Dabbo (Ethiopian Bread)

Dabbo (Ethiopian Bread)

Slices of Bread Made In Ethiopian House hold

Being Indian I am more into chapatti/roti/parantha/puri all sort of Indian bread, thus have only basic knowledge of baking a bread. I was really intrigued by Ethiopian families baking their own bread on regular basis. They bake 3-10 kg. big bread for the consumption of the family members. It was a wonderful experience watching them bake the bread. I wish to share their method of making the bread. They do not use egg, butter, milk in making bread. Bread being staple food along with Injera is eaten during fasting also and any form of animal product is taboo during fasting, also even poorest of the poor can afford to make this bread here. My Ethiopian friend Mulgeeta was kind enough to allow me to take the picture of bread baking and share the recipe.

Preparation Time: 15-20 min.

Fermentation Time: 3-4 hours

Baking Time: 2 hours

Servings: Bread of 3 Kg.

Ingredients Required For Making Dabbo:

• 3 kg. Refined Flour

• 1 Eating Spoon Dry Yeast

• 1 eating Spoon Sugar

• Water

• Banana leaves

Directions For making Dabbo:

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in 2-3 eating spoons of water.

• Add 1-2 eating spoons of refined flour and keep aside for the yeast to rise.

• Sieve the refined flour and add yeast solution.

• Mix nicely.

• Add water in little proportions and knead the flour yeast mixture to make soft dough. 1-1.5 Lt. water is required for making the dough. The dough should neither be hard nor runny. It should be soft and pliable.

• Cover the dough and keep aside for fermenting for 4-5 hours.

• The dough will rise and become pourable, not watery.

• Do not beat this dough, if done so the air trapped in it will escape and the bread will not rise, and will not come out soft.

• Line a bread baking dish with banana leaves (Here they line it with leaves of similar plant called false banana, it is similar to banana but it neither fruits nor flowers).

Bread Baking Dish Lined With False Banana Leaves

• Pour the fermented dough on the in the container lined with banana leaves.

Ashakhale Pouring the Batter for bread

• Sprinkle some Nigella / Sesame seeds and spread the dough uniformly. Make depressions with the fingers.

Bread Dough with Nigella seeds in the baking dish layered with False banana leaves

Making depressions with fingers

• Cover the fermented dough in the bread baking dish with banana leaves.

Covering the dough with false banana leaves

• The oven for making bread here is called Dabbo Miltad and has two different plugins for heating from bottom and top.

Aleminish showing the locally made Dabbo Miltad with two ends to heat top and bottom

Dabbo Miltad from inside

Muluget placing the bread baking dish with bread dough in Dabbo Miltad

• Place the baking dish with bread dough in the bread oven (Dabbo Miltad) and heat it from the bottom.

• After 40-45 minutes check, baking has started and the dough starts rising.

• Bake for another 15-20 min.(Total 55-65 min.). The dough will have risen completely.

Rising Bread after 45 minutes

• Heat the oven from the top now for 30-40 minutes. The top and sides of bread will become golden brown.

• Remove the bread from oven. Remove the top leaves and carefully remove the bread and place on a plate for cooling.

Ethiopian Home Made Bread

Home Made Bread Slices

• Bread here like Injera is kept in Mosab for storing.

Tips:

• Add water in little proportions and knead.

• Kneading has to be done at least for 15-20 minutes after the dough consistency is attained. More the kneading better the bread will be.

• One cup of this dough can be stored in the fridge for future use. For next time you make bread you will have yeast culture with you. Take it out 2-3 hour before making the dough and allow the yeast to multiply and grow. Use this for fermenting rather than dry yeast.

Suggested Variations:

• Instead of refined flour Mixture of whole wheat flour and refined flour in 1:1 ratio can be taken to make the bread healthier.

• Barley flour can be added in 3:1 ratio.

• Once the pink dots start appearing on the top then, remove the bread baking dish from oven and remove the leaves, polish the top with egg white (Beat 2 egg whites and with the help of a brush polish the top with egg white), then baked for 5 minutes. The top will become shiny and light brown.

• Sugar can be sprinkled on the top 5 minutes before switching off the oven.

• Milk and water mixture in 1:1 ratio can be taken for kneading the flour.

• Add raisin, nuts, dry plum pieces, dry apricot pieces and you will have fruit bread.