Hops bread
Crusty breakfast rolls
Trinidad's crusty little breakfast rolls
Saturday breakfast in Trinidad and Tobago often means a paper bag of hops bread from the corner bakery, bought hot and split right away. The rolls are small and round with a crisp, crackly shell that gives way to a soft, airy, almost cotton-like inside. Trinis fill them with cheese and pepper sauce, buljol of saltfish, fried aloo or a smear of butter and guava jelly, and they turn up at lunch with stewed chickpeas too. A little vegetable shortening keeps the crumb tender; there is no milk or butter in the dough, so they are vegan. Underproving is the common mistake: tight, heavy rolls that split along the side. Wait until a fingertip dent fills back slowly. Chef's tip: brush the rolls with water just before and halfway through baking; the moisture is what gives hops their thin, shattering crust.
- Total time
- 143 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- ⅓ oz salt
- 1 oz vegetable shorteningsoft
- 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
To finish
- 3 tbsp waterfor brushing
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 2 tbsp sugar and ⅓ oz salt. Rub in 1 oz vegetable shortening, add 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
10 minStep 2: Cover and leave to rise for 1 hour, until doubled.
60 minStep 3: Knock back, divide into 12 pieces of about 70 g and roll each into a tight, smooth ball.
Step 4: Set the balls on a lined tray about 4 cm apart, flatten them slightly with your palm, cover and prove for 40–45 minutes, until nearly doubled and a gentle press springs back slowly.
45 minStep 5: Heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan) with an empty tin on the bottom shelf.
15 minStep 6: Brush the rolls with half of 3 tbsp water, splash a cup of hot water into the tin and bake for 8 minutes.
8 minStep 7: Brush quickly with the rest of the water and bake for 8–10 minutes more, until deep golden. They should sound hollow when tapped underneath.
10 minStep 8: Cool on a rack for 10 minutes; the crust crisps as they cool. Best eaten the same morning.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 170 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 32 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hops bread take?
- About 143 minutes in total: 125 minutes to prepare and 18 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- 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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