Harissa, garlic and coriander swirl bread recipe
Once you’ve baked your own bread, filling your kitchen with that unmistakable homely aroma, there’s no going back. With a few extra ingredients and some clever spicing, you can elevate your homemade loaf to something truly show-stopping that no one (yourself included) will be able to resist.
This pull-apart bread, from new cookbook Spice Kitchen: Vibrant Recipes and Spice Blends for the Home Cook by Sanjay Aggarwal, is a case in point. Wonderfully soft yet chewy, it’s laced with garlic, coriander and a swirl of made-from-scratch harissa paste, which Sanjay recommends using to add some subtle, fragrant spice to any of your favourite dishes.
The versatile paste, which is refreshingly simple to make, can be prepared in advance and then refrigerated or frozen. Stirred through soups and stews for a Moroccan twist, tossed through noodles or spooned over salads and healthy bowls for an extra, lively burst of flavour, it’ll soon become one of your go-to condiments. That is, when you’re not baking it into this ridiculously addictive bread.
Things to note:
This recipe requires a 23 cm (9 in) round cake tin (cake pan).
In addition to the preparation time, you'll need to allow up to 2 hours for the dough to rise.
The bread is delicious served warm, fresh from the oven. If you're making it in advance, allow to cool (without brushing with the oil) before wrapping in foil. To serve, pop it into a warm oven (180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4) for around 10 minutes, then baste with the oil.
The harissa paste will keep in a jar in the fridge for around 2 weeks.
Ingredients
- 1 red pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 tsp harissa
- 0.5 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1 red pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 tsp harissa
- 0.5 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 3 tsp harissa
- 0.5 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 100 ml boiling water
- 2 tsp sugar
- 200 ml cold water
- 7 g fast-action dried yeast
- 500 g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil, plus extra to oil the proving bowl
- 15 g fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 3.5 fl oz boiling water
- 2 tsp sugar
- 7 fl oz cold water
- 0.2 oz fast-action dried yeast
- 17.6 oz strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil, plus extra to oil the proving bowl
- 0.5 oz fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 0.4 cup boiling water
- 2 tsp sugar
- 0.8 cup cold water
- 0.2 oz fast-action dried yeast
- 17.6 oz bread flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp vegetable, sunflower or canola oil, plus extra to oil the proofing bowl
- 0.5 oz fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 large garlic clove, crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
Details
- Cuisine: International
- Recipe Type: Bread
- Difficulty: Medium
- Preparation Time: 60 mins
- Cooking Time: 85 mins
- Serves: 16
Step-by-step
For the harissa paste:
- Preheat your oven to 220°C fan/240°C/475°F/gas mark 9.
- Place the (bell) pepper in the oven until blackened on the outside and completely soft, which takes approximately 30 minutes.
- Remove with tongs and place in a plastic freezer bag. Leave until cool enough to handle, then rub the bag vigorously with both hands to peel the (bell) pepper.
- Remove it from the bag and discard the top, seeds, and any leftover peel.
- Heat the olive oil in a frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat and fry the onion until soft and just about to brown; then add the garlic and cook for another minute, stirring to ensure the garlic doesn't stick or burn.
- Add the cooked onions and garlic, the pepper and the remainder of the ingredients to a blender or a food processor and blitz together smoothly, adding a little more oil if needed.
For the bread:
- Place the sugar into a heatproof measuring jug, add the boiling water to dissolve the sugar, then top up with cold water.
- Make the dough by tipping the flour into a large bowl and adding the salt. Mix with a whisk to incorporate and break any clumps and mix in the dried yeast.
- Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Pour in the water and sugar mixture and the oil, and mix with a wooden spoon or a spatula until roughly combined.
- Flour your work surface lightly and tip the dough onto it; knead for at least 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Alternatively, if you have a mixer with a dough hook, combine all the ingredients in the mixer bowl as above, and instead of tipping out, use the dough hook. Set the mixer to the lowest setting and allow it to knead for 10 minutes.
- Place the dough in a clean oiled bowl, cover with cling film (plastic wrap), and leave in a warm place to prove (proof) until doubled in size (typically around 1-2 hours).
- Line a 23 cm (9 in) round cake tin (cake pan) with baking paper (parchment) or a liner.
- Flour your work surface and knock back the dough; rest for 10 minutes.
- Flatten it with your hands, then roll it into a rectangle of about 60 cm x 30 cm (24 in x 12 in).
- Spread the harissa paste thinly and evenly over the dough.
- Starting from one of the long sides, roll the dough inwards to form a long, thin sausage.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the dough into 16 pieces.
- Place the first piece upright in the middle of your cake tin, so you can see the swirl. Place five pieces in a circle around this first piece, leaving small gaps between to allow for proving (proofing). Place the remaining pieces around the circle in the same manner.
- Cover loosely with a clean dish towel and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 220ºC fan/240°C/475°F/gas mark 9. Bake the bread in the centre of the oven for 35-40 minutes. Keep an eye on it, and if it's browning too quickly, slightly dampen a piece of baking paper, scrunch it up, unwrap and place it gently over the bread.
- Meanwhile, mix the coriander (cilantro), the garlic and the olive oil, seasoning with salt, to taste.
- Remove the bread and, while still warm, brush with the garlic-infused oil before serving.
Recipe adapted from Spice Kitchen: Vibrant Recipes and Spice Blends for the Home Cook by Sanjay Aggarwal. (Quadrille, £22) Photography by: Dan Jones.
Spice Kitchen: Vibrant Recipes and Spice Blends for the Home Cook by Sanjay Aggarwal
Win a copy of Spice Kitchen
To enter, fill in the form below with your details before 23.59 BST on 16 July 2023.
Comments
Be the first to comment
Do you want to comment on this article? You need to be signed in for this feature