Ingredients
Dough
- 500 gplain flour
- 7 ginstant yeast
- 60 gsugar
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tspground coriander seed
- 60 mlvegetable oil
- 300 mlwarm water
To finish
- 1 tbspoil, for brushing
- 1 tspblack sesame or nigella seed (optional)
Directions
- Whisk the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, cardamom and coriander together, keeping the salt away from the yeast until the flour separates them.
- Add the oil and warm water and knead 10 minutes to a soft, smooth, slightly tacky dough. Cover and prove 1 hour 30 minutes, until doubled.
- Knock back and shape into a tight round. Set it on a lined tray or in a wide greased pan and flatten to about 3 cm thick and 26 cm across.
- Now score the pattern. With a sharp knife or a blunt edge, mark a circle in the centre, then cut lines radiating out from it to the rim like the spokes of a wheel — traditionally eight or twelve. Cut about 5 mm deep, no further, or the loaf tears as it rises.
- Prove another 30 minutes, brush with oil and scatter the seeds along the scored lines if using.
- Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 32–35 minutes, until deep gold and hollow underneath. Cover loosely with foil after 20 minutes if the pattern is browning faster than the loaf.
- Cool on a rack and tear along the scored lines to serve. It is broken and shared by hand at Meskel, Christmas and Eid, not sliced.
Technique
- The sun-wheel scoring is the point of the bread, not decoration added at the end — cut it before the second prove so the pattern opens as it bakes.
- Cardamom should be assertive. This is a sweet-spiced celebration bread, and a timid hand makes an ordinary loaf.
- A dark heavy pan gives the deep base colour Ethiopian and Eritrean bakers look for.
Substitutions
- Honey in place of half the sugar, which is common and gives a softer crumb.
- Milk instead of water makes a richer loaf, though the traditional version is dairy-free and so suits fasting days.
Variations
- Himbasha, the Eritrean name and near-identical bread, often with raisins worked in.
- A version with the dough enriched with butter for weddings.
History
Celebration bread scored in a sun-wheel pattern and scented with cardamom, baked for Meskel, Christmas and Eid in the northern highlands.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ambasha?
Ambasha is a bread & pastry from Ethiopia: lightly sweet decorated celebration bread flavored with cardamom. Celebration bread scored in a sun-wheel pattern and scented with cardamom, baked for Meskel, Christmas and Eid in the northern highlands.
How long does Ambasha take to make?
Ambasha takes 25 min plus 2 hr rising of preparation and 35 min of cooking. The recipe makes 1 large loaf. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Ambasha?
Yes, within limits. Honey in place of half the sugar, which is common and gives a softer crumb. Milk instead of water makes a richer loaf, though the traditional version is dairy-free and so suits fasting days.
What is the most important thing to get right in Ambasha?
The sun-wheel scoring is the point of the bread, not decoration added at the end — cut it before the second prove so the pattern opens as it bakes.
