AI-generated image
Breudher
Burgher Christmas loaf
බ්රෙඩර් (breudher): rich, buttery Dutch Burgher Christmas loaf with eggs and raisins, baked in a fluted tin (plus 3 hours rising)
On Christmas morning in Dutch Burgher homes from Colombo to Galle, the breakfast table holds a tall, fluted breudher, the island's take on the Dutch Christmas loaf, sliced thick, spread with butter and topped with a slice of Edam. The dough is enriched with plenty of butter, eggs and sugar and studded with raisins, and the crumb is soft, golden and slightly sweet, closer to brioche than to bread. Old recipes leavened it with fermented palm toddy; this version uses ordinary yeast, so there is no alcohol. Edam is normally made with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian Edam or Gouda if that matters to you. The most frequent failure is an impatient rise, which gives a heavy, close loaf, because butter-rich dough moves slowly; wait until it has truly doubled. Chef's tip: work the butter in a little at a time only after the dough has been kneaded smooth, and it will turn silky and elastic instead of greasy.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour
- 3 ½ oz caster sugar
- 1 /2 tsp salt
- ¾ cup whole milklukewarm
- 4 eggsat room temperature, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 7 oz unsalted buttervery soft, plus extra for the tin
- 5 ½ oz raisinstossed with 1 tsp flour
To serve
- butter (optional)for spreading
- 7 oz vegetarian Edam or Gouda (optional)thinly sliced
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 3 ½ oz caster sugar and 1 /2 tsp salt.
Step 2: Add ¾ cup whole milk, 4 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract and knead for about 10 minutes until a smooth, sticky but elastic dough forms.
10 minStep 3: Add 7 oz unsalted butter a tablespoon at a time, kneading until each piece disappears, then knead for 5 more minutes until the dough is glossy and pulls away from the bowl.
10 minStep 4: Knead in 5 ½ oz raisins until evenly spread.
Step 5: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 1/2–2 hours until doubled in size.
120 minStep 6: Butter a 2.5 litre fluted breudher or bundt tin very well. Knock back the dough, shape it into a ring and drop it into the tin.
Step 7: Cover and leave to rise for about 1 hour until the dough is about 2 cm from the rim. Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan).
60 minStep 8: Bake for 40–45 minutes until deep golden and a skewer pushed into the thickest part comes out clean; cover loosely with foil if it browns too fast.
45 minStep 9: Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. Serve in thick slices with butter and 7 oz vegetarian Edam or Gouda.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does breudher take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- 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 fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Polos curryYoung green jackfruit curry
Polos is the tiny unripe jackfruit picked in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces long before it sweetens, and cooked low and slow it becomes one of the island's most loved festival curries, especially at Sinhala and Tamil New Year in April and at wedding lunches. The firm, pale flesh soaks up a very dark roasted curry powder, garlic, ginger, goraka (a smoky souring fruit) and coconut milk until it turns almost black-brown and tastes rich, sour and meaty. Fresh polos is hard to find abroad; tinned young green jackfruit in brine works well. A frequent mistake is not cooking it long enough, which leaves it squeaky; the pieces must be soft enough to break with a spoon. Chef's tip: oil your hands and knife before cutting fresh jackfruit; the sticky white sap washes off oiled skin but not dry skin.
Undu walaluFried urad dal rings in treacle
Walalu means bangles, and these dark, sticky rings of fried urad dal soaked in kithul treacle are a sweet that Sinhala families bring out for Avurudu and for special almsgivings, often made in large batches by an aunt known for her steady hand. A thick, fluffy paste of ground black gram is piped into loops and fried until crisp, then plunged straight into warm treacle, so the rings stay crunchy on the outside while drinking up the syrup. They taste a little like a darker, smokier jalebi, with a toffee finish from the palm treacle. Watery batter is what ruins them; it spreads into flat blobs, so grind the soaked dal with as little water as possible and beat it until light. This recipe uses no asafoetida, so it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: pipe the rings onto small squares of baking paper and lower them into the oil paper and all; the paper peels away in seconds.
Ma'amoulDate and walnut butter pastries
Ma'amoul are delicate shortbread-like pastries made for Eid and Easter across the Middle East. A soft, rose-scented butter dough is wrapped around a filling of dates, walnuts, almonds and pistachios cooked with cinnamon, marked with a fork, baked pale and dusted with icing sugar. Makes 35; they keep well in a tin.