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Ghana sugar bread
Sugar bread: Ghana's soft, sweet, butter-yellow loaf for tea and groundnut paste
Bread vans, kiosks and hawkers balancing glass boxes on their heads sell sugar bread all over Ghana, from Accra lorry stations to small-town junctions. The crumb is soft, fine and slightly yellow from egg and butter, with a gentle sweetness and a hint of nutmeg, and it tears into fluffy strands. Ghanaians eat it with a mug of tea or cocoa drink, spread with groundnut paste, or wrapped around an omelette for a quick breakfast. Allow about two hours for the two rises. Chef's tip: the dough should stay soft and a little tacky after kneading; adding extra flour to make it easy to handle is the usual mistake, and it gives a dry, crumbly loaf.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour
- 3 ½ oz caster sugar
- ¼ oz instant dried yeast1 sachet
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup whole milklukewarm
- 2 eggsat room temperature, beaten
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ⅛ oz unsalted buttervery soft
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Whisk 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, 3 ½ oz caster sugar, ¼ oz instant dried yeast, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp ground nutmeg in a large bowl so the yeast and salt are spread evenly.
Step 2: Mix ¾ cup whole milk, 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla extract in a jug, pour into the dry mix and stir with a wooden spoon until no dry flour is left. The dough will look rough and sticky.
Step 3: Knead on a clean worktop for 8 minutes, then add 2 ⅛ oz unsalted butter a spoonful at a time, kneading each piece in before the next. Keep going until the dough is smooth, glossy and stretches thinly without tearing.
12 minStep 4: Shape into a ball, put in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm until doubled in size.
75 minStep 5: Grease two 450 g loaf tins with ⅓ oz butter. Knock the dough back, divide it in two, roll each half into a tight log and lay it seam-side down in a tin.
Step 6: Cover loosely and leave to rise until the dough domes about 2 cm above the rim. Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) towards the end.
45 minStep 7: Brush the tops gently with 2 tbsp milk and bake until deep golden and the loaves sound hollow when tapped underneath.
30 minStep 8: Turn out onto a rack and cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing, or the crumb squashes. Keeps 3 days wrapped, or freeze sliced.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 235 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ghana sugar bread take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 150 minutes to prepare and 30 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.
- 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 caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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