Suikerbrood

Recipe source: Finla's My Kitchen Treasures

A very long time ago I had made this sweet bread. I had loved the recipe the moment I saw it on Finla's blog. It uses sugar pearls which are available in the European market but are not found easily even in the imported goods sections in Indian markets. As I always do I try to use Indian ingredients instead and found sugar batashas suited this recipe perfectly, they just need to be crushed coarsely.

It is a celebration bread therefore the process is elaborate. it is not your callously throw in all the ingredients and let it rise recipe, so make it when you have good amount of time on hand. Finla got this recipe from a Belgian baker and it is really lovely even without egg, that's my experience.

Ingredients

Main dough

250 gm white flour / maida
20 gm fresh yeast
1 tablespoon milk ( to replace egg yolk in original recipe)
110 ml luke milk

25 gm sugar
37 gm soft Amul butter or any salted butter

For the core dough ball

100 gm Pearl Sugar or coarsely crushed sugar batasha
15 gm molten butter

Method

Measure out the flour. Dissolve the yeast in the milk and use it to knead the dough. Add the sugar and mix well. Knead the dough to form a ball about 10 mins. Mix in the butter and leave it to rise. Pinch off a piece of the dough and weigh about 125gms. This is to be used as outer shell of the bread. Keep the dough covered with a wet cloth.

After proofing for 30 mins. Punch down the dough to remove air.

In the bigger sized ball mix the sugar batasha pieces like I used or sugar pearls if you can lay your hands on it. Distribute well in the dough along with the molten butter. Keep aside.

Roll out the 125 gms dough ball into 2 mm thick disc. 

Wrap the core ball into the rolled out disc of dough. Tuck the folds on the underside so you get the smooth top. Cover the bread with a wet towel and let it rise till doubled. This is the second proofing in a round cake tin.

Once the bread is plump and doubled. Score the bread on top and fill some more crushed sugar batashas in it and let it rise a third time for just 15 mins covered with a wet towel.

Get the oven preheated to 180 deg celcius. Bake the bread for 35 mins or until it sounds hollow on tapping. 

Cool completely before slicing.

This bread is very popular in the Friesland region of the Netherlands and it is traditional to gift it to the parents of a new baby. We don't need any such reason. I love it just at anytime and I am soon going to make it again for my cousin sister who is in hospital fighting it out right now suffering the after effects of arterial thrombosis. Seeking prayers for her.