If you love cinnamon rolls, and have ever tried sweet potato cinnamon rolls, then these Coconut Ube Rolls are for you! Ube is a purple yam popular in desserts in the Philippines, and is the star of these sweet rolls, from the dough to filling. Not too sweet and perfect for breakfast, these simple rolls are also vegan!
3/4cupgranulated sugar(to taste, add more if you prefer a sweeter filling)
3/4cuplight coconut milk
2cupsgrated ube(purple yam)
For the glaze:
1-2tablespoonscoconut milk
1 1/2 - 2cupspowdered sugar
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Instructions
Prepare the dough:
In a small saucepan, heat the coconut milk and vegan butter over low heat until it begins to bubble and steam. Remove from heat and stir in the ube.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and coconut milk mixture. Stir until well combined.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth. If you are using an electric mixer, replace the attachment with a dough hook and allow the mixer to knead the dough until smooth, about 3 minutes. If you find that the dough is still sticky and wet, very gradually add a little more flour as you knead.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap, and place in a warm spot to rise for about 1 hour.
Prepare the filling:
In a small saucepan, stir the sugar, coconut milk, and ube and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat. Whisk constantly, until it is thick - this should take about 10 - 15 minutes. Use an immersion blender to smooth the ube. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to cool completely. This can be prepared the night before.
Make the rolls:
When the dough has doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Roll out the dough into a 12×16 inch rectangle. Spread the ube filling. Starting with the long side of the dough, roll it up and pinch the seams of the dough. Slice the dough into 12 pieces, about 1 inch wide. Place cut side up in an oiled dish.
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown and fluffy.
While the rolls cool, make the glaze. Whisk in the powdered sugar in 1/2 cup increments into the coconut milk until smooth and you achieve your desired consistency, using a little more or less as necessary. Drizzle or spread over the warm (but not too warm!) rolls.
Enjoy while warm.
Notes
Frozen grated ube can be found in your local Asian market. This recipe, for both dough and filling, can be made with 1 16-ounce package. Be sure to thaw it in the refrigerator the night before you want to begin baking.
If you would rather not make the ube filling from scratch, substitute with ube jam (ube halaya) found in Asian markets. However, this product is not vegan.
The filling can be made several days in advance and stored in the refrigerator, making this even easier to make once you are ready to bake.
If you want to give your dough a more pronounced ube flavor, you can also add a few drops of ube extract, but it certainly is not necessary.