Ube Milk Bread — Lunar New Year Breakfast & Dessert

As a kid, I remember sneaking into the kitchen to watch my grandmother fold ube halaya into soft, golden dough, the sweet aroma filling the air. That memory inspired me to create this easy ube milk bread recipe, perfect for family-friendly breakfasts or merienda. This recipe is quick, customizable, and brings the comforting taste of Filipino ube bread into your home, making weeknights and special occasions equally delightful.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Ube milk bread is more than just a soft, fluffy Filipino treat—it’s a versatile, family-friendly recipe that you’ll want to make again and again. This ube bread recipe is quick, easy, and perfect for busy weeknights or special occasions. The vibrant purple ube bread not only looks stunning on your table but also brings a comforting, naturally sweet flavor that everyone will love.

Whether you’re making ube-filled bread rolls or a classic ube loaf, this recipe is fully customizable. You can adjust the sweetness, try different ube bread fillings, or shape the dough into rolls, buns, or a loaf. Using simple ingredients like milk, butter, and ube halaya ensures a tender, pillow-soft texture that melts in your mouth.

This ube milk bread recipe is inspired by traditional Filipino flavors, making it a must-try for anyone who loves ube bread, ube bread rolls, or homemade ube loaf bread. Perfect for breakfast, merienda, or gifting, it’s comfort food you can feel proud of.

Ingredients for This Recipe

Creating the perfect ube milk bread starts with understanding the role of each ingredient. All-purpose flour forms the soft, tender structure of the bread, while sugar adds just the right sweetness. Instant yeast ensures a light, fluffy texture, and salt balances the flavors. The egg and milk enrich the dough, making it soft and pillowy, while unsalted butter adds moisture and richness. Ube halaya or ube powder gives this bread its signature vibrant color and naturally sweet, earthy flavor.

For an extra special touch, you can add a ube filling to make rolls or buns even more indulgent. A simple egg wash with milk creates a shiny, golden-brown crust that looks as good as it tastes. This combination of ingredients makes this ube milk bread recipe family-friendly, quick, and customizable, perfect for breakfast, snacks, or special occasions.

🛒 Ingredients (for one loaf or 8–10 rolls)

For the Dough:
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 cup whole milk, warm
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup ube halaya (purple yam jam) or 3 tablespoons ube powder + 2 tablespoons water

For the Filling (optional):
½ cup ube halaya or sweetened ube paste

For the Glaze:
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk

How to Make This Recipe

Making ube milk bread is a rewarding experience that combines simple ingredients into a soft, fluffy, and flavorful Filipino-style treat. The dough comes together easily with all-purpose flour, milk, butter, eggs, and ube halaya or ube powder, creating a tender texture and the signature vibrant purple color. Using instant yeast ensures your ube bread rises perfectly, while the optional ube filling adds an extra layer of sweet, creamy goodness. Brushing the top with an egg wash gives your ube bread rolls or loaf a shiny, golden finish. This ube bread recipe is quick, family-friendly, and customizable, making it ideal for breakfast, merienda, or special occasions.

🛒 Steps:

Step 1: Prepare the Dough

• In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, instant yeast, and salt.
• Add warm milk, egg, softened butter, and ube halaya or ube powder mixture.
• Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Step 2: First Rise

• Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm place for 1–1.5 hours until doubled in size.

Step 3: Shape the Loaf or Rolls

• Punch down the dough.
• For rolls: divide into 8–10 pieces, flatten, add ube filling if desired, and seal.
• For a loaf: shape into a rectangle and place in a greased loaf pan.

Step 4: Second Rise

• Cover and let rise again for 30–45 minutes until puffy.

Step 5: Bake

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Brush dough with beaten egg and milk for glaze.
• Bake rolls for 20–25 minutes or loaf for 30–35 minutes until golden brown.
• Cool slightly before serving.

This method ensures every bite of your ube milk bread is soft, fluffy, and packed with authentic Filipino flavor, making it a perfect homemade ube bread recipe.

Expert Cooking Tips

Creating the perfect ube milk bread requires not only following the recipe but also understanding how each ingredient affects the final loaf or rolls. All-purpose flour provides structure, while milk and butter make the ube bread soft, fluffy, and tender. Ube halaya or ube powder adds the signature vibrant purple color and sweet, earthy flavor. Eggs enrich the dough for a pillowy texture, and instant yeast ensures the bread rises beautifully. Properly combining these ingredients and following the steps carefully guarantees a soft, flavorful, and visually stunning ube bread every time.

💡 Expert Tips:

• Make sure your milk is warm, not hot, to activate the yeast properly for a perfect rise.
• Knead the dough until smooth and elastic to achieve soft, fluffy ube bread rolls or a loaf.
• Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free area to ensure the best ube bread texture.
• Use ube halaya for authentic flavor and color, or adjust with ube powder to intensify the purple hue.
• Brush the top with an egg and milk glaze for shiny, golden-brown ube bread.
• Customize your ube bread by adding a sweet ube filling inside rolls or shaping the dough into a classic loaf.
• Store in an airtight container to keep your ube milk bread soft and fresh for longer.

These expert tips ensure every batch of ube milk bread is moist, soft, and bursting with authentic Filipino ube flavor, making it a perfect homemade treat for family and friends.

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Ube milk bread is a delightful Filipino treat that combines soft, fluffy texture with naturally sweet ube flavor. This ube bread recipe is easy to follow, family-friendly, and fully customizable, whether you bake it as a classic loaf or ube-filled rolls. Perfect for breakfast, merienda, or special occasions, this recipe brings authentic Filipino flavors into your home. With simple ingredients like milk, butter, and ube halaya, you can create a vibrant, delicious ube bread that everyone will love.

Ube Milk Bread

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• Author: Savannah
• Total Time: 40–45 minutes
• Yield: 10–12 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

Soft, fluffy, and slightly sweet Filipino-style milk bread infused with vibrant ube (purple yam) flavor. Perfect as a snack, merienda, or breakfast treat. Can be baked as a loaf or rolls, with an optional ube jam filling for extra sweetness.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

🛒 Ingredients (for one loaf or 8–10 rolls):

For the Dough:

• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ cup granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons instant yeast

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 large egg

• 1 cup whole milk, warm

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened

• ½ cup ube halaya (purple yam jam) or 3 tablespoons ube powder + 2 tablespoons water

For the Filling (optional):

• ½ cup ube halaya or sweetened ube paste

For the Glaze:

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 tablespoon milk

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Instructions

📝 Instructions:

Step 1: Prepare the Dough

1. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, yeast, and salt.

2. Add warm milk, egg, butter, and ube halaya (or ube powder mixture).

3. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Step 2: First Rise

• Place dough in a greased bowl, cover with a cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 1–1.5 hours or until doubled in size.

Step 3: Shape the Loaf or Rolls

• Punch down dough. For rolls: divide into 8–10 equal pieces and flatten each piece. Place a spoonful of ube filling in the center (if using) and seal.

• For a loaf: shape dough into a rectangle, fold, and place in a greased loaf pan.

Step 4: Second Rise

• Cover and let dough rise again for 30–45 minutes until puffy.

Step 5: Bake

• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush dough with egg wash (egg + milk).

• Bake rolls for 20–25 minutes or loaf for 30–35 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.

Notes

• Softness Tip: Use milk and butter in the dough to keep it extra fluffy.
• Flavor Tip: Adjust sweetness or ube intensity to taste.
• Storage: Keep in an airtight container; can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for 1 month.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30–35 minutes
• Category: Dessert / Snack / Filipino Bread
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Filipino