Purple potatoes, and cut them into inch cubes.
• Fill a stockpot with enough water to submerge the purple potatoes. Cook them on medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender (the same way you cook regular potatoes).
• Drain the water after cooking. Return to the stove, and add butter, heavy cream, brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
• Use an immersion blender (see NOTE #3 if you don't have an immersion blender), and blend the mixture until smooth or thickened.
• Remove from the heat and transfer to a platter or bowl to cool for 10 minutes. Then place it in the fridge for at least an hour.
• Meantime, make the bread rolls.

BREAD ROLLS

• See NOTE #4 to see the link for my Pull-Apart Bread Rolls recipe, but here's the written recipe:
• In a mixing bowl, combine one cup of flour, sugar, yeast, and warm milk. Use a wire whisk and mix until smooth and with no lumps or visible white flour.
• Use the hook attachment of your stand mixer (see NOTE #1 if you don't have an electric mixer). Add butter, eggs, and salt, and continue mixing until well incorporated.
• Mix at low speed and gradually add the rest of the flour (a cup at a time). Scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. Add about 2 teaspoons of olive oil if it sticks to the bowl.
• Increase the speed of the mixer to high, and continue mixing for 10 minutes or until the dough doesn't cling to the side of the bowl anymore. You can also do the windowpane test. If the dough stretches without breaking, it means the gluten is well-developed and your dough is ready to rise (see NOTE #2 regarding windowpane).
• Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and let rise for an hour or until it's double the size.

FILL AND BAKE

• Lightly flour the surface and dump the dough. Cut it into 2 pieces first. Then equally divide into 8 pieces (or 50-60 grams for each piece), you should have 16 pieces in total.
• Take out the ube filling from the fridge. Use a small ice cream scoop to scoop the filling. Roll in between palms to form a ball.
• Place the rolled ube in the center of the dough. Pull the sides to close and tuck them in. Press with your fingers and neatly seal the dough. Cup the rolled dough with your hand and roll on the surface counterclockwise.
• Place the rolled bread dough on a prepared baking sheet pan. Space them out (about an inch apart), so they have room to expand when baked. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and rest for 45 minutes or until double in size.
• Preheat the oven to 375ºF and line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Make the egg wash by combining one egg and a tablespoon of milk or water. Mix until combined. Brush the bread dough with eggwash before baking. Option to sprinkle sesame seeds.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Video

Notes

NOTE #1 If you don’t have an electric mixer you can knead the dough by hand. It takes about 15 minutes if you’re kneading by hand. Do the windowpane test to see if your dough is ready to rise. 

NOTE #2 Do the windowpane test by gently stretching the dough with your fingers and thumbs. Stretch the dough into a thin translucent sheet. If you can stretch the dough without breaking that means the gluten is well developed and your dough is ready to rise. 

NOTE #3 If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a potato masher or a fork to mash the cooked purple potatoes before returning it back to the stove. Stir the mixture until it thickened. It won’t be as smooth as using an immersion blender but you’ll have a nice consistency. You can also use a regular blender or food processor. Add the cream and purple potatoes at the same time in the blender, and then blend until smooth. 

NOTE #4 Here’s the link to my Pull-Apart Bread Rolls to see the video for the bread dough. 

 

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Keyword bread, bread rolls, dinner rolls, ube, ube bread

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Hi there! Nice to meet you. My name is Jen.

Hello, nice to meet you! I’m Jen, a mom of 2 wonderful girls. I love to prepare home-cooked meals. Cooking and planning your meals might sound like another chore added to your already long list of things to do. Believe me, I’ve been there. Surely, cooking more meals at home is worth all the effort. After years of cooking for my family and teaching culinary classes, I can honestly say that I have more control over the quality of the ingredients I use. It’s important to realize that when you cook better you eat better.  

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring and you don’t have to eat the same thing repeatedly. There are ways we can naturally enhance our food’s flavor and enjoy home-cooked meals.

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