Ube (Purple Yam) Bread – Color Me Purple !!!

Isn’t this beautiful ! This loaf is  made  with ube  commonly known as the is  purple  yam or  purple  sweet potato.  In fact Ube should be  for  uber beautiful and  Uber  healthy too.These   are   loaded  with vitamin  A & C,  potassium and  Anthocyanin.  Suffice  to  say   that if  you don’t  want to drink wine (which I fail to see  why ..)  but  want to  get  the  all the   health benefits  of  red  grapes   eat Ube. As  for  me  I love  these  for the   color.  So here is a lovely way to add  some ube to your  diet – ube  bread!!

Ube is a  popular  Asian ingredient. Many parts of  India   treats it as a  vegetable  and uses  just like  potatoes.  There are  a  variety of  Filipino  deserts – cakes ,  ice  creams  and   steamed  buns   where  ube  is  the   shining  star.  All that   color   without any food  coloring –  no  wonder  ube  has  such a  fan  following  among  cooks.

I was  pleasantly surprised  to  come   across  these  beauties  at my local  super  market.  Usually the  Asian markets are the only place  to find  Ube, taros  and  myriad  varieties of root  vegetables.  Now, I am  a  fan  and would  happily eat boiled   ube with a  dash of  salt.  Unfortunately that is  not  the  case   with the  rest of  the  family. But  they could  not   say  no to this   beautiful loaf  – after  all  the  color  is   very  tempting , don’t  you agree ??

Ube Bread

By Syama

Ube is purple yam  used extensively in  Asian cooking.   Ube  is  used to  give  this  bread  its  wonderful color as  well as  make it  tender. 

4.75 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Bread

Cuisine Fusion

Servings 1 9X5 Loaf

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 C +extra Unbleached Flour (500g)
• 1 C Mashed Ube (200g)
• 2 1/4 Tsp Yeast 1 Packet
• 1 Tbsp Sugar
• 2 Tsp Salt (12g)
• 1 C Water (250 gm)

Instructions

 

• Warm the water until to just warm to touch about 110°F. Mix 1 Tbsp of sugar with 1/4 C water and sprinkle the yeast on top. Set aside to activate the yeast.
• Take the unbleached flour in a large mixing pan. Make a well in the center and add the activated yeast to it followed by the mashed ube. Add the salt and knead slowly adding the remaining water. The flour can absorb all the water, if following the weight measurements. Otherwise use the feel of the dough as the guide. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough becomes very soft and supple. Form into a ball and place in a oiled bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until it doubles in bulk.
• Punch down the dough and knead gently for a minute. Form into a large loaf or divide into 8 pieces and form into buns .
• Cover and let rise until almost doubled - 20 to 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Transfer the bread to the oven and reduce the temperature to 375°F (190°C).
• Bake for 30 minutes (20 minutes for buns). When cooked through the internal temperature will be 190°F (87°C) and the bread will sound hollow when tapped lightly. Bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes if needed.
• Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
• Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing.

Important: Nutrition Values are estimates. Actuals vary based on ingredients and serving size.

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This  is  one  bread  making  process  that  is   thoroughly  enjoyable. It is  beautiful to watch the  colors  as  they blend.  One  word of  caution  though – this  bread  has  the  taste of  yam.  So if  you are  not a  fan  reduce  the  amount  of  ube.

Boil  and  mash the  purple  yam  well .  To get a  smoother  mix, place  the  boiled  pieces in a  blender  jar  and pulse    few  times   without  adding  water  , alternately  press  the  mashed  ube  through a  metal strainer.  Activate the  yeast  in   warm  water  mixed   with a  little sugar . Add  the   flour  salt  and  mashed Ube  to it .

As  you knead  the  purple  color  gets  mixed  in  with the   flour   and  creates   beautiful  marbled  look. Knead  for  10 to 15  minutes  until the   dough is  uniform , soft  and   elastic .  Cover  and  let  rest   till doubled  – about  1  hr –  in a  warm  environment.

Once the   dough has  doubled,  punch it  down  and  knead lightly for  a  minute.   Shape into a  loaf  to fit 9 X 5 inch  bread pan.  Alternately  form  into  8 or  10  medium  size  buns.   Cover  and  let  rest  for   about  30 minutes until   it is   almost  doubled.

While  waiting  for  the   bread to  rise,  pre-heat  the  oven to 400°F.  Place  the   loaf  in the  oven and  reduce  the  temperature  to 375°F.  Bake  for  30  minutes (20 minutes if  making buns).  Check  to  see if  the  bread  is  done –  Instant  thermometer  reading 190°F or  sounds  hollow  when  tapped.  If  not  reduce  temperature  to 350°F  and  bake for  an additional 10 minutes.

Cool in the pan  for  10 minutes.  Transfer to a  cooling  rack and  cool  completely.