Ube Cheese Pandesal that’s so good it’ll give your mouth an O, a recipe by Kat Lieu

Bread

Dec 14

Ube with Cheese Pandesal topped with Panko image by modernasianbaking.com

Hi Fam! After seeing @jamesyworld post a picture of ube cheese pandesal, I had a huge craving for it.

I asked my Filipino husband to describe ube cheese pandesal to me, he said, "I've never had that before." I looked at him with narrowed eyes ready to aim daggers. For a split second, I wondered if I could return him to my mother in law who is enjoying retirement in the Philippines. Then my husband, with sweat beading across his forehead, told me all about plain pandesal and how it's usually soft, commonly eaten in the Philippines, and somewhat salty. It's a "bread of salt" after all, no? A very common dinner roll, a "peasant bread," he said.

He advised we go to Seafood City in Tukwila, WA to buy ube pandesal, so I could taste it before I tried making them. Evening came and we did just that and the pandesal were delicious! I decided I must recreate them at home! I kid you not when I say I had a full-blown O in my mouth... the salty, stringy melty cheddar cheese balanced the vanilla sweetness of the ube halaya jam perfectly, and the bread was soft, tender, and a gorgeous shade of deep purple. I declare this is absolutely the best bread bun I've had, created, and baked in all of 2021.

For now, I guess I'll keep my husband. After all, he does know where to get the best pancit canton and halo halo in the Seattle area! (You know I kid, Jake. I love you. You'll never read this and that's why I'll continue to make fun of you, whahahaa.)

Note: This recipe is by no means a traditional way to make ube pandesal, but my own take and homage to a popular Filipino recipe. The dough is similar to a milk bread dough without tangzhong or yudane. I also used Panko instead of brown crust bread crumbs.

What is ube? Ube is a purple yam from the Philippines, often used in desserts. After being mashed and cooked thoroughly, it’s often mixed with milk and sweetened condensed milk to make ube halaya jam. What does it taste like? Floral, nutty, vanilla, mildly sweet, and delicious! You can thank ube for all the beautiful violet desserts you see in Asian bakeries and supermarkets.