If you love vibrant flavors and irresistible baked goods, this Small Batch Purple Yam (Ube) Babka is for you! Babka, a sweet and braided bread, gets a Filipino twist with a rich, homemade (or store-bought) ube jam filling.

Ube, a beloved Filipino ingredient, adds its unique nutty-vanilla taste and stunning purple hue to this loaf. Perfect for a 7-inch pan, this recipe combines tradition and creativity in a small, shareable batch. It’s a bread that’s not only beautiful but also deeply delicious—a true treat for your eyes and taste buds. Ready to bake some magic? Let’s start twisting!

What is Babka

If you’ve never heard of babka, you’re in for a treat! Babka is a sweet, braided bread that has roots in Jewish Eastern European tradition. Traditionally, babka is made with enriched dough that’s filled with chocolate, cinnamon, or other sweet spreads, twisted into a swirl, and baked to golden perfection. It’s a little bit like a cake, a little bit like bread, and a whole lot of delicious. For this recipe, we are making a Filipino twist to this babka.

A Twist of Ube

Now, imagine taking that classic babka and giving it a Filipino twist. Instead of chocolate or cinnamon, we’re filling this one with ube—or purple yam—jam. It’s a vibrant, creamy, and subtly sweet spread that turns the classic babka into something both familiar and exotic. The deep purple color doesn’t just make it look good; it’s a flavor explosion waiting to happen. A homemade purple yam jam that is naturally vibrant in colow without any additonal artificial food coloring.

What’s Purple Yam?

Purple yam, or ube, is a starchy, tuberous root vegetable that’s a staple in Filipino cuisine. It’s naturally sweet, rich in nutrients, and absolutely gorgeous with its deep purple hue. Ube is different from taro or sweet potato, though they may look similar. The flavor is like a cross between vanilla and nuttiness—a dessert lover’s dream.

Ube in Filipino Delicacies

In Filipino cooking, ube is everywhere, especially in desserts. Ever heard of ube halaya (ube jam)? Or ube ice cream? These are just the tip of the iceberg. Ube is also found in cakes, pastries, and even milk teas. It adds not just flavor but also a signature flair to anything it touches.

Homemade or Store-Bought Jam

This recipe calls for ube jam, also known as ube halaya. You can make your own at home with fresh or frozen purple yam, or take a shortcut and use a store-bought version. If you ask me, both are great! Homemade jam lets you control the sweetness, while store-bought is a quick and easy option when you’re short on time.

Small Batch for a Big Impact

Sometimes, all you want is a little indulgence, not a whole bakery’s worth of bread. This recipe is perfect because it makes a 7-inch loaf—just enough to share or savor solo. A smaller batch means you can whip this up any time you’re craving something special.

The Art of Babka Braiding

The magic of babka isn’t just in the flavor; it’s in the look. To make it, you’ll roll out the dough, spread the ube jam all over, and then roll it up like a jelly roll. The fun part? You slice it lengthwise and twist it into a braid. The swirl of purple and dough is almost too pretty to eat. Almost.

A Bread That Tells a Story

This babka isn’t just a bread; it’s a story. It’s a fusion of cultures, blending the tradition of Eastern European baking with the rich flavors of Filipino cuisine. It’s proof that food has no boundaries—it’s a way to connect and create something new.

Perfect for Any Occasion

Whether you’re making this for a brunch, a dessert, or just because you feel like it, this purple yam babka will steal the show. It’s sweet but not overly so, with a texture that’s soft, tender, and oh-so-satisfying. Trust me, it’s worth every twist and fold.

Ready to Bake? Let’s Go!

I know that this looks new to a lot of people, but if you want to try something new then I hope you will give it a try. If you do, I would love to hear your thoughts on it. Forno, let’s get baking!

Why is My Dough Too Wet or Too Dry?

Don’t get frustrated if your dough did not turn out immediately as what you see in the photo or video. Most likely It is not because you did not follow the recipe. When it comes to bread making, the amount of flour and liquid is not always 100% precise. This is way often times you will encounter recipes that says, if your dough is dry, add a bit more liquid. If your dough is too wet, add a little bit more flour. This instructions are not meant to confuse you, they are meant to guide you on how to adjust as you work through your dough. The reason for this is that although the measurement of water and flour are specified in the recipe, it still could slightly vary depending on many factors.

