Category: Breads

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Babka

Babka is a sweet braided bread that originated from Jewish communities in Poland in the early 19th century. Extra challah dough was rolled up with fruit jam or cinnamon and the Babka was baked as a loaf alongside the challah then.

Fast forward to 2020, the modern day Babka consists of either an enriched or laminated dough, rolled out and spread with a variety of sweet fillings such as nutella, chocolate, cinnamon sugar, apples, poppy seeds, matcha and even sake kasu! It is sometimes topped with a crumb topping.

This is a recipe for Nutella Babka, and a variation for Matcha Sesame Babka (scroll all the way to the bottom!)

What you’ll need

  • 1 cup + 2 Tablespoons whole milk, divided into two
  • 2 teaspoons dry yeast 
  • 1/3 cup/70g granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup/115g unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature and divided into 2
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 and 1/4 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting/rolling
  • 2 cups (600g) Nutella, divided into 2 sets

How to make it

  1. Heat 1 cup of milk to about 95 deg F/ 35 degC.
  2. Pour the warm milk into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Manually whisk in the yeast and 2 teaspoons of the granulated sugar. The mixture should be frothy and foamy after 5 minutes.
  3. On low speed, beat in the remaining sugar and the softened butter until butter is slightly broken up. Next beat in 1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk (reserve the egg white) and the salt. Gradually add the flour, then beat on medium speed for about 5-6 minutes until a soft dough forms.
  4. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Place into a large bowl, greased and cover with a damp towel. Place in a warm area to rise, till doubled in size, for about an hour.
  5. Once doubled in size, punch down the dough to release any air bubbles. Remove dough from the bowl and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Punch down again to release any more air bubbles if needed. Using a sharp knife or dough scraper, cut dough in half. Work with only half of the dough at a time. Cover the dough you aren’t working with.
  6. Generously grease two round 7-inch pans with butter or nonstick spray.
  7. On a slightly floured work surface, start shaping the babka. Roll one dough half out into an approx. 9×13 inch rectangle. Spread with 1 cup of Nutella, leaving a 1/2 inch border uncovered.
  8. Tightly roll the dough into a 13-inch log. Place the log on its seam. Using a sharp knife, cut the log in half lengthwise. Criss-cross one half, cut side down, on top of the other half– forming an X. Twist the two together then give the plait a quick roll to form a round dough.
  9. Place in prepared loaf pan and cover with damp towel. Repeat with 2nd half of dough. This step can get a little messy – its normal!
  10. Allow both shaped (and covered) loaves to rest for 10-20 minutes.
  11. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 deg F/ 180 deg C.
  12. To make the eggwash, whisk the remaining 2 Tablespoons of milk with the leftover egg white. Using a pastry brush, brush the babka loaves with egg wash. Do the best you can as some Nutella is exposed.
  13. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until babka is golden brown on top. Remove from the oven, place each pan on a wire rack, and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
  14. Cover and store leftover babka at room temperature for a couple days or in the refrigerator for 1 week. You can also freeze the baked babka for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator. To serve, warm it up in the oven.
Matcha Sesame Babka

To make Matcha Sesame Babka, add 2 tbsps matcha powder to the flour in step 2. Instead of Nutella, make your black sesame filling with 1 cup ground black sesame, 1/2 cup sesame seeds and 2 tbsps brown sugar, then sprinkle on the dough before rolling it into a tight log (steps 7 and 8).

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Pink Dragonfruit Bahn Mi

In February 2020, a bakery in Vietnam created a series of pink dragonfruit bread to use up the tons of dragonfruit going unsold due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

This exceptional dragon fruit Bahn Mi combines the subtle hint of floral sweetness, rich, savoury meat and bright, crunchy pickles and fresh herbs, all stuffed into a stunning pink baguette!

What you’ll need

For Pink Dragonfruit Baguette (makes 4:

  • 250g plain flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoon instant dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 160g pink dragonfruit, peeled, cut and mashed

For Daikon and Carrot Pickles (Do Chua):

  • 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
  • 450g/1 pound daikon, no larger than 2 inches in diameter, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons plus 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1  1/4 cups distilled white vinegar
  • 1 cup lukewarm water

For Bahn Mi:

  • 2 pink dragonfruit baguette
  • 3 tbsp pate
  • 3 tbsp mayonnaise 
  • 2-4 slices roast beef
  • 2-4 slices ham 
  • Daikon and carrot pickles (Do Chua)
  • 3/4 cup fresh coriander/cilantro sprigs 
  • Half a cucumber, finely sliced lengthwise into long strips
  • 1 red chilli, finely sliced 

How to make it

For Pink Dragonfruit Baguette:

