Ghanaian Butter Bread
I find it ironical that Ghanaian style butter bread is actually made with no butter but when made well can be so soft and just so delicious. Traditionally this bread has a flat top but it isn’t an absolute must. If you have a bread pan with a lid that’s great but it’s okay if you have a regular pan like the rest of us.This is quite a soft bread with an even softer crust so be really gentle when taking it out of the pan.
Recipe Yields 2 medium loaves
578g (4 cups) hard/bread flour*
1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
60g(1/4 cup) granulated sugar
11.5g to 12g (almost 2 teaspoons ) fine sea salt
333g (1 1/2 cups) water*
1 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
74g(1/3 cup) margarine
29g (1/4 cup) milk powder
All ingredients are at room temperature
When measuring the flour for this recipe, rather than dipping the measuring cup into the flour, scoop the flour into the cup and shake off any excess.
You can substitute a bit of the water for milk for extra richness.
My bread pan is 10.5” x 6.5” . You can definitely use a bigger pan. I wanted the bread to be higher than normal hence this pan. You can also use 2 small pans.
Use as much nutmeg as you want. You should smell it in the dough but it shouldn’t be overpowering.
When your scale is tossing between 11 and 12g, you are at 11.5g. At least that’s how I know. 12g will be the good kind of salty. That’s what I actually prefer.
Directions
If mixing with an electric mixer place all the dry ingredients in the mixer and mix on low with the hook attachment until everything is combined. Add the water and then mix on medium until there are no flour bits. Continue mixing for an additional 5 minutes then add the margarine. Knead on medium high for 20 mins and then 10 more minutes on high, until the dough is no longer sticking to the corners and begins to lift from the bottom of the mixing bowl. The dough should look silky smooth with a few bubbles on the surface of the dough after the complete kneading process.
If kneading by hand, place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir with a whisk to combine. Add the water and stir until there are no flour bits left. Gentle pour dough unto a neat work surface and knead for 10 mins (if you’re novice this will take you fi eediat so take rests in between). Add the margarine (it’ll get messy) and mix it into the dough. The dough will look very wet and glumpy but that is absolutely fine. Do not add any more flour no matter what your brain says. Eventually the margarine will be fully incorporated and you will be left with a sticky dough. Continue kneading for 25 to 30 mins until the dough is no longer sticky and is quite shiny and elastic. The dough will also have tiny bubbles on the surface and would have reached the window pane stage. To check, wet fingers and tear a small piece of the dough. Gently stretch moving from corner to corner until it’s fully stretched and you can see light through it when lifted towards the window. If it tears a bit that’s okay but continue kneading if it tears/breaks too much.
Let dough rest on the counter for 30 mins. If your kitchen is hot, turn on the fan. My counter is close to a window.
After the rest period, shape the dough and place in your greased bread pans. Let it sit in a draft free place until almost doubled in size, about 1hr 30 mins to 2 hrs. If using a bread pan with a lid, grease the lid also and cover the pan when the dough has risen to 3/4 of the pan’s height. Start preheating the oven with 30 mins left in the proof time. Preheat oven to 180C.
Bake (covered if using a lid) at the center for 40mins. If the top is browning too quickly (if baking without cover), cover it loosely with a foil.
Place baked bread on a cooling rack and allow bread to cool down completely before slicing. To store, allow butter bread to cool down completely then store in a ziplock bag sealed or wrap with a cling film. Store at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the freezer until needed. Don’t worry, it will stay fresh either way.