For instance, all-purpose flour could very from country to country, or even from brand to brand. Don’t be surprise if you find that some brand tends to require a bit more liquid as the others. On top of this, the amount of liquid is also affected by the state of your flour. How old is the flour that you are using? Older flour nearing expiry tends to be drier and this requires more liquid. Bread making requires patience, and practice. Once you learn how to feel the right texture of the dough, everything will be quick and easy. You can instantly tell if you need to add more water or flour to get the dough in right state.  

Tips for a Successful Soft Homemade Bread

• Check Yeast Expiry a Date – you might be wondering how come the bread did not rise when you followed exactly the recipe. Well, first thing first, make sure the yeast is not yet expired. 
• Liquid Temperature – Yeast grows in temperature between 110 – 115F, so it is important to have the water that you are using to “proof” it in this range. If you go lower or higher, the yeast might not proof properly. That means the bread will not rise as much, resulting to a flat and tough bread. If you do not have kitchen thermometer, microwave the water (from the faucet) about 15 – 20 seconds. Feel it with your fingers, it sound be lukewarm not hot. 
• Amount of Yeast – Just because you want a tall fully bread doesn’t mean you have to put as much yeast in the mixture. Sometimes if you add too much, it will have a tendency to collapse. Just imagine putting more air than what is needed in a balloon, the balloon will explode. The same case with bread. 
• Right Type of Yeast – We’ve discussed the 3 types of yeast above. Make sure to use the right one for your recipe, and make necessary adjustments if you want to swap one from another. 
• Flour Measurement is not exact all the time, but with only minimal difference. Sometimes it could be plus 2 – 4 tbsp more, this is why I always set aside about 1/4 cup in case I need to add more. If you measure the liquid properly, and still the dough turn out dry, then it could be that the flour moisture is either dryer than usual. Dry flour requires more liquid, and lighter flour requires less liquid. This could depend on the brand of the flour and the age of the flour, and of course flour could vary from country to country. The nearer the flour gets to expiry date, the more that it gets dryer. If you are like me who doesn’t monitor the expiry date, then you just have to feel the dough if it needs additional flour. You want it to be still soft and moist but not too sticky. Moist but enough to form the dough into a ball. My test is a bowl with clean side, while the dough still slightly stick at the bottom. This gives a soft dough.
• Rest Period – Yeast bread needs time to rise. There are bread that uses less yeast but requires more rest time, the likes of No Knead Bread or Artisan Bread which usually require 8- 16 hours rest period to get the volume and to develop the flavor. There are 1 hour bread like my Rosemary Dinner Rolls which used this same bread dough. Resting the dough is imperative to allow the gluten to relax and to allow the dough to rise. A well rested dough will rise better, will created pockets or air,  and will make a light and soft bread. Remember, 2 rest period. First at least 1 hour and another 1 hour for the second rest period. It’s worth the wait, promise.

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoon Full Fat Milk
• 1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Flavorless Oil
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 3 tablespoon Ube Jam
• 1 cup Bread Flour or All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup of Purple Yam Jam

Instructions:

Purple Yam Jam. Make the Purple Yam Jam. This can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge.

Activate the Yeast: Pour the warm water in a bowl. Add the 1 teaspoon of sugar and active dry yeast and stir. Let sit for 15 minutes until bubbly.

Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, oil, purple yam, remaining sugar and salt . Mix until fully combined.

Knead: Mix and knead the dough until combined (15 minutes).

Rest Period 1: Form into a ball and transfer to a large oiled bowl, cover with a warm, damp towel and let rise for 1 – 2 houra. (It’s best to let the dough rise in a warmer area of your kitchen).

• TIP: To help the dough rise better, Pre-heat the oven at 110F and turn if OFF. Put the covered dough inside.

Roll the dough into a rectangle 8 x 19-inch size. Spread purple yam jam top. You can add less or more as you like.

Roll into a Log – Starting from the edge, roll the dough to form a log. Seal the end part by pinching it.

Cut the log into 3 portions leaving the end intact to hold the 3 portions. Braid the bread.

Rest Period 2: Transfer in a prchment lined 7-inch loaf pan. Cover with plastic wap or towel and leave for 1-2 hour in a warm place before baking. Aim for the dough to expand and fill the gap around the pan.

Bake: In the lower rack, bake for 35 minutes. Move to the middle rack and bake another 10 minutes. If the top is turning brown early, cover with aluminum foil.

Makes 1 Mini Loaf ( 7-inch loaf pan)

Looking for more homemade bread recipes? I got you covered! I have here 10 of my favorite homemade bread recipes, all with Video or MORE bread recipes HERE

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