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Berekete
Fenugreek and cumin Shabbat bread
Berekete (ברכת): Beta Israel round Shabbat bread with fenugreek and cumin
Among Ethiopian Israelis in Kiryat Malakhi, Netanya and Ashkelon, the Friday meal begins when the eldest at the table blesses a round loaf of berekete and breaks it for everyone. The bread is plain, dense and wheaty, with a soft crumb and the warm, faintly bitter scent of fenugreek, cumin and coriander baked in. It is eaten with spiced lentils, cabbage and potatoes or with a little honey on Shabbat morning. The usual mistake is baking it in a hot oven like a white loaf, which burns the bottom before the thick centre cooks. Chef's tip: bake it in a covered heavy pan at a moderate heat, as it would be on a mitad, so it steams through before browning.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
- 14 oz plain flour
- 7 oz wholemeal flour
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ⅓ oz salt
- ½ tsp ground fenugreek
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 ¾ cups lukewarm water
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz plain flour, 7 oz wholemeal flour, ¼ oz instant dried yeast, 1 tbsp sugar, ⅓ oz salt, ½ tsp ground fenugreek, ½ tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp ground coriander. Add 1 ¾ cups lukewarm water and knead into a soft, smooth dough, about 8 minutes.
10 minStep 2: Cover and leave until doubled, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
75 minStep 3: Grease a 26 cm heavy ovenproof frying pan or casserole with 2 tbsp sunflower oil. Press the dough in evenly to the edges, cover and leave for 20 minutes. Heat the oven to 375°F.
20 minStep 4: Cover the pan with its lid or foil and bake for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 15–20 minutes more, until golden and hollow-sounding when the base is tapped.
50 minStep 5: Wrap in a cloth and cool for 20 minutes before blessing and breaking it.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does berekete take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 50 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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