Ghana Sugar Bread
“A soft, sweet, golden-crusted enriched loaf scented with nutmeg, with a tender, fluffy crumb that pulls apart in cottony strands. A nostalgic Ghanaian bakery and breakfast staple, eaten plain, buttered, or split around an omelette.”
Where it comes from
Sugar bread is among the most popular breads in Ghana, distinguished by its high sugar content and nutmeg fragrance; a fixture of Ghanaian home and bakery baking.
On the plate
The crust is glossy and lightly chewy, giving way to a soft, springy crumb that is faintly sweet and warmly spiced with nutmeg. It tears in fluffy ribbons and melts a little on the tongue. Toasted with butter, the sweetness blooms even further.
How it works
The enriching butter, sugar and egg coat the gluten and tenderise the crumb, while sustained kneading still builds enough structure to trap the gas from a long, sugar-fed fermentation. Nutmeg gives the signature aroma.
Variations
tea bread (less sweet, tighter crumb), butter bread (extra butter), plaited or twisted loaves, made into bread rolls
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 8
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓35 min active · 120 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 18 min
Activate the yeast in warm milk with a spoon of sugar until frothy.
- 24 min
Mix flour, sugar, salt and grated nutmeg in a large bowl.
- 35 min
Add the yeast mixture, egg and softened butter and bring together into a dough.
- 410 min
Knead firmly for about ten minutes until smooth, elastic and slightly tacky.
- 560 min
Cover and let the dough rise until doubled, about one hour.
- 65 min
Knock back, shape into a loaf and place in a greased tin.
- 745 min
Prove again until risen above the rim, then brush with egg or milk.
- 830 min
Bake at 180C until deep golden and hollow-sounding, about 30 minutes.
