Traditional Trini Hops bread is a big part of our food culture in Trinidad & Tobago. However hops seldom gets mentioned in the conversation about our cuisine. I remember my parents stopping by Jacqueline’s or Bread Basket in the afternoon to buy hops on the way home. The smell of freshly baked hops filled the car and you were almost certain that one of those breads wasn’t making it all the way home.
The traditional hops bread that I grew up knowing had a flaky, crispy crust with a soft and chewy interior. They were always sold in a brown paper bag, never plastic. I remember when it was 50 cents for a hops bread then it went up to 75 cents per hops.
This is a recipe that I have been working on for over the last month or so. I’ve done a lot of tweaking, tried different measurements and different ingredients. This version of the recipe gives solid results.
Traditional Trini Hops Bread
Ingredients
Ingredients By Weight
- 700 grams Baker's Flour
- 197 grams Water (lukewarm or tepid)
- 258 grams Beer (room temperature)
- 8 grams Yeast
- 5 grams Salt
- 2 tbsp Melted Vegetable Shortening (for brushing loaves)
- 2 cups Hot Water (to create steam in oven when baking)
Ingredients By Volume
- 5 ⅔ cups Baker's Or Bread Flour
- 2 cups Lukewarm Water
- 1 ¾ tsp Yeast
- 1 ¾ tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Brown Sugar
Instructions
- Combine beer, water, salt and yeast in a bowl then mix until combined.
- Add flour to mixture then bring together using a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Knead dough for approximately 5 minutes or until smooth