This Easy Ube Cheese Pandesal recipe is the softest, fluffiest, and tastiest purple bread roll with a purple-yam flavor and a creamy cheese filling. Perfect for bread-making beginners and experts alike! They’re perfect as everyday breakfast, anytime snack or dessert.
I'm obsessed with ube-flavored bread, desserts, and pastries. The main base for most of this yummy recipe is a homemade ube halaya jam. This recipe for cheese ube pandesal has been tried and tested many times and it always comes out soft, pillowy, and moist even after a few days. Staying fresh for up to 5 days on the countertop with the same texture as when it came out from the oven.
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This is one of the most requested breads from our Filipino community next to my pandesal. Since people enjoy my pandesal and ube halaya recipes, I thought I would share my buttery, yummy, and easy-to-make ube bread roll recipe. I first shared this recipe on my youtube channel in 2019 and everybody seems to be successful in following my recipe.
Ingredients and substitutions note
The ingredients for our easy cheese ube pandesal are very similar to the classic pandesal. We will add some ube halaya, ube extract, and cheese filling to tweak the recipe a little bit but they are both amazing and delicious.
- Ube halaya - You can opt for cooked and mashed ube. Some people have success using ube powder. if using ube powder, use ¼ cup of powder and ¾ cup of hot water or milk to dissolve and rehydrate the powder.
- Ube extract - It adds flavor and purple color. Available in Asian supermarkets.
- All-purpose flour or bread flour - You can use all-purpose flour or bread flour. Bread flour makes your bread more light and airy. You can also use the 1:1 ratio. 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup bread flour.
- Shortening - You can substitute this with an exact amount of butter, lard, or margarine.
- Active dry yeast - Yeast helps to give a light and sponge-like texture to the bread. It also provides flavor, aroma, and nutritional value of bread. You can use instant yeast as a substitute. The latter requires less time to proof so it may be best to use it when you are in a hurry.
- Lukewarm milk – Lukewarm milk or evaporated milk if you want rich milky flavor (not hot or cold) to help activate the dry yeast making it bloom. For the softest purple bread rolls, use whole milk. Check the photo below for the yeast activity. You can also use water as a substitute.
- Granulated sugar – We want our pandesal to be slightly sweet with sugar. Sugar is also useful in providing food for the yeast. Add a few more tablespoons if you want your ube pandesal extra sweet.
- Eggs – As a binder that adds flavor and moist texture to the bread.
- Cream cheese - For me, cream cheese achieves the best filling. You can use sliced cheddar cheese or Eden cheese.
- Breadcumbs – To coat our bread. You can use oatmeal or cornmeal as a substitute.
How to make ube pandesal
Preparing the bread is the best part and it always excites me. It is an art and gives me joy and happiness to make my own homemade bread.
- Activate the yeast. Using lukewarm milk around 110F, we need to dissolve a tablespoon of granulated sugar and dry active yeast. Why did we add sugar? Because it feeds the yeast. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to activate, you will see it produce bubbles on the top. Check the picture below. I do this whenever I use dry active yeast or instant dry yeast to check if it's still active.
- Knead the Dough. While waiting for the yeast to activate, let's start the dough. Start by combining the rest of the ingredients: shortening, eggs, ube halaya, ube extract, all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt, and mix using a dough hook. Add your activated yeast mixture.
- You can use a dough hook or use your hands with a little elbow grease to knead the dough. You need extra time if you are using your hands but it is so simple.
- Due to the ube halaya, the dough will be sticky but that is normal. Rub some oil on your hands while kneading manually and be patient as it will lessen while continue to knead.
- Knead the dough until it looks and feels smooth and elastic for about 15 minutes on hand kneading and 10-12 minutes using an electric mixer.
- Proof and Assemble - Grease the dough and the bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let it proof for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in size. This may vary due to your kitchen temperature. The dough rises faster in a warmer environment.
- Once it has doubled in size, punch the dough to release the air. Divide it into 2 equal parts. Form the dough into a log shape and divide it into 6-7 pieces in each log. We should have 12-14 pieces total depending on size.
- Grab a piece of dough and flatten it.
- Insert a slice of cream cheese or any cheese of your choice. You can insert a teaspoon of ube halaya together for more ube goodness flavors. Tuck the ends and seal.
- Coat each portion of bread into breadcrumbs.
- Place in a baking tray with silicon or parchment paper on the bottom. Cover with a damp towel. Let it rise for another hour or until the sizes are doubled.
9. Bake - Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 177 degrees Celcius. Now it's time to bake. Depending on the sizes of your purple bread rolls and oven temperature differences, the baking period will be about 18-23 minutes. Check your bread around the 18-minute mark.
Allow the baked bread to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes to prevent it from becoming soggy.
Pro Tips
- The milk or water to activate the yeast should be lukewarm or about 110 Fahrenheit – 115 Fahrenheit. Hotter than that might kill the yeast. If the yeast does not turn foamy or bubbly after 10 minutes, discard the mixture and start over again. Do this method with dry active yeast and instant yeast.
- Yeast grows and multiplies best at 75 degrees Fahrenheit to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. If your house is too cold, turn on the oven to the lowest setting for about 3 minutes, turn off, and move the dough in the center of the oven to rise faster.
