Ube Milk Bread

This bread combines Japanese milk bread techniques with ube (purple yam) to create a soft, fluffy loaf with beautiful purple swirls. Perfect for breakfast or snacking.

I fell in love with ube milk bread during my trip to a small Filipino bakery last summer and couldn’t wait to recreate it in my kitchen. This gorgeous purple swirled bread combines the pillowy softness of Japanese milk bread with the gentle sweetness of purple yam. Every time I bake it my kitchen fills with the most amazing aroma and the swirls inside never fail to make me smile. It’s become my favorite bread to share with friends who’ve never tried ube before.

What Makes This Bread So Special

The moment you pull this bread apart you’ll see why I’m obsessed. Those purple swirls aren’t just pretty they’re delicious too. The texture is incredibly soft like biting into a cloud. I love watching people’s faces when they first see it most have never tried anything like it. My favorite way to enjoy it is lightly toasted with a thick spread of ube halaya it’s absolutely heavenly.

Your Shopping List

- Ube Powder: This is your star ingredient. Make sure to get pure ube powder I learned the hard way that some brands mix in other ingredients.
- Ube Extract: A little bottle of magic that gives you that gorgeous purple color and sweet flavor.
- Bread Flour: Don’t skip this one regular flour won’t give you that perfect fluffy texture.

Milk Powder: Trust me this little addition makes your bread taste amazing.
Starter: We’ll make something called tangzhong it’s the secret to keeping your bread soft for days.

Let’s Make Our Starter

Mix it Up: In my favorite saucepan I whisk together flour milk and water until smooth. It looks like thin pancake batter at first.
The Magic Happens: Keep stirring over medium heat and watch it transform. When it looks like smooth mashed potatoes you’re there. This usually takes me about 3 minutes.
Cool Down Time: I cover it with plastic wrap right on the surface no one likes a skin on their starter. Let it cool while you gather everything else.

Creating Your Dough

The Dry Team: Get your stand mixer ready. I combine all the dry ingredients first it helps everything mix more evenly.
Adding the Wet Ingredients: Now comes our cooled starter egg and milk. When the dough hook starts working its magic you’ll see it come together beautifully.
Butter Time: Once your butter goes in keep mixing until the dough starts pulling away from the bowl. It’ll be so smooth and stretchy.
First Rest: Pop your dough in a greased bowl cover it and let it do its thing. I use this time to catch up on my favorite baking shows.