  1. In a mixing bowl of stand mixer, combine the yeast, sugar and mashed pink dragonfruit. Stir well to dissolve. Add half of the flour (125 g) and stir well to create a thick mixture with consistency of pancake batter. Cover and leave it in a warm place for 2-3 hours, until bubbles appear all over.
  2. Add the rest of the flour and salt to the starter dough and using the dough hook on a stand mixer, knead until  the dough comes together and elastic – around 10 to 15 minutes. If the dough too dry or wet, add 1 tablespoon of water or flour at a time.
  3. Cover with kitchen towel and rest dough in a warm place (35-37 deg C or 95-98 deg F) for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
  4. Carefully transfer the dough onto the working surface. Try not to deflate it. With a scrapper or knife, divide the dough into 4 equal portions (each portion should weigh about 100g). Twist each portion inside out and form into a ball. Cover with kitchen towel and rest for 10 minutes.
  5. Portion by portion, roll out with a rolling pin into round shape. Roll it and pinch the edges together. Place both hands on top of the dough, roll it back and forth on the counter, applying more pressure on your baby fingers than your thumbs to shape it into banh mi (wider in middle and thinner at both ends).
  6. Place the shaped dough on a baguette pan and cover with kitchen towel. Let rest for another hour until doubled in size.
  7. Preheat oven and the baking tray at 230 deg C/450 deg F for at least 15 minutes before baking. Place a tray of hot water at the bottom of the oven.
  8. Score the baguette with a sharp knife, bread lame or razor blade and bake immediately.
  9. Spray water on both sides of the oven and on the dough.
  10. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 230 deg C/450 deg F in the middle of the oven. After the first 8 to 10 minutes, spray water on the baguettes and rotate the baguette pan to bake the baguettes evenly.
  11. When the baguettes are done, turn the oven off and leave them in the oven for another 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.

For Carrot and Daikon Pickles (Do Chua):

  1. Place the carrot and daikons in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt and 2 teaspoons of the sugar. Knead the vegetables for a few minutes, expelling the water from them. As they, soften, liquid will pool at the bottom of the bowl. Stop kneading when you can bend a piece of daikon so that the ends touch but the daikon does not break. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water, then press gently to expel extra water. Return the vegetables to the bowl if you plan to eat them soon, or transfer them to a 1-quart jar for longer storage.
  1. To make the brine, in a bowl, combine the 1/2 cup sugar, the vinegar, and the water and stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the vegetables. The brine should cover the vegetables. Let the vegetables marinate in the brine for at least 1 hour before eating. Store in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.

To assemble the Bahn Mi:

  1. Split rolls down the centre of the top.
  2. Spread 1.5 tbsp pate on one side, then 1.5 tbsp mayonnaise over the pate.
  3. Layer in the meats with cucumber slices.
  4. Stuff in plenty of pickled carrots and daikon, and coriander sprigs.
  5. Sprinkle with fresh chilli. Enjoy!
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Purple Cabbage Garden Focaccia

Add a healthy boost and positively purple vibes to your focaccia! Enriched with the pure goodness of purple cabbage (also known as red cabbage) juice, this beautiful flower garden focaccia is like no other.

A good source of potassium, folate and vitamin K, purple (red) cabbage has 10 times more vitamin A than green cabbage! Armed with a host of benefits for heart, brain and vision health, the cabbage adds a flavoursome aroma to the focaccia while its enzymes will give your dough an extra fluffy texture.

What you’ll need

  • 1 + 1/4 cup purple cabbage juice + 1 tbsp lemon juice + 1 tbsp sugar (room temperature)
  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 2 teaspoons yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

For decoration: assorted vegetables and herbs including bell peppers, small onions, leek, tomatoes, olives, sage and basil

How to make it

  1. In a small bowl, combine yeast, sugar and 20ml cabbage juice. Set aside for 10 minutes.
  2. After 10 minutes, in a medium-large bowl, combine flour, salt, and yeast mixture. Stir well. Add the rest of the cabbage juice mixture. Mix until all of the flour is well incorporated (there should be no small pockets of flour.)
  3. Cover the bowl and leave in a warm place (preferably approximately 38 degree celsius) with a wet tea towel for about 40 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.
  4. Lightly oil a 9-inch square cake pan with olive oil. Roll out dough to fit into the pan. After 15 minutes, stretch dough out to fit the pan if it shrinks.
  5. Cover pan with plastic wrap/wet tea towel and allow the dough to rest till approximately doubled in size (about 30mins). The dough should cover the pan.
  6. Drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil over the dough. Use your fingers to press down into the dough to create deep dimples (approx 2 fingers apart).
  7. Unleash the artist in you and decorate the top with fresh herbs, vegetable and flaky sea salt.
  8. Brush herb and vegetables toppings thoroughly with olive oil to prevent them from being burnt.

Bake:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 deg F/190 deg C with a rack positioned in the centre of the oven. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the tops are golden. Remove pan from the oven. Remove bread from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack.
  2. Serve warm or allow to cool completely.

Freeze:

  1. To freeze, allow bread to cool completely, then transfer to a ziplock bag and freeze. Thaw and enjoy at room temperature or warm for 10 minutes in a 350 deg F/180 deg C oven.

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Beetroot & Chocolate Swirl Bread

Pretty and pillowy soft, this tri-coloured braided bread brings together the delicious combination of beetroot and chocolate!

There are 3 doughs in this recipe – a pink beetroot dough, a chocolate beetroot dough and a white dough. Try it and you’ll fall in love with this delightfully fun and wholesome bake!

