The “Queen” Of Gluten-Free Milk Bread ("Ube Cheese Pandesal Version"), A Recipe By Kat Lieu

Hi Fam! All throughout May 2022 during AAPIHM, I’ve been developing recipes that feature amazing ingredients from across Asia, like pandan, black sesame, and ube. Ube, a purple yam from the Philippines, has become one of my favorite ingredients as it turns your food and bakes beautifully purple. Plus ube has a mix of subtle yet unforgettable notes like vanilla, coconut, taro, and pistachio all at once.

With that said, ube is quite hard to find in the United States and it’s said that it’s hard to find these days in the Phillippines as well. I’ve found ube in the form of frozen flesh, extract, and powder, but honestly, I have not been able to purchase a whole fresh ube yet. Who would think a purple yam, with so much aesthetic and back story, would also carry some controversy? (Some call it “purple gold.”)

On a lighter note, to honor my son and husband’s Filipino heritage, I’ve been making ube pandesal milk bread at home, and this version is gluten-free and it can be made vegan. I use my “Queen” of gluten-free milk bread dough, a mix of different gluten-free flours such as potato starch, tapioca flour, and a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour. You can use bloomed chia seeds or psyllium husk powder (which is used here).

You’ll be surprised that this gluten-free dough can be degassed with one punch and can be kneaded to your heart’s content. Don’t worry about over-kneading it! In fact, I may have unfortunately undermixed this batch in the beginning.

If you do make these gluten-free ube cheese pandesal, please be sure to tag me @subtleasian.baking and #subtleasianbakes and let me know what you think!

Note: Bake these in a baking dish so they can rise higher. I recommend you use a lined baking dish instead of a baking sheet and don’t space the dough balls too far apart. As they push more into each other when baking, they will rise higher (since they don’t have horizontal space, they rise upward). This is for aesthetics, as the texture and mouthfeel of the bread will not change.

As this dough as tapioca starch and other gluten-free starches, the lack of proteins and gluten structure will lead to the dough wanting to naturally deflate. Squish the bread together and they’ll have to rise vertically.

Tip: Please use vegan cheese if you’re making the vegan GF version and see substitution notes.

Storage and reheat: Like boba, my gluten-free milk bread tends to harden over time, so please store in an airtight container for up to 3 days, and reheat in the microwave for about 10 seconds, or in a toaster oven for a few minutes.

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Yield 12-16 buns1x2x3x4x5x

Author Kat Lieu

Prep time

30 Min

Cook time

35 Min

Inactive time

12 Hour

Total time

13 H & 5 M

Print

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The “Queen” of Gluten-Free Milk Bread ("Ube Cheese Pandesal Version"), a recipe by Kat Lieu

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IngredientsUSMetric

For the tangzhong

• 120 g milk (or water or plant-based milk)
• 15 g potato starch
• 20 g Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• A pinch of Xanthan gum
• A pinch of tapioca flour (or starch)

For the GF milk bread dough

• About 150 g to 160 g milk (or any unflavored plant-based milk), warmed to 110°F
• 6 g active dry yeast
• 135 g potato starch
• 115 g plus 6 to 7 extra tablespoons Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour (you will need more for dusting, and if the dough is too wet, add a teaspoon of this flour at a time to the dough)
• 20 g tapioca flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Xanthan gum
• 1 large egg (sub with 50 g silken tofu for a vegan alternative, note I did not test this, however)
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter or vegan butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds bloomed with 2 tablespoons of water (or 1 teaspoon psyllium husk powder)
• 65 g high-protein plain Greek Yogurt or vegan plain Greek yogurt
• 75 to 90 g granulated sugar (adjust to taste)
• pinch of salt or 1/4 teaspoon red or white miso
• 1 to 2 teaspoon ube extract (colored)
• egg wash for washing (or plant-based milk)
• gluten-free bread crumbs (try gluten-free Panko)

For the filling

• cheddar cheese (or any cheese)
• ube halaya (optional)

Instructions

Make the Tangzhong

1. Add the Tangzhong ingredients to a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat while continuously whisking, until the mixture thickens and turns into Elmer's glue-like thick and sticky paste. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Make the gluten-free milk bread

1. Combine the yeast (and a pinch of sugar) with the warmed milk. Mix and then set aside for 10 minutes for the yeast to bloom.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment (or paddle attachment), add the rest of the dough ingredients, the cooled Tangzhong, and the yeast-filled milk. (Alternatively, add to a bowl as you can hand-mix.) Mix, on low speed, until a tacky and elastic dough forms, about 5 minutes. If the dough is too wet, add a little flour. This should be a wet, sticky, tacky dough, however, but can still be dough-shaped and smooth, it's hard to explain! Imagine melty chewed gum. Transfer to an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. You're going to let the dough ferment overnight in the fridge. The next day, be sure to let it warm up a bit at room temperature before you shape the dough.
3. Line a baking dish with parchment paper.
4. Unlike gluten-free quick bread doughs, this one you can degas with a punch or two! It can take kneading, so turn it out onto a floured work surface, knead it a bit and add flour as needed (not to the point of dryness, but so it's workable and not sticking so much to your hands). Divide it into 12 to 16 even pieces, about 50 to 60 g each. Working with one piece at a time, flatten into a disc and add optional cheese and halaya to the center, and tuck and fold in the dough disc to form a ball shape. Pinch and tuck the seam to seal and roll the dough to form a smooth ball. Note you may need to add a bit more 1 to 1 flour so the dough doesn't stick to your hands.
5. Transfer to the prepared baking dish (the buns will be arranged in a 4 x 4 array). Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Wash the tops of each bun with some milk of choice. Sprinkle on some gluten-free Panko or gluten-free bread crumbs.
6. Let proof for 60 minutes, until puffy and roughly 1.5x in size. I like to use my oven's proof function and keep a bowl of water in the oven. You can leave the buns uncovered, but every now and then, spritz the tops with a mist of water.
7. About 20 to 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) with a rack in the center.
8. Brush with some melted butter.
9. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Please cover the top with aluminum foil, about 10 minutes in baking, to avoid burning the top.
10. Remove from oven and brush on more melted butter. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Serve warm and toasty, and enjoy with a cup of tea!

Recommended Products:

Modern Asian Baking at Home Cookbook

Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, 22-ounce

Cuisinart SMB-9SCK Easy Grip 9-Inch Square Baking Pan

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About this Bad Bitch

Kat Lieu is the founder of Subtle Asian Baking and this website modernasianbaking.com, and she is the author of Modern Asian Baking at Home. Currently, Kat is a full-time author, activist, and recipe developer. Follow her on Instagram.

She is the newly-proclaimed “doyenne of Asian-style home baking!” Thanks, Radii China!.