Gene Opton's Ethiopian Honey-Spice Bread

I've been brainstorming.

A home is not a home until bread is baked in it.

Or, maybe:

Bread baking makes a home?

Let's see, how about this:

A loaf in the oven, a home complete.

That last one isn't so bad, but still, I don't know. I'm not going to become famous for my phrases anytime soon. But I really do think that it's true, for me at least, that the first time you are motivated to bake bread in your new apartment, the first time the warm smell of yeast and rising dough perfumes your rooms, is the first time you can really settle in and sigh with contentment about being home.

Every once in a while, I find you simply need to force yourself to stay home for a few days, unplugged and quiet. Read in bed in your nightgown past lunchtime, organize your books alphabetically (or by spine color!), stare out the window at the cloud patterns for a bit, and if you're lucky enough to be somewhere rainy, listen to the droplets falling on windows and the sound car tires make when they slide past on wet, asphalted streets.

Those are the days for bread-baking, for easing yourself slowly into the start of the autumn chill.

So, I'll be honest: I've been a little bored by the newspaper recipes lately. More than lately, actually. All summer, I think. I've been clipping dutifully and hoarding as usual, but I haven't found anything in months that actually makes me impatient to go to the grocery store and get cooking. Instead, this weekend I started nosing around in my other recipe clippings and emerged feeling inspired. Imagine: a sweet butter-and-milk-enriched yeast bread from Ethiopia, of all places, spiced with cloves, cinnamon, and ginger and an entire tablespoon of ground coriander. Doesn't that sound like something you'd want to make right away, no question about it?

Let me tell you that you should. It's simply lovely.

Your house will smell like Christmas, first of all. Also, you'll get to feel all exotic and interesting: you're baking Ethiopian bread! Best of all, the bread keeps well, so you will have homemade bread for breakfast for a whole week at least (it toasts nicely, too). Gene Opton says that Ethiopians usually just eat this bread spread with butter and honey, but I found it most delicious eaten only with unsalted butter. The bread is sweet enough from all the honey in the dough, and the spices need a little bit of cooling balance, which is just what a nice thin layer of butter provides.

I always find September both comforting and sort of terrifying. On one hand, it's the loveliest month of the year. Still sunny and warm, but with just enough nip in the air to make for cool nights and perfect sleeping weather. Limbs still tanned from the summer, but you can pull out your thin sweaters and look forward to warm shoes again. On the other hand, it's just a few warp-speed weekends until Thanksgiving and then Christmas. When you get to September, the end of the year suddenly looms. Did you get everything done that you wanted to this year? Is it turning out the way you hoped? Do you have your ducks in a row for the months still ahead that will zip past so fast you might just get whiplash?

Don't worry. Take a deep breath and breathe. And remember this: when you bake bread, everything slows down. Life feels more manageable again. And coming up with phrases about bread-baking to accompany you into posterity seems the most important thing you can do.

Ethiopian Honey-Spice Bread
Makes 1 loaf

1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 large egg
1/2 cup mild honey
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup whole milk, warmed
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1. Combine the yeast, water, sugar or honey, and ginger in a small ceramic bowl and set in a warm, draft-free place until it bubbles vigorously.

2. Combine the egg, honey, spices and salt in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Add the milk and butter. Mix in 1 cup of the flour.

3. Add the yeast mixture and beat until all the ingredients are well blended. Add more flour, 1/2 cup at a time, using only enough to make a soft dough. Use your hands, if needed, to work in the last bit of flour.

4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the bread by folding it end to end, pressing down and pushing forward several times with the heel of your hand. (The dough will be sticky. Use a dough scraper to clear the board and turn the mass of dough. Avoid adding more flour.)

5. In about 5 minutes the dough will become smoother and more elastic. Shape into a rough ball and place in a large oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rise until doubled in bulk.

6. Heavily butter a 3-quart round baking dish that is 3 inches deep, such as a casserole or an enameled Dutch oven. Punch down the dough with a single blow of your fist. Knead the dough for a few minutes, shape into a rough ball, and place in the prepared pan. (Press the dough down so that the bottom of the pan is covered completely.) Cover and let rise again until the dough has doubled and reaches the top of the pan.

