Ube Cheese Pandesal
The purple sweetness of pandesal, a cheese heart that stretches and melts: the ube cheese pandesal is the perfect meeting of sweet and savoury.
An indulgent bread roll that has become a star of modern Filipino bakeries.
The sweet-savoury bread taking the Philippines by storm
Cheese pandesal has enjoyed huge success in recent years, especially in its ube version.
You find the softness of pandesal, but with a generous cheese heart that melts as it bakes. The contrast between the vanilla sweetness of ube and the saltiness of the cheese is irresistible. A bread to eat warm, while the cheese still stretches.
Ube cheese pandesal is a recent phenomenon of Filipino bakeries, gone viral for its oozing heart and spectacular colour.
Ube Cheese Pandesal, step by step.
The Filipino tradition with ube, step by step.
Ingredients
- 300 g flour
- 1 sachet of baker's yeast
- 40 g sugar
- 1 egg
- 120 ml warm milk
- 40 g soft butter
- 1 tbsp Kinampay ube powder (approx. 10 g)
- Cubes of melting cheese (mozzarella or cheddar)
- Fine breadcrumbs
Equipment
- A mixing bowl
- A baking tray
Method
- Make a pandesal dough by mixing flour, yeast, sugar, ube powder, egg, warm milk and butter. Knead and let it prove for 1 hour.
- Divide the dough, flatten each portion and seal a cube of cheese in the centre.
- Close it carefully into a ball, roll in the breadcrumbs and place on the tray.
- Let it prove for 30 minutes, then bake for 15 minutes at 180 °C. Serve warm, while the cheese still stretches.
The whole Filipino recipes family
Halaya, pandesal, bibingka: the Filipino classics with ube, from one recipe to the next.
Ube Halaya
The ube jam, queen of the Philippines.
Discover the recipe →
Ube Pandesal
The Filipino bread roll, purple version.
Discover the recipe →
Ube Ensaymada
The soft brioche with butter and cheese.
Discover the recipe →
Ube Hopia
The flaky pastry filled with ube.
Discover the recipe →
Ube Bibingka
The soft rice cake with coconut.
Discover the recipe →
Ube Turon
The crispy fried, caramelised roll.
Discover the recipe →
Ube Buchi
The sesame balls filled with ube.
Discover the recipe →
Ube Puto
The soft little steamed cake.
Discover the recipe →
Ube Cassava Cake
The fudgy cassava cake with coconut.
Discover the recipe →The chef's touch
The whole challenge: keeping the cheese inside.
Seal the cube of cheese well and weld the ball carefully, or it escapes and burns. A cheese that melts well but doesn't run too much (drained mozzarella, cheddar) gives the best result. Serve warm, that's when the magic happens.
For the ultimate combo, add a small spoonful of ube halaya next to the cheese: absolute sweet-and-savoury.
The mistakes to avoid
Three pitfalls for a well-sealed melting heart.
Explore the world of ube
The Philippines is just one facet: explore the whole purple universe.
Drinks
Lattes, smoothies, ube frappés.
Explore →Capsules
Lattes, cappuccino, affogato… ready in 30 s.
Explore →Desserts
Cheesecakes, cookies, cakes, pancakes.
Explore →Ice creams
Ice creams, nice cream, frozen mochi.
Explore →Breakfasts
Bowls, porridges, overnight oats.
Explore →Filipino recipes
Halaya, ensaymada, leche flan.
Explore →Ube Time Signatures
Our exclusive creations, found nowhere else.
Explore →Craving this melting bread?
All you need is Kinampay ube powder.
Your questions about this recipe.
How do you make an ube cheese pandesal?
Seal a cube of cheese inside a portion of ube pandesal dough, roll in breadcrumbs, let it prove, then bake for 15 minutes at 180 °C.
Which cheese should you use?
A cheese that stretches without running too much, like drained mozzarella or cheddar.
Does ube cheese pandesal contain caffeine?
No, ube is naturally caffeine-free.
Why does the cheese escape?
The ball was sealed badly. Close it carefully and pinch the edges well.
Can you reheat them?
Yes: a few seconds in the oven or microwave to bring back the melting cheese.