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Ambasha
Tigray's spiced celebration bread, decorated with a pattern before baking
Ambasha is the round, slightly sweet festival bread of Tigray and Amhara, baked for holidays such as Easter (Fasika) and Meskel and for welcoming guests. The dough is scented with fenugreek, cardamom and coriander seed, and before baking the top is cut with a knife into a wheel-like pattern, so it comes out of the oven looking like a decorated plate; it is brushed with niter kibbeh and berbere and served torn into pieces with coffee. Chef's tip: cut the pattern deep (about 1 cm), or it disappears as the bread rises in the oven.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz instant yeast, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp ground fenugreek, 1 tsp ground cardamom and 1 tsp ground coriander. Add 3 tbsp vegetable oil and most of 1 ¼ cups warm water and mix to a soft, slightly sticky dough.
5 minStep 2: Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
10 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size.
60 minStep 4: Knock back and set aside a small piece of dough (about 60 g). Press the rest into a 28 cm round on a lined baking tray.
Step 5: Using a sharp knife, cut lines 1 cm deep from the centre out to the edge, like the spokes of a wheel, then cut across them to make a pattern. Roll the reserved dough into a small ball and press it into the centre.
Step 6: Cover and leave to rise for 30–40 minutes until puffy.
35 minStep 7: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Bake for 25–30 minutes until deep golden and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath. A common mistake is pulling it out pale; the crust should be well browned.
28 minStep 8: Mix 2 tbsp niter kibbeh with ½ tsp berbere and brush over the hot bread. Cool for 15 minutes, then tear and serve. For a vegan version, brush with spiced oil instead.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 47 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ambasha take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 120 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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