7. At least 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

8. Bake for 60 minutes, or until the bread is nicely rounded on top and a light golden brown. Leave in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and transfer to a rack to cool completely before slicing.

Comments

[annie]

I am intrigued by the recipe; it sounds like something that I'd give people as a "thanks for the dinner invite" gift, with a scented house as a great collateral bonus. Most of all, though, I love the evocation of good "time off" reading, puttering and re-grouping. I now feel that I have permission to do it myself. Thanks!

[giao {kiss my spatula}]

lovely, lovely post. i'm always on the lookout for a new bread recipe and this one definitely has caught my eye!

[Jessica]

This is a brilliant idea! As much as I cook, I never think of baking bread. I make the occasional loaf- banana, pumpkin, zucchini. But never do I consider buying a good ol' packet of Fleishmans Yeast and having at it. Baking bread at home was my grandmother's choice method of dealing with life's stress. You have inspired me to get in the kitchen and bake myself a fresh loaf!
Thanks so much for the post.
www.justchowbella.com

[ASHLEA]

This looks delicious and very unique. Something I will definitely try!

[Jenna]

Luisa, thank you so much for this recipe. It was the first bread I baked in my new home as well, and it was so worth it. I had four of my best girlfriends in the world over and between a few bottles of red wine and a whole lot of laughter, the entire loaf miraculously disappeared. Oh well :)

[Hannah]

mmmmm...wow. just what the doctor ordered for fall. thank you.

[L]

I LOVED this bread. The exact same thing happened to me: I've been in no mood to cook lately, but you posted this recipe and all of a sudden there was something I HAD to make. Thank you for sharing it - I feel like I owe you something!

[Monica]

So I baked this yesterday, and now I'm thinking of leaving work early to go home and eat more of it. Lovely, tender, with just the right measure of spice. Thank you!

[Seattle Cook]

This bread is fabulous toasted with butter(with or without honey)! The whole family loved it. (Can't say the same for the pumpkin scones I recently made that had sweet curry powder as a secret ingredient, although I was attracted to the similarly unexpected little bite in a sweetish bread.)

[Nileen]

I'm very intimidated by bread making. But I really want to give this one a try. About how long did you let it rise each time? Just a general idea so I'm not staring at it all day long...

[Luisa]

Nileen - don't be scared! You can do it. Make sure your kitchen is warm and draft-free. "Feeding" the yeast with a pinch of sugar, as the recipe has you do, is really helpful. Each rise should take a couple of hours (sometimes a little less, depending!).

[plumpdumpling]

Seeing as how my boyfriend lives in a 350-square-foot apartment in Manhattan that doesn't have an oven, I'll bet he'd be pretty offended knowing that he'll never truly have a home. Poor guy.

[Karen]

I baked this over the weekend and it's simply wonderful. Thanks for the hint about toasting it - it made a perfect breakfast toasted and buttered with a cup of tea. I expect I will be seeing quite a bit more of this bread throughout the fall the winter!

[Katherine]

Thanks for sharing this recipe! I made it tonight and it was just as amazing as you said. I was worried before baking it, as it didn't rise as much as I was expecting. In the end it baked well and plump and tasted perfect. My house still smells fabulous hours later...

[Eliza]

I book marked when you posted this and am thinking of baking it this weekend. One catch -- I don't have a dutch oven (much to my chagrin). What can I use instead? A square casserole dish? Make two loaves in loaf pans? Any suggestions appreciated!

[Sophia]

I made this bread last night since I realized I had all the ingredients. People, this bread was wonderful. The texture was just how me and my husband like it. My home was filled with yummy smells and my husband was like a child waiting by the oven asking if it was done. The taste was light and comforting. I substituted 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flower in attempt to make it a bit healthier. It was perfect! This bread was very easy to make. Thank you for all your posts. I am such a fan!

[Studinen]

Today, I am making this bread for the third time. I'm hooked! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it toasted with unsalted butter and honey (having honey on the bread is a bit too sweet for some, but I adore it).

[Ben Cousins]

I tried this recipe and I improvised a little by sneaking a chopped banana into the mix - it was divine!

[Macy Dawn]

Tried it. LOVED it! Blogged about it.

http://makingmacy.blogspot.com/2010/05/homemade-goodness-ethiopian-bread-and.html