Ube is a Filipino purple yam with a sweet, deliciously nutty flavor. It's often confused with “taro” by Westerners, which is actually incorrect (taro is a white root vegetable, completely lacking the nutty flavor of ube). This bread has the softness and fluffiness of traditional Japanese milk bread but with incredible nuttiness from both ube extract and coconut milk.
Tangzhong
Ingredients:
½ cup coconut milk
24 g bread flour
Ube Milk Bread
Ingredients:
Tangzhong, room temperature
½ cup coconut milk, lukewarm
2 tsp (1 packet) active dry yeast (here's what I use)
¼ cup sugar
2 tbsp dry coconut milk powder (it’s okay to omit this if you don’t have; I use this brand)
1 egg
2 tsp ube extract (here’s what I use)
350 g bread flour
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp salted butter, room temperature (if using unsalted, add another ½ tsp salt)
Tangzhong
Whisk bread flour in coconut milk until dissolved. Heat over medium heat while whisking constantly until mixture thickens to a pudding consistency. Pour into a shallow bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Plastic wrap should cling directly to the tangzhong to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to room temperature in the fridge for an hour or the freezer for 10-15 min.
Ube Milk Bread
In bowl of stand mixer, mix lukewarm coconut milk, a spoonful of your sugar, and yeast. Whisk gently to break up yeast clumps and let sit for 15 minutes or until mixture becomes bubbly from the yeast waking up.
After yeast has been activated, add to the same bowl all remaining ingredients (tangzhong, remaining sugar, coconut milk powder, egg, bread flour, salt) EXCEPT butter. Knead with your dough hook on low speed (2 or 3) until a sticky dough forms, about 5 minutes.
Increase speed to medium (4 or 5), then add room temperature butter one chunk at a time, letting each chunk incorporate into the dough before adding the next one. Once all the butter is added, knead for another 6 or 7 minutes. The dough should be very elastic, shiny, and no longer stick to the sides of the bowl. (To test if the dough is ready, try stretching a piece into a very thin sheet. It should do this easily without breaking. When it does break, the breaks should be circular vs. linear. See picture below.)
FIRST PROOF - Form the dough into a ball and place into bowl covered with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm place for 1-2 hours until it has doubled in size. (I set my bowl on top of (not inside!!) my oven, with the oven turned on to 300 degrees F.)
When dough has doubled in size, push out all excess air with your hands. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into your bread roll balls. I divide mine into 12 usually. Use a digital kitchen scale (here’s a great one) to ensure your pieces are actually uniform in size. Roll each piece into a ball with your hands (it’s okay to be rough!) and place them into your pan (use at least 8X8 inch size if putting the whole batch in one pan).
Note: You can add a clump of shredded mozzarella cheese in your dough balls during the above step for a slightly savory treat! It adds a tender chewiness and a little added saltiness - WHICH I LOVE!
SECOND PROOF - Cover with plastic wrap and proof (let rise) again in a warm spot for another 1-2 hours until they double in size.
BAKE - Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. After dough has doubled in size, and oven is fully heated, brush surface with whisked egg. Bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, loosely place foil on top of rolls to prevent over browning and then bake another 15 minutes. Internal temp of middle roll should be 190 degrees F before removing.
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