- Stand mixer will ease the kneading process but you can use your hands, kneading for about 15 minutes until your dough is smooth, elastic, and less sticky by rubbing oil on your hands and working surface. You can also avoid over-kneading by hand and get an arm workout done.
- Kneading your dough well is very important for developing gluten, which gives the ube pan de sal its structure and softness.
- Always preheat the oven first before baking your bread.
- Do not overcook the bread rolls as they will turn chewy and dry.
Make ahead, Storage, and reheating tips
- Make Ahead - You can prepare the dough the day before using the same step-by-step process. Refrigerate them after kneading or once they are filled and formed. Cover with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to bake, allow it to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before going on the next step. I recommend using dry-active yeast if you are going this route. Use within 3 days for best results.
- Storage - Cool down completely and transfer to an air-tight container.
- Countertop - Leave it on your countertop and it will last for 3- 5 days.
- Freezer - Ube pandesal is freezer-friendly. It will last a long time in the freezer if you store it properly. In my own experience, it lasts in the freezer for about 3-4 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or for about 30 minutes on the countertop until it reaches room temperature.
- Reheating - Use microwave, oven, or oven toaster to reheat.
- Oven - Reheat in the oven to 350F or 177C using a baking tray or oven-safe container and bake for 5 minutes or until warm thoroughly.
- Microwave - Reheat in a microwave-safe container and cover with a paper towel for about 30 seconds or until warm through.
Why I Think You Will Love This
- Baking your own will let you control the quality of your ingredients. For example, the shortening can be substituted with your choice such as butter.
- There's a sense of accomplishment in making bread from scratch. Homemade bread like this will allow you to experience the joy of baking and sharing your creations with loved ones.
- The vibrant deep purple color of ube pan de sal is not only visually appealing but it is also tasty.
- Pillowy, moist, and ultra-soft for a few days especially when adding real ube flavor.
- It is filling and satisfying. Perfect breakfast, snack, or dessert.
More Ube-flavored Recipes
Your Questions and The Answers
Ube pandesal is a Filipino bread roll that combines the flavors of ube (purple yam) and cheese as a filling. It's a soft, moist, and, fluffy purple bread and slightly sweet.
Filipinos serve this bread straight from the oven after cooling for a little bit. It pairs well with coffee or hot chocolate for breakfast or snacks.
Yes, you can make a plain ube pandesal without cheese if you prefer a no-cheese pandesal.
Yes, you can prepare the dough, let it rise, shape it, and then refrigerate it overnight. Take it out from the fridge and allow it to set at room temperature for about 30 minutes or until it doubled in size. This will allow you to do fewer steps the next morning.
Diced cream cheese, cheddar cheese, or eden cheese.
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Ube Cheese Pandesal (Purple Bread Roll)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup milk lukewarm
- 2½ teaspoon dry active yeast
- ½ cup sugar
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup shortening butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup ube halaya
- 2 teaspoons ube extract
- 1 block cream cheese or cheddar cheese
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Activate the yeast. Using lukewarm milk, we need to dissolve a tablespoon of granulated sugar and dry active yeast. Why did we add sugar? It feeds the yeast. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes to activate. Check the picture below. I do this whenever I use dry active yeast or instant dry yeast to check if its still active.
- Dough. While waiting for the yeast to create bubbles, let's make the dough. Start by combining dry ingredients: flour, sugar, and salt, mix well using a dough hook. Add the rest of the ingredients including yeast mixture.
- Knead - You can use a dough hook or use your hands with a little elbow grease to knead the dough. You need extra time if you are using your hands but it is so rewarding.
- Rub some oil on your hands while kneading manually and be patient as it will lessen while continue to knead. Knead the dough until it looks and feels smooth and elastic for about 15 minutes on hand kneading and 10-12 minutes using an electric mixer.
- Proof and Assemble - Grease the dough and the bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let it proof for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in size. This may vary due to your kitchen temperature. The dough rises faster in a warmer environment.
- Once it has doubled in size, punch the dough to release the air. Divide it into 2 equal parts. Form the dough into a log shape and divide it into 6-7 pieces in each dough. We should have 12-14 pieces total depending on size.
- Flatten each piece and insert a slice of cream cheese or any cheese of your choice. Tuck the ends and seal. Place in a baking tray with silicon or parchment paper on the bottom. Cover with a damp towel. Let it rise for another hour or until the sizes are doubled.
- Bake - Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 177 degrees Celcius. Now it's time to bake. Depending on the sizes of the purple bread rolls and oven temperature, the baking period will be about 20-23 minutes. Check your bread around the 20-minute mark.
- Allow the bread to cool into wire rack for a few minutes. Ready to serve.
Video
Notes
Recipe Notes
- One of the secrets to this ultra-soft bread is ube halaya. You can make your own using my recipe above or store-bought. You can simply boil and mash ¾ cup of ube root crop and you are good to go.
- You can use all-purpose flour for this recipe. It is easy to find and at a lower cost. However, bread flour will achieve more chewy and airy bread in my opinion. Don't worry because both flours will work.
- Make this ahead by refrigerating your dough. I prepare my dough at night and rest it in the refrigerator overnight. I'll bake it the next morning.
- If your dough is too sticky grease your hand with oil and continue kneading. If it's still too sticky, you may need to add some more flour.
Dee
These look just so beautiful! Love Ube and your take on it.