There are breads you bake because you need something to eat, and then there are breads you bake because you simply have to see how they turn out.
This butterfly pea flower swirl bread falls firmly into the second category. Slice into it and you get a stunning two tone spiral creamy white on one side, deep indigo-blue on the other all from a single batch of dough split in half and colored with one natural ingredient.
It’s soft, lightly sweet, dairy free, and genuinely one of the most visually impressive things you can pull out of a home oven.
If you’ve been curious about butterfly pea flower powder and haven’t found the right recipe to try it in, this is it.
What Is Butterfly Pea Flower Powder?
Butterfly pea flower powder is a natural blue food coloring made from dried butterfly pea flowers. It’s completely flavorless in baked goods, which means it adds color without changing the taste of your bread at all.
You can find it online very easily it’s widely available on Amazon and at specialty tea and wellness shops. A little goes a long way; this entire recipe uses just one teaspoon (about 3 grams). The color it produces in dough is a striking deep blue-purple that stays vivid even after baking.
Why This Bread Works
This is a milk bread style loaf, which means it’s enriched with milk, a little fat, and a touch of sweetness. The result is a soft, tender crumb that’s slightly richer than a standard sandwich loaf.
The recipe uses condensed coconut milk in place of regular sweetened condensed milk, which keeps the whole loaf completely dairy free without sacrificing any of the richness or softness you’d expect.
The dairy free butter does the same job it makes the dough smooth, pliable, and gives the finished bread that characteristic soft pull-apart texture.
The swirl is achieved by splitting the dough in half, coloring one portion with butterfly pea flower powder, then stacking and rolling the two doughs together before placing in the pan. When you slice the baked loaf, each piece shows the spiral pattern inside.
What You’ll Need
240g bread flour 120g milk of choice 3 tablespoons condensed coconut milk 2 tablespoons sugar of choice 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast ¼ teaspoon pink salt 40g dairy free butter 1 teaspoon butterfly pea flower powder (about 3g, dissolved in 1 teaspoon water)
Note on flour: This recipe calls for 240g bread flour. Bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour, which gives the bread its chewy, stretchy texture and helps the dough hold its structure during the swirl and rise. Don’t substitute all-purpose flour if you want the best result.
How to Make It
Step 1: Add all ingredients except the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low-medium speed for about 10 minutes, until the dough comes together into a cohesive mass.
Step 2: Add the dairy free butter a few small pieces at a time while the mixer is running. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once all the butter is incorporated, increase to medium speed and knead for another 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky.
Step 3: Remove half the dough from the mixer and set it aside. Dissolve the butterfly pea flower powder in 1 teaspoon of water, then add it to the remaining dough in the mixer. Knead on medium speed until the color is fully and evenly worked through no streaks.
Step 4: Shape both portions into smooth balls. Place them in separate bowls, cover, and let them proof in a warm spot for about 1 hour, or until each has doubled in size.
Step 5: Transfer both dough balls to a lightly floured clean surface. Gently press each one into a ball again and let them rest uncovered for 10 minutes. This rest relaxes the gluten and makes rolling much easier.
Step 6: Roll each dough portion out into a thin rectangle of roughly the same size. Lay the blue butterfly pea flower dough directly on top of the plain white dough, lining up the edges as closely as you can. Starting from the long side, roll both layers together tightly into a log.
Step 7: Place the rolled log seam-side down into a lightly greased bread pan. Cover and let it rise again until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Step 8: Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 30 minutes, until the top is golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
A Few Things Worth Knowing
Don’t rush the proofing stages. Both the first and second proof are important for the final texture. Under proofed dough produces a dense loaf. If your kitchen is cold, proof in the oven with just the oven light on.
Let the bread cool fully before slicing. Cutting into a hot enriched bread tears the crumb and makes it look gummy inside even when it’s fully baked. Give it at least 30 to 40 minutes on the rack.
The color bakes to a slightly more muted blue-gray-purple compared to the raw dough, which is deep indigo. Both are beautiful, just different. If you want maximum color in the finished loaf, make sure the powder is fully dissolved before adding it to the dough.
It’s widely available on Amazon, at Whole Foods in the tea and wellness section, and at many specialty grocery stores. Search for “butterfly pea flower powder” or “blue matcha” both refer to the same product.
Yes, absolutely. Regular whole milk, regular sweetened condensed milk, and regular unsalted butter all work perfectly in this recipe. The technique and ratios stay exactly the same.
You can knead by hand, but it takes more time and effort plan on at least 15 to 20 minutes of hand kneading per stage. The dough is enriched with butter, which makes it a bit softer and trickier to work by hand, but it’s completely doable.
Nothing. It is completely flavorless in baked goods. The only thing it contributes is the color.
Enriched doughs can feel sticky before the butter is fully incorporated. Make sure you add the butter gradually and give the mixer enough time to work it in fully. The dough should come together into a smooth, slightly tacky ball that doesn’t stick to your hands by the end of the second kneading stage.
Yes. Baked and fully cooled, this bread keeps at room temperature wrapped in plastic for up to 3 days. It also freezes well slice before freezing so you can pull out individual pieces as needed. Toast from frozen directly in the toaster.
This usually means the two dough layers weren’t rolled tightly enough before going into the pan. Make sure you roll the log firmly, and press gently when tucking it into the pan. Also make sure both rectangles were rolled to the same thickness so one layer doesn’t dominate the other.
This Butterfly Pea Flower Swirl Bread The Most Beautiful Loaf You’ll Ever Bake
Ingredients
- 240 grams bread flour
- 120 grams milk of choice
- 3 tablespoons condensed coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar of choice
- 1.5 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 0.3 teaspoons pink salt
- 40 grams dairy-free butter cut into small pieces
- 1 teaspoons butterfly pea flower powder dissolved in 1 tsp water
Instructions
- Mix the Dough: Add 240 grams bread flour, 120 grams milk of choice, 3 tablespoons condensed coconut milk, 2 tablespoons sugar of choice, 1.5 teaspoons active dry yeast, and 0.3 teaspoons pink salt to a stand mixer with the dough hook. Mix on low-medium speed for 10 minutes
- until dough comes together.
- Add Butter: Add 40 grams dairy-free butter, cut into small pieces a few pieces at a time while mixing. Scrape down the bowl. Knead on medium speed for 10 more minutes until dough is smooth and slightly tacky.
- Color Half the Dough: Remove half the dough and set aside. Dissolve 1 teaspoons butterfly pea flower powder (dissolved in 1 tsp water) in 1 tsp water and add to the remaining dough in the mixer. Knead on medium until the blue color is fully and evenly combined with no streaks.
- First Proof: Shape both portions into smooth balls. Cover separately and proof in a warm place for 60 minutes
- until each has doubled in size.
- Rest the Dough: Transfer both dough balls to a lightly floured surface. Press into balls and let rest uncovered for 10 minutes
- to relax the gluten.
- Roll and Stack: Roll each dough portion into a thin rectangle of the same size. Lay the blue dough directly on top of the white dough, lining up the edges. Starting from the long side, roll both layers together tightly into a log.
- Second Proof: Place the log seam-side down into a lightly greased bread pan. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 60 minutes
- Bake: Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 30 minutes
- until the top is golden and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before slicing.
