5 Exotic Breads That Are Easy to Bake At Home
There are dozens of bread types around the world, but not all of them are easy to bake. Some require a lot of nuances and can be difficult for most people to get just right. Thankfully, there are also many breads that most people can bake them at home rather easily. If you’re trying to mix things up in the kitchen and add some new breads to your overall diet, here are five exotic ones to try that are easy to bake at home.
Portuguese Sweet Bread
Portuguese sweet bread is a downright delicious bread that will add the perfect amount of sweetness to your day. After activating the yeast, add ingredients like sugar, milk, and butter.
Then add the dry ingredients, knead, let rise, then either cut it up into smaller rolls, bake it as a round loaf, or braid it to add a little pizzazz to the dessert bread. Just make sure that you’re eating this bread as quickly as you can, though, as it can go incredibly stale in just one day!
Challah
Challah is a prized bread that first originated within the Ashkenazi Jewish community. It’s enjoyed during Passover, Shabbat, and really any occasion worth celebrating. Though, anyone can enjoy this tasty and whimsical-looking bread anytime, anywhere, even in the comfort of their own home. Challah is a bread made with few ingredients but delivers an impressive look and flavor nonetheless.
To make it, you first activate the yeast in sugar water, add in a good amount of eggs that give the bread its signature texture, add the dry ingredients, knead the dough, and let the dough rise. When risen, divide the dough into six pieces, roll them out into long strands, braid the dough to make that classic challah shape, and brush it with egg before baking.
Focaccia
Sometimes thought of as pizza’s boring cousin, focaccia is actually delicious and stands out on its own. Not to mention there’s so many ways you can decorate your focaccia with vibrant, colorful, and fragrant vegetables, seasonings, and herbs, before baking. The high gluten content gives the bread the best airy and chewy texture, paired with a golden brown and crunchy bottom and a beautifully seasoned top.
It’s great to eat on its own, dipped in sauce, or oil, or loaded with toppings. It’s easy to make at home too. Like most bread, you activate the yeast, add the dry ingredients, let the dough rise, and bake off when risen properly. Some recipes require kneading, some don’t. It’s simple and so worth trying.
Naan
Naan is the beloved pairing to many Indian dishes, like curries, masala, butter chicken, and so much more. The toasty, sometimes garlicky, buttery flatbread is often used as a vessel to scoop rice, meat, and veggies and soak up fragrant sauces used in Indian fare. Naan is surprisingly easy to make at home as well. After activating the yeast and mixing in the wet ingredients, you’ll knead the dough on a floured surface, also using this process to incorporate any fresh garlic or herbs desired in the dough.
After that, you’ll let the dough rest, then divide and roll out smaller pieces of dough that you can cook on a very hot cast iron pan to achieve the proper char naan is known for. Finally, brush with salted butter and add herbs to the fresh naan and enjoy.
Tortillas
Tortillas are versatile and incredibly easy to make fresh at home. Flour tortillas are simply made by combining flour, salt, baking powder, water, and oil. It requires very little kneading and resting time after mixing, as well as no need to proof.
Divide the dough into small pieces, roll it out, or use a special tortilla press to flatten the dough, and cook on a flat stove top pan for a short period of time.