[ Bread ]
by Zera
@ 11.10.2009 22:13 Bern / Europe

Hard to believe but sometimes cuts are a good thing. We buy our bread from the outstanding "Vechigen Reform" bakery. They do very nice dark and moist bread. Even me who usually prefers white bread can't stop eating it.
But for the weekend brunch I still prefer white bread, better braided bread which is very common in Switzerland.
Since the beginning of the year we try to live on a tight budget. But certain things are easier to abstain from than others. We don't go out for dinner, ok that's a pity but can be done, we found a new everyday wine that costs half as much and is even better that the old one, nice. Kevin tries all the cheap beers at the supermarket... but I am not ready to do without organic food I realized. (I know here one could economize a lot ). When I realized that Vechigen Braided bread costs 8€ I knew I had to start baking again because I really don't like the supermarket alternative.
Now 3/4 of a year later I am quite proud of my "Zopf" as we call this type of bread. In the beginning it was to dense and never salty enough. Now it's fluffy and salty. The clue is I let it rest for the night which means that I have to make the dough Friday evening which usually is quite tough after a week of work. But Saturday morning, when the smell of fresh bread is in the house, all the hassle is forgotten, and we happily eat the still warm bread.
1 kg "Zopfmehl" 90% all purpose flour 10% spelt flour
4 tbs salt
42 gr fresh yeast dissolved with 2 tbs sugar
160 gr unsalted butter at room temperature
5 dl milk
1 eggs
Mix flour and salt. Add the rest and knead very well. With the occasional beating.
Let it rest during the night. Make the braid and brush with egg .
Bake for 40 minutes on 220°
By the way the bread lies on Banksy's fantastic book " Wall and Piece"

A few streets from where we live is a lovely indian restaurant called Mahamaya we go there as often as our budget allows. Which, at the moment is hardly ever. It's one of our favorite places for several reasons: It's a cosy place, they serve cobra beer ( kevins main reason to go there ;-) lovely indian food and they make a flat bread called kulcha which is my main reason to go there. Kulcha is supposed to be an punjabi speciality and it's just one of the best things I have ever eaten.
For several weeks now I tried to make my own kulcha. I started with googling kulcha and found several recipes, which to me did not sound like my kulcha at all, mainly because they don't use cilantro which to me is the main ingredient in the mahamaya kulcha.
It's my new grill party classic, people love it and keep asking for the recipe so here it comes - kulcha my way:
I usually buy readymade pizza dough but of course you can make fresh pizza dough. I guess thats makes even nicer.


Makes roughly 8 Kulcha
1 kg Pizza dough
1 big onion
100 gr silken tofu you could probably also use yoghurt or better paneer
a handful pine nuts
1 tbs good indian curry powder
a bunch of cilantro roughly chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper
Slice the onion, cook in a frying pan, slowly till golden and sweet. Ad the pine nuts and the curry power. Stir for a bit. Ad the tofu salt and pepper and continue stirring for a few more minutes. Take off the heat ad the and ad the cilantro.


Roll out the pizza bread and fill with 1- 2 tbs of the filling. Rub with some olive oil and put on the grill. It only needs a few minutes on each side, depending on how thin you rolled the dough. Don't walk away the get burned very quickly.
They are best grilled on the fire but you can also make them in the oven.
Oh and by the way, even people who say they don't like cilantro love this brad.
