Sweet purple yam jam encased in soft, feathery layers of milk bread. Once you take a bite out of one of these, you’ll fall in love.
The milk bread stays soft after days (if it’s not eaten by then!), and the ube halaya adds a perfect light sweetness to the rolls. They’re like a lighter version of cinnamon rolls (with ube instead), and they’re actually super simple to make!
The base is my classic milk bread recipe with just an added tablespoon of butter. You just let the stand mixer knead the dough, allow time to proof, and then it’s ready to shape! Roll the dough out, spread the ube halaya on top, roll it up into a swirl, and then cut into rolls to be put in the pan. Then you simply wait for it to proof again and then bake! Just as easy as that.
tips for success:
- Use softened butter! – Softened butter will mix into the dough much easier and faster.
- Use a stand mixer! – The stand mixer will do all the work for you. Kneading the dough by hand will take much a lot more time, so definitely use a stand mixer if you have one.
- Weigh the ingredients! – Making bread is much more complex than making a batch of cookies, so it’s important to be precise in the ingredient measurements. Weighing your ingredients will make sure your bread dough will turn out exactly how it should!
Love milk bread? Make sure to try out my soft and pillowy milk bread recipe! It’s one of my favorite recipes on the site.
ube milk bread rolls
makes 9 rolls
ingredients:
- for the tangzhong
- 3 tbsp (23 grams) bread flour
- 5 tbsp (74 grams) water
- 2 tbsp (30 grams) heavy cream
- for the dough
- 2 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp (315 grams) bread flour
- 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp (90 grams) whole milk, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 grams) heavy cream, room temperature
- 3 tbsp (40 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp (6 grams) nonfat dry milk powder
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tbsp (42 grams) unsalted butter, softened & cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- for the filling
- 1 1/2 cup ube halaya (found at a Filipino supermarket or here)
- to finish
- 1 egg, for egg wash
instructions:
- for the tangzhong: In a small saucepan, whisk the flour, water, and heavy cream together until smooth over medium-low heat. Keep whisking until it forms a sort of paste, almost resembling mashed potatoes, about 5 minutes. It is done once the whisk is forming streaks within the paste. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool, covered with plastic wrap directly touching the paste, to prevent a film forming.
- for the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, add the tangzhong and all of the dough ingredients, except for the butter. Mix on medium-low speed until smooth, about 4-5 minutes. The dough will be sticking to the sides a bit. Add the butter, and mix on medium-high speed for about 10 minutes. The dough should be ‘slapping’ the sides of the bowl. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let proof in a warm space for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- to shape: Line an 8 by 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and roll into an 18 by 12 inch rectangle, with the longer side parallel to you. Spread the ube halaya evenly over the top of the dough, and then roll starting from the bottom up into a tight spiral. Cut the log into 9 equal pieces, and arrange into the prepared baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap, and let proof in a warm space for 1 hour, or until puffed up.
- to bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, beat the egg with a whisk to make an egg wash. Carefully brush the egg wash on top of the rolls. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool and then devour.