Ube Rolls - Soft and Fluffy Twisted Bread Rolls

These ube rolls are made using my easy yeast rolls recipe as the base and are filled with my homemade ube jam. Instead of making them into typical round rolls, I made them into twisted rolls instead!

The ube bread rolls are soft and fluffy, and absolutely delicious! They are great for breakfast or simply as a tea-time snack.

Making the twisted rolls may look like it's complicated, but is in fact, pretty straightforward. For each roll, you start by filling and rolling it up exactly like a cinnamon roll, except that these ones are filled with ube jam. You then slit the roll into half, leaving about 1cm allowance at the top and twist the slit halves like a rope. And finally, you twist the rope into a circle and tuck the ends. That's all!

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How to Make Ube Rolls

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Instant dry yeast
• Granulated sugar
• Butter
• Egg
• Coconut milk
• Salt
• Ube Jam

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 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 cling wrap.
4. Let it proof until doubled in size.

Making the twisted purple ube 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 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.

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Notes

What is coconut milk and can it be substituted with plain milk?

• Coconut milk is the white substance squeezed from the coconut flesh. It is not the same as the clear liquid (coconut water) found in coconuts. This ube rolls recipe requires the milk and cannot be made with coconut water.
• You can substitute coconut milk with plain milk if you wish. Substitute it in the exact same quantity.

Can the ube rolls be made with bread flour?

• Yes, they certainly can. Substitute the flour in the exact same amount as indicated in the recipe.

Can the dough be refrigerated or frozen?

• The dough for these ube rolls can be prepared in advance and refrigerated or even frozen for later use. Refrigeration is best if you intend to use the dough within the next day while freezing is best if you wish to keep the dough longer (up to one week).
• To refrigerate the dough, form it into a ball after mixing and place it in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator. The dough will proof in the fridge slowly. The next day, if it has already doubled in size, you can remove it from the bowl and start shaping the twisted rolls. If it has not doubled in size, leave it at room temperature (with the bowl still covered in cling wrap) to allow it to proof further. After that, you can remove it and shape the ube rolls.
• If you wish to freeze the dough, form it into a ball after mixing and wrap it tightly with a few layers of cling wrap. Place it in the freezer. When ready to use, remove it from the freezer and let it thaw at room temperature before removing the cling wrap. Place the dough in a large bowl and let it proof until doubled in size before pressing it down and forming the ube rolls.

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Here are my other posts you might want to check out:

• Ube Jam (Ube Halaya) - How to Make
• Ube Ice Cream (Purple Yam Ice Cream)
• Butter Mints Candy - Easy Homemade Recipe
• Coconut Rolls with Coconut Glaze
• Small Batch Strawberry Jam - A Homemade Recipe without Pectic

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Recipe (Printable)

Here is the full printable version of my twisted purple ube rolls recipe.

And that's that. My super easy and delectable ube rolls with homemade ube jam.

Enjoy!