Ube Rolls (Soft and Fluffy Twisted Bread Rolls)

❤️Why you will love this recipe

• This is an easy recipe and makes fluffy ube bread rolls.
• The rolls are not only delicious but pretty too with their bright purple color streaks.
• The sweet ube filling in these soft bread rolls makes this recipe a perfect choice for those who love sweet breads.
• The fluffy bread rolls make great breakfast and snack option. They can be enjoyed with a cup of hot coffee or tea and also hot chocolate. They are also great for any special occasions.

📋Ingredients

• All purpose flour - best to be sifted before using.
• Instant dry yeast - instant yeast allows you to mix it directly into the other ingredients without having to activate it like active dry yeast. If you are using active dry yeast, you will need to dissolve it in the milk first and see if it turns frothy after a few minutes. If not, the yeast cannot be used and you will have to use a new batch of yeast.
• Granulated sugar - as a sweetener to the sweet bread.
• Butter - both salted or unsalted butter will work fine for this recipe.
• Egg - use large egg, and at room temperature.
• Coconut milk - this is the white liquid that is squeezed out of the coconut flesh and not the clear liquid in the coconuts known as coconut water. Also, this is different from coconut cream, so make sure you use milk, not the cream or water.
• Salt - enhances the taste of the bread rolls.
• Ube Jam - this is the star of the recipe. You can make on your own with my easy ube halaya recipe or you can purchase it ready made for a local Asian store.

🧾Substitution and Variations

• All purpose flour can be replaced with bread flour.
• Coconut milk can be replaced with whole milk.
• For additional ube flavoring, you can add one teaspoon of ube extract to the coconut milk before mixing the bread dough. Alternatively, you can also use vanilla extract for fragrant, vanilla aroma for the ube bun.

Making the ube jam

• You can make the ube jam ahead of time. Follow the recipe as stated in my ube jam recipe.
• This twisted ube rolls recipe only requires about 9 tablespoons of jam (i.e. 1 tablespoon for each roll).

Mixing the dough

1. Start by measuring the yeast into a mixing bowl. Add the coconut milk and stir lightly with a spoon to make sure the yeast does not stay lumpy at the bottom of the bowl. Suffice if you mix it lightly and there is no need to wait until the yeast dissolves.
2. Add the egg. And then add the sugar.
3. Next, measure the flour and salt into a bowl and add both into the yeast mixture.
4. Turn the machine to low speed and let it knead (with a dough hook attachment) for about 2 minutes until all the ingredients come together.

1. Add the butter and continue to knead at low speed for another 8 to 10 minutes. The dough will look sticky initially but should be smooth at the end of the kneading time.
2. Turn the dough out onto a clean working space. Knead it lightly by hand to form into a ball. The dough will be very soft and might appear a little sticky. Kneading it lightly by hand should bring it together.
3. Place the dough back into the bowl, cover the bowl with a plastic wrap to let the dough rise.
4. Let it proof until doubled in size.

Making the twisted purple rolls

1. Once the dough has doubled in size, press it down with your fingers to release the air. Turn the dough out onto your working space and roll it into a log.
2. Divide the log into 3 and then divide each of the 3 sections into 3 smaller sections of equal size. This should leave you with 9 sections.
3. Roll each section (with a rolling pin) into a square measuring about 12 cm by 12 cm.
4. Spread 1 tablespoon of ube jam on the rolled dough.
5. Roll the dough starting from one end of the square towards its opposite end.
6. Pinch the ends tightly.

1. Using a sharp knife, slice the roll into half, lengthwise but remember to leave about 1 cm of the roll unsliced at the top.
2. Twist each of the sliced sections such that the insides are facing up. You will be able to see pretty lines of the ube jam filling in each of the sliced sections.
3. Gently twist each of the sliced sections into a rope.
4. Pinch the ends.

1. To form the twisted rolls, bend the lower end of the rope halfway (as in forming the letter 'j' but in the opposite way).
2. Next, bring the top of the rope and tuck it underneath the end of the rope bent in the earlier step.
3. Pinch it to the bottom so that it does not puff out as the rolls proof. And that completes the twisted rolls formation.
4. Place each of the purple ube rolls well apart on a lined baking tray. Cover them with a kitchen towel.
5. Let them proof until doubled in size.
6. Bake the bread rolls in a preheated oven at 165 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. Remove the baked ube rolls from the oven and brush the top with melted butter while they are still hot.

🍽️Serving & storage

• The rolls are best served when they are warm.
• They can last at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Keep them refrigerated up to 5 days if you wish to keep them longer. Reheat the rolls for about 5 minutes (in a preheated 165 degrees Celsius oven) in a normal oven or toaster oven until the rolls turn warm before serving.

💡Expert Tips

• There are generally 2 types of dry yeast, i.e. the instant yeast and the active yeast. Instant yeast does not require activation and can be mixed directly into other dry ingredients and wet ingredients. Active yeast, on the other hand, requires activation in a warm liquid. Adding some sugar to the liquid helps with the activation.
• If you are using instant yeast, there really is no need to test it first, unless you are using from a packet that was opened some time ago. If you are unsure, always test the yeast by mixing it with the liquid in the recipe and leaving it aside for about 10 minutes. If the yeast is still ok, it should start frothing. Otherwise, you will need to get a new batch of yeast.
• Unlike the instant yeast, active yeast requires activation even if it is a brand new packet. You cannot add it directly to any dry ingredients without mixing it with some liquid first. So, if you are using active yeast for this recipe, make sure to mix it with warm milk (heat up the coconut milk lightly until it is lukewarm) and leave it aside for a few minutes to see if it starts to froth before mixing in all the other ingredients.

💭FAQs