Ube has been making waves in the US for some time now and that prompted me to finally bake this Filipino favorite – ensaymada. According to my previous research Pinoy ensaymada is a cousin to French brioche. Pinoys has been enjoying this as snack and is almost always available in all bakeries all year round and it comes in both sweet or savory variant. Of course, it ranges from the simplest fare in your local bakery to the most decadent ones that could be found in artisan bakeries with flavors like Speculoos, Nutella, Cheddar and more.
Here’s my Ube ensaymada adapted from Rushel Calderon’s Basic Ensaymada recipe published in Food Magazine, Issue 1, 2016. The changes I’ve made: I’ve added ube flavor to the dough and used haleyang ube as filling and used only 1 whole egg (original recipe calls for an additional 1 egg yolk.
Ube Ensaymada
makes 8 pieces, about 60 grams each
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (plus extra for dusting)
1 tsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp fine salt
1 large egg
6 tbsp melted butter (unsalted)
1/2 cup milk (I used the ones in a carton)
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ube flavor ( I used McCormick)
Filling:
haleyang ube ( store bought or home made)
Toppings:
softened butter, sugar and grated cheese
How to make it:
1. In a large sturdy bowl, sift together flour, yeast and salt.
2. In another bowl, whisk together egg, (cooled) melted butter, milk and sugar. Make sure sugar is dissolved. Combine with the flour mixture, add in the ube flavor.
3. Using the large sturdy bowl, knead dough by hand until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes or less. I dusted the dough 3-5 times (approx 1/2 tsp each time) until it reach a desired result. Shape into a ball then transfer the dough to the bowl (that I scraped clean using the dough in between kneading) I mixed the liquids in. Cover the dough with the large sturdy bowl you just used to knead, and let rise for about 2 hours.
4. Punch the dough to release gas ( original recipe didn’t have this step). Stretch out the dough into an 8 x 8 inch square. Starting from the top, slowly fold the dough in, pinching the edges and tucking the ends inwards until you form a log. Cut into 8 equal parts.
5. Flatten each piece (cover the rest with towel while working on one) into an oblong or oval shape. Spread ube filling on the center, roll into a log making sure to securely pinch the ends to prevent the filling from spilling out. Elongate to about 6 to 8 inches. Shape into a single coil. Place in an ensaymada mold or a muffin pan, cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise for about 30 mins to 1 hour.
6. Pre-heat oven to 350 F and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes (you would notice shades of golden brown on top)
7. While still warm, brush with butter, sprinkle sugar then dd grated cheese. You can add as much topping as you wish, I normally prefer unadorned bread so as you can see in the photo I just sprinkled a bit of cheese on top.
Enjoy!
