
Ube pandesal is a Filipino bread roll with a unique purple colour derived from ube, or purple yam. The bread can be made plain, but is often filled with cheese. The type of cheese used in ube pandesal is a matter of preference, with options including cheddar, quickmelt, and Velveeta. The cheese is typically melted, and the bread is often coated in breadcrumbs before baking.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Texture | Soft, fluffy, tender, and pillowy |
| Flavour | Purple yam |
| Filling | Melty cheese, ube halaya, or both |
| Type | Filipino bread roll, a variation of the traditional Filipino breakfast bread, pandesal |
| Serving suggestion | Best enjoyed freshly baked with coffee or tea |
| Storage | Can be stored at room temperature for up to two days or in the refrigerator for up to one week |
| Reheating | Reheat in the oven at 350 F for 5-7 minutes or in the microwave for 30-40 seconds |
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What You'll Learn

Ube Pandesal with quickmelt cheese
Ube pandesal is a variation of the traditional Filipino breakfast bread, pandesal. It is a soft, pillowy, and moist bread that can be made with ube powder or purple yam jam (ube halaya). To make ube pandesal with quickmelt cheese, follow these steps:
Ingredients
- Ube powder
- Hot water
- Flour
- Sugar
- Salt
- Warm milk
- Oil
- Egg
- Yeast
- Ube extract (optional)
- Breadcrumbs (optional)
- Quickmelt cheese
Method
- In a bowl, add ube powder and pour in hot water. Stir until the powder is completely rehydrated.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Mix well.
- Add warm milk, oil, and egg to the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
- Add yeast and mix again.
- Mix in the rehydrated ube and ube extract (if using). The dough will be heavy and sticky. Grease your hands and the surface with oil if needed.
- Knead the dough for 7-10 minutes or until soft and smooth. You can use a stand mixer or do the windowpane test to check if it is ready.
- Form the dough into a ball and lightly coat it with oil. Place it back in the large bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm area until it almost doubles in size.
- Flatten a ball of dough and place a cube of quickmelt cheese in the center. Fold the sides of the dough to enclose the cheese.
- Form the dough into a ball again and roll it in breadcrumbs (if using) to coat all sides.
- Place the dough balls on a baking sheet, leaving at least an inch of space between them. Let them rise for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 340° F /170°C.
- Bake the ube pandesal for 20 minutes or until slightly browned.
- Serve the ube pandesal with quickmelt cheese filling while hot!
Note: If your ube powder turns watery when mixed with hot water, it may be meant only for flavouring. In this case, follow a regular pandesal recipe and add the flavoured ube powder dissolved in a small amount of water to the dough.
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Ube Pandesal with cheddar cheese
Ube pandesal is a Filipino bread roll with ube flavouring. It is a variation of the traditional Filipino breakfast bread, pandesal. Ube pandesal can be made with cheese, ube jam, or both.
To make ube pandesal with cheddar cheese, you can follow this recipe:
Ingredients:
- Ube powder
- Hot water
- Flour
- Sugar
- Salt
- Warm milk
- Oil
- Egg
- Yeast
- Ube extract (optional)
- Breadcrumbs
- Cheddar cheese
Instructions:
- Place ube powder in a bowl and pour in hot water. Stir until the powder is completely rehydrated.
- In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, and salt. Mix to combine.
- Pour in warm milk and oil, then add the egg and mix.
- Add the yeast and mix again.
- Add the rehydrated ube and ube extract (if using) and mix well until well combined. The dough will be very heavy and sticky.
- Tip the dough onto a flat surface. Rub oil on both hands and knead for 7-10 minutes or until soft and smooth.
- Form the dough into a ball and lightly coat with oil. Place it back in the large bowl and cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm area until it almost doubles in size.
- Flatten a ball of dough and place a cube of cheddar cheese in the centre. Fold the sides of the dough to enclose the cheese. Form it back into a ball and roll it in breadcrumbs, completely covering all sides.
- Arrange the pieces on a baking sheet, leaving at least an inch of space between them. Let them rise for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 340° F /170°C.
- Bake the ube pandesal for 20 minutes or until slightly browned.
- Remove from the oven and serve while hot!
Note: This dough is very sticky. To handle it better, grease your hands and the surface you will be kneading on with oil.
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Ube Pandesal with Velveeta cheese
Ube pandesal is a Filipino bread roll that has gained popularity in recent years. It is a variation of the traditional Filipino breakfast bread, pandesal, with a hint of ube flavour. The ube flavour can be achieved by using ube powder, ube extract, or purple yam jam (ube halaya).
To make ube pandesal with Velveeta cheese, you can follow a recipe by Arlyn Osborne, featured in her debut cookbook, "Sugarcane: Sweet Recipes from my Half Filipino Kitchen". Here is a modified version of her recipe:
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsps unsalted butter (56 g)
- 1 cup whole milk (240 g)
- 1/3 cup plus 2 tbsps granulated sugar, divided (91 g)
- 1/4 oz envelope active dry yeast (7 g)
- 1 tsp ube paste
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (468 g)
- 1 1/2 tsps kosher salt
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp ube halaya, cold (200 g)
- 10 pieces of 5 g-each Velveeta cheese
- Graham cracker crumbs
Instructions:
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the milk and heat until it reaches between 110° and 115°F (43° to 46°C).
- Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons of sugar. Sprinkle the yeast on top and whisk to combine. Let it sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and remaining sugar. Mix well.
