cheltonian recipes Date Brioche Kaak BilTamar
This sweet brioche bread stuffed with dates can be found anywhere in theMiddle East and is a particular favourite asmymum used tomake it for us. Itwould be sliced,warmfromthe oven, for whenwe got home fromschool to eatwith café crème ( just like a latte). If I ever had a craving for it but couldn’tmake it I’d squash dates into bread tomake a
sandwich.Not quite the same, but you get the idea. I like to be really generouswith
the dates, so there’s a good balance between the soft brioche- style dough and the orange- scented dateswithin. Thismakes four loaves; I often serve it to friends, then give themhalf or a whole one to take awaywith them. When you’re cutting the dough
before proving,make sure you slice all theway through to themiddle and down the sides to reveal the datemixture.Once baked, I like to pull off these outer sections as an individual slice, then you’re leftwith themiddle to cut up..
Ingredients 1kgwhite bread flour, plus extra
for rolling 2 tsp baking powder 300ml lukewarmwater 100g granulated sugar 4 tsp dried yeast 3 large eggs, beaten 2 tsp salt 200ml sunflower oil zest of 1 lemon or 1 orange For the stuffing&glaze: 600gMedjool dates, pitted 3 tbsp orange blossomwater 1 large egg, beaten 25g sesame seeds
Method
1. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a large bowl andmake awell in the centre. Pour thewater into themiddle, followed by the sugar, yeast and eggs.
2.Allowthe yeast to activate – the mixturewill become frothy after about 3–4minutes – then pour into the flourmixture andmixwell tomake a soft dough.
3.Add the salt to the dough, along with the oil and lemon zest, and continue tomix and knead until the dough feels smooth and elastic. Transfer to a boardwhen you feel it’s ready to knead and work it until it’s smooth. 4. Put into a clean bowl and cover, and leave to rise for 30minutes, until it doubles in size. 5.Whizz the dates and orange blossomwater together in a food processor tomake a paste for the
stuffing. 6.Divide the dough into four 450g pieces. Roll out each piece on a lightly floured board until it’s a rough roundmeasuring about 18cmacross. Put a quarter of the datemixture in themiddle and spread it out a little, leaving a border around the edges, then wrap the dough around the date mixture. Turn over so the seamis underneath. Repeatwith the other three dough pieces, then set them aside to 7. Prove for 30minutes. 8. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°Cfan/gasmark 6. 9. Flatten each loaf slightly and cut the edges to reveal themixture inside, leaving a large ball in the middle.
10.Brushwith some of the beaten egg and sprinklewith sesame seeds, then transfer to two lightly floured baking sheets and bake for about 35–40minutes until the bread is dark golden. After about 20minutes, glaze the loaveswith the eggwash again and return to the oven to finish cooking.
11.Transfer to awire rack to cool, then slice and serve.
Tony’sTip This is perfect to have alongside your afternoon coffee, or even served warmwith a scoop of vanilla ice creamfor pudding. If I’mfeeling really indulgent I’ll eat itwith feta cheese, as the combination of salty feta and sweet dates is an absolutewinner forme.
THECHELTONIAN SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2018 35
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