What you’ll need:

Starter Dough

  • 50g flour
  • 40ml water (above 90 deg C/190 deg F)

White Dough

  • 150ml milk (room temperature) 
  • 15g sugar
  • 3g dried instant yeast 
  • 10g unsalted butter (softened)
  • 200g bread flour 
  • 5g salt

Pink Beetroot Dough

  • 150ml beetroot juice (room temperature) + 1-2 tbsps lemon juice or vinegar
  • 30g sugar
  • 3g dried instant yeast
  • 10g unsalted butter (softened)
  • 200g bread flour
  • 5g salt

Chocolate Beetroot Dough

  • 150ml beetroot juice (room temperature)
  • 2 tbsps high quality cocoa powder
  • 15g sugar
  • 3g dried instant yeast
  • 10g unsalted butter (softened)
  • 200g bread flour
  • 5g salt

How to make it:

Starter Dough

  1. Combine starter dough ingredients together and mix well. Leave in fridge overnight.
  2. Divide into 3 portions on day of baking.

White Bread Dough

  1. Dissolve sugar in warm milk then stir in the yeast. Rest for 10 mins until mixture becomes foamy.
  2. Add the mixture, bread flour, salt and 1 portion of starter dough into a stand mixer bowl.
  3. Attach the kneading hook onto the stand mixer and combine all ingredients on low speed 1.
  4. When all ingredients are combined, turn the speed up to 5 or 6 and knead the dough for 20 minutes, until smooth.
  5. Roll the dough into a ball and place it into a greased bowl.
  6. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise for about 45 min to 1 hour at about 86°F(30°C) or until doubled the size.

Pink Beetroot Dough

  1. While the white dough is resting, make the pink beetroot dough using the same steps for the white dough above. Ensure the beetroot juice + lemon juice mixture is at room temperature before mixing with the sugar and yeast in step 1. Once this is done, rest the dough for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Chocolate Beetroot Dough

  1. Repeat the above with the chocolate beetroot dough.

Combining the Three Doughs

  1. Punch the doughs down. Using a rolling pin, roll out to form separate rectangles of similar sizes.
  2. Stack the doughs on one another, then roll them together.
  3. Shape and braid the combined dough into your preferred size/shape.
  4. Place on baking tray. Cover with a wet cloth and stand for 30 minutes.
  5. Bake in a preheated oven at 365 °F/ 185°C for 15 to 18 minutes.
  6. To check if the bread is fully cooked, tap the bottom to see if it makes a hollow sound.
  7. Once completely cooked, remove bread from oven and cool it down on a rack.

Notes:

  • The addition of lemon juice or vinegar to beetroot juice will help ensure the colour of beetroot is retained during the baking process.
  • Never mix salt into the yeast mixture as salt slows down yeast fermentation.
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Rustic Carrot Swirl Bread

Freshly baked bread with carrot swirl

The carrot is such a beautiful and wholesome ingredient. When baked as a bread, the carrot exudes an irresistible hue and injects a subtle sweetness. Try this simple recipe to infuse a healthy and fun twist to your regular bread loaf, with a beautiful swirl of carrot dough!

What you’ll need:

White Bread Dough

  • 150 ml milk (room temperature) 
  • 15 g sugar
  • 3 g dry instant yeast 
  • 10 g unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 200 g bread flour 
  • 5 g salt

Carrot Dough

  • 50ml carrot juice (bottled or freshly pressed and nicely filtered)
  • 5g sugar
  • 1g dry instant yeast
  • 3g unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 60g bread flour
  • 1 pinch of salt

How to make it:

White Bread Dough

  1. Dissolve sugar in warm milk then stir in the yeast. Rest for 10 mins until mixture becomes foamy.
  2. Add the mixture, bread flour and salt into a stand mixer bowl.
  3. Attach the kneading hook onto the stand mixer and combine all ingredients on low speed 1.
  4. When all ingredients are combined, turn the speed up to 5 or 6 and knead the dough for 20 minutes, until smooth.
  5. Roll the dough into a ball and place it into a greased bowl.
  6. Cover with a damp cloth and allow to rise for about 45 min to 1 hour at about 86°F(30°C) or until doubled the size.

Carrot Dough

7. While the white dough is resting, make the carrot dough using the same steps for the white dough above. Ensure the carrot juice is slightly warmed before mixing with the sugar and yeast in step 1.

Combining the Two Doughs

8. Punch the doughs down. Using a rolling pin, roll out roughly to separate rectangles.

9. Place the carrot dough on top of the white dough, then roughly roll the doughs together. Fold the dough at the sides tightly, then place in a greased loaf tin.

10. Cover the combined rolled dough with a wet cloth and stand for 30 minutes.

11. Bake in a preheated oven at 365 °F/ 185°C for 25-30 minutes

12. When the dough has risen to be level with the tin, it’s ready to bake.

13. Remove the bread from the tin and cool it down on a rack.

Notes:

  • Have fun and replace the carrot juice with other brightly coloured vegetable or fruit juice (make sure it’s been filtered if freshly pressed).
  • Never mix salt into the yeast mixture as salt slows down yeast fermentation