- Add the yeast mixture, ube paste, and cold ube halaya to the dry ingredients. Mix until well combined.
- Knead the dough on a flat surface for 7-10 minutes or until soft and smooth. You may need to grease your hands and the surface with oil to prevent sticking.
- Form the dough into a ball and let it rise in a warm area until it almost doubles in size.
- Flatten the dough into a 2 ½-inch (6.5 cm) round. Add 2 teaspoons of ube halaya to the center and press a piece of Velveeta cheese into it.
- Bring up the edges of the dough and pinch to seal, enclosing the cheese and ube halaya filling.
- Dip the top of the bun into graham cracker crumbs and place it on a lined pan, seam-side down. Space the buns about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.
- Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm place until they have puffed and expanded by about 50%, which should take about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Bake the ube pandesal until puffed, the buns are touching, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the side registers 190°F (88°C), which should take about 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the ube pandesal to a wire rack. Cover loosely with a tea towel for 10 minutes to help soften the bread.
- Serve warm and enjoy the soft, pillowy ube pandesal with melty Velveeta cheese filling!
Note: You can adjust the amount of Velveeta cheese to your preference. The recipe suggests cutting half of a 16 oz. (450 g) block into 24 even squares, using 20 pieces for the pandesal, and having four left over.
Ube pandesal is best enjoyed fresh out of the oven, but if you have any leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or frozen for later enjoyment.
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Ube Pandesal with cheese coins
Ube pandesal is a Filipino bread roll with a unique purple hue from the ube (purple yam). It is a new twist on the classic Filipino dinner roll, with an ultra-soft texture and an intense purple yam flavour. The ube pandesal with cheese is a popular variation, with a melty cheese filling.
To make ube pandesal with cheese coins, you will need the following ingredients:
- Flour
- Sugar
- Salt
- Warm milk
- Oil
- Egg
- Yeast
- Ube powder or ube paste
- Breadcrumbs or graham cracker crumbs
- Cheese coins or cubes
First, prepare the dough by mixing flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine warm milk, oil, and egg. Add the yeast and mix. Then, add the rehydrated ube powder or ube paste to the wet mixture and combine well. The dough will be heavy and sticky, so grease your hands and the surface with oil before kneading. Form the dough into a ball and let it rise in a warm area until it doubles in size.
Next, flatten the dough into balls and place a cheese coin or cube in the centre of each. Bring up the edges of the dough and pinch to seal the cheese inside. Roll the filled dough balls in breadcrumbs or graham cracker crumbs and place them on a baking sheet, leaving some gaps in between. Let the rolls rise again for about 30 minutes to an hour. Preheat your oven to 340-350°F (170-180°C) and bake the ube pandesal for around 20 minutes, or until slightly browned.
The ube pandesal with cheese coins is best enjoyed freshly baked, with the cheese still melted. However, leftovers can be stored at room temperature for up to two days or refrigerated for up to a week. To reheat, bake in the oven at 350°F for 5-7 minutes or microwave for 30-40 seconds until warm.
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Ube Pandesal with cheese and ube jam
Ube pandesal is a Filipino bread roll with ube flavour. It is a new twist on the classic Filipino dinner roll, pandesal. Ube pandesal can be made plain, with cheese, with ube halaya, or with cheese and ube halaya. Ube halaya is a purple yam jam. The ube flavour is very subtle, so it's still the pandesal you know and love.
Ube pandesal with cheese is soft, fluffy, and loaded with purple yam flavour. It is ultra-soft and delicious with an intense purple yam flavour and a savoury cheese filling. It is perfect for breakfast or as a snack.
To make ube pandesal with cheese and ube jam, you can use frozen grated ube, fresh ube, or ube powder. If using frozen grated ube, thaw completely, remove from the package, wrap in aluminium foil, and steam for about 10 to 15 minutes or until soft. If using fresh ube, cook in a saucepan with water over medium heat until fork-tender. Drain, peel, and mash until smooth. If using ube powder, reconstitute with hot water and stir until smooth.
Once you have prepared the ube, you can start making the dough. In a large bowl, add flour, sugar, and salt. Mix to combine. Pour in warm milk, oil, and an egg, and mix again. Add yeast and mix. Add the prepared ube and mix well until well combined. The dough will be very heavy and sticky. Tip the dough onto a flat surface and knead for 7-10 minutes or until soft and smooth. Form the dough into a ball and lightly coat with oil. Place it back in the bowl, cover, and let it rise in a warm area until it almost doubles in size.
Once the dough has risen, it's time to shape and fill the pandesal. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Divide the dough into 32 pieces and shape into ovals. Flatten each piece slightly and place a piece of cheese and a dollop of ube jam in the middle. Fold the sides of the dough to enclose the filling and form it back into a ball. Roll the dough in breadcrumbs and arrange the pieces on a baking sheet, leaving some gaps in between. Let the dough rise for another 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 340°F/170°C. Bake the ube pandesal for 15-20 minutes or until slightly browned. Serve warm!
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Frequently asked questions
You can use cheddar cheese, Velveeta cheese, or quickmelt cheese.
The cheese should be flattened into a coin shape and placed in the centre of the dough.
You will need 5g of cheese per pandesal.
Avoid using a cheese that melts too easily, as it will be hard to see the cheese inside the pandesal.

























