Bulka bread recipe

Bulka Bread recipe

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By thesmartcookiecook.com
A recipe of Bulka bread recipe. Read more below.

Ingredients

Instructions

The dough used here may also be used to make the plaited loaf, Challah, that is of identical origins.

Glaze:beat the egg together with the salt.

Dough:Mix the yeast with the water in a bowl and leave for 5 minutes.

Add about 70g of the flour, followed by the eggs, yolks, oil, sugar and salt and mix together until well blended. Gradually stir in the remaining flour until the dough comes together. Knead for about 8 minutes either by hand or using an electric mixer and dough hook until smooth and elastic and no longer sticky. If too sticky, add a little more flour and knead until no longer sticky.

Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and turn the dough over to coat it. Cover with cling film and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1-1½ hours. Punch the dough down, knead for a few seconds and refrigerate whilst covered until again almost doubled in size (4-12 hours – the slow rise is essential).

Grease a 2lb loaf tin and preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5, 375F, 190C.

Divide the dough into 2 equal amounts – weigh if necessary. Divide one half about 55/45 and form each portion into balls. Repeat for the other half.

Place one of the smaller balls tightly at one end of the tin, followed by the two larger balls and finally the final smaller one, arranged symmetrically.

Cover the tin loosely with oiled cling film, and allow to rise until almost doubled once again. Remove covering and brush surfaces with some of the glaze.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes until golden brown and well risen. The bottom of the loaf should sound hollow when tapped.

Allow to cool slightly. Brush additional glaze and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Allow to cool fully on a wire rack.

If plaiting, divide the dough into three equal amounts and roll each by hand to a strand about 15 inches (38cm) long and about 1½ inches (35-40mm) thick. Taper both ends of all strands and dust them lightly with flour. Place the strands parallel to each other and in a row. Press the far ends of the strands together and fold them under. Separate the near ends by about the same distance as their diameter. Lift the left rope and place it between the middle and right strands. Lift the right-hand strand and place it between the left and middle. Then repeat this order until the strands are almost used. Press the tips of the strands together and fold underneath.

Move loaf to a baking tray, loosely cover with oiled cling film. Allow to rise until almost doubled in size. Remove film, glaze and bake as above. When baked, re-glaze as above and allow to cool completely before use.