Jamaican hard dough bread
Dense sweet sandwich loaf
Hardo bread: the dense, slightly sweet Chinese-Jamaican sandwich loaf
Chinese-Jamaican bakers gave the island hard dough bread, and today a sliced "hardo" loaf is in every shop from Montego Bay to Morant Bay, toasted with butter for breakfast, wrapped around fried fish or dipped in soup. The crumb is close, smooth and faintly sweet, firm enough to hold its own against ackee or bun and cheese. The usual mistake is making the dough too soft; it should be stiff and need hard kneading, which is where the name comes from. Allow around 2 hours for rising on top of the working time. Chef's tip: roll the dough into a tight Swiss roll before it goes into the tin, which gives the even, layered crumb that peels off in sheets.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ lb strong white bread flour
- 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 ½ cups warm water
- 1 ⅜ oz unsalted buttersoftened, plus a little for the tins
- 1 tbsp whole milkfor brushing
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅔ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 2 ⅛ oz caster sugar and 2 tsp salt in a large bowl. Add 1 ½ cups warm water and 1 ⅜ oz unsalted butter and work into a stiff dough. It should feel firm, not sticky.
5 minStep 2: Knead hard for 12–15 minutes until smooth and silky; it takes effort because the dough is stiff.
15 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
60 minStep 4: Grease two 900 g loaf tins. Divide the dough in two, roll each piece into a rectangle as wide as the tin, then roll it up tightly from the short end, pressing out air as you go. Pinch the seam closed.
10 minStep 5: Lay the rolls seam down in the tins, cover and prove for 45–60 minutes until the dough rises just above the rim. Heat the oven to 375°F.
50 minStep 6: Brush the tops with 1 tbsp whole milk and bake for 35–40 minutes until deep golden and the loaves sound hollow when tipped out and tapped underneath.
40 minStep 7: Cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing. The bread keeps for 4 days wrapped, and toasts well for a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 220 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does jamaican hard dough bread take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 40 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.
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