Ube Bars
These ube bars are soft and moist bread lightly soaked in ube syrup and coated in desiccated coconut. Think of ube cake made into easy to eat bars. These Filipino bakery goodies are great for breakfast, snack and desserts!
I couldn’t help not just being nostalgic, but wistful, when taking a bite of an ube bar. Most of you can relate to how simple was life back then. I remember buying these delicious bread dipped in sweet purple yam syrup in bakeries or even sari-sari stores for snack. This ube bar recipe is almost the same if not better in my opinion for those of you who remember them. If you haven’t tried them, give them a shot and bake some, I promise you won’t regret it.
What are ube bars?
These delicious treats are baked bread shaped into bars then lightly soaked in ube or sweet purple yam syrup. Dipping the bars lightly will let the bread absorb the purple syrup just enough to keep the middle still white. After soaking, the bars are then dredge in desiccated coconut and is ready to served. You can also place them in an airtight container and they could last for a week.
Additional tips for best results
Adjust the sweetness and ube flavor the way you like it. This is a base recipe where the sweetness of the syrup is just right but if you have a sweet tooth, adjust if needed.
Do not over-bake the bread to avoid being too crusty and too hard.
You can replace the lard or vegetable shortening with butter if you can’t find any. Using lard or vegetable shortening extends the breads shelf life though.
The secret ingredient is always LOVE
Other bread recipe you may like
Ube Bread pack TONS of ube (purple yam) flavor! Made from simple everyday ingredients, this easy bread recipe will be your new favorite.
Star Bread or Putok with its trademark crack on top, which looks like it has exploded. A sweet bun with sugar sprinkled on top that has a shiny crust, a bit hard outside but soft inside.
Ube Pandesal – Soft bread in bright purple color with cheese and sprinkled with graham crumbs. An exciting new take on this Filipino breakfast staple!
Ube Bars
Ingredients
Ube Syrup
- 3 cups water
- ¼ cup sugar (add more if needed)
- ¼ tsp purple/violet food color
- 1 tbsp ube extract (add more if needed)
Bread
- 500 grams bread flour (all-purpose flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 175 grams sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 50 grams lard or vegetable shortening (replace with butter if not available)
- 50 grams margarine
Coating
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
Instructions
- Pre heat oven at 180°C or 356°F. Prepare baking pan (32cm x 22 cm) by brushing butter on the bottom and sides. Set aside.
Making the ube syrup
- In a medium pot, add water, sugar, food color and ube extract. Stir to incorporate and place over medium heat until it simmers. Once sugar dissolves, remove from heat and transfer in a bowl and let cool down. Set aside.
Making the bread (by hand)
- Tip in flour, sugar and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Mix with a spatula until well incorporated.
- Pour water and mix until incorporated. Add lard and margarine then mix again. Transfer in a clean flat surface and knead until dough is formed.
Making the bread (using stand mixer)
- Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat over low-medium speed until dough forms.
- Place dough in prepared baking pan and flatten the surface by hand or a spoon to evenly distribute dough in the pan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let it rest until cool to touch.
Assembly
- Cut the bread into bars approximately 3 in. x 2 in. Soak bread bars one at a time into the ube syrup then dredge in dessicated coconut until all sides are coated. Repeat until all bread bars are done. Serve and enjoy. Bon appetit!
How long is the shelf life of this bars??thank you
Hi Anessa,
The bars can last from 4-5 days at room temperature and 2-3 days more if kept inside the fridge.
Thank you for your reply.thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe.🥰
Hi Anessa,
You’re very much welcome!
Hi. Thank you for this recipe. However, How much in grams is the cup you are referring to?
Hi Ken,
Thank you for your question. Which ingredient do you want to know in grams?
Ano pong brand ng dessicated coconut, food coloring and flavor po yung ginamit? 😊
Hi Cml,
Any brand ng desiccated coconut pwede naman. Sa ube flavoring, I used Ubeness brand kaya lang sa Europe palang sya nag didistribute. Kung nasa Philippines ka, you can use brand of your choice. Thank you for dropping by and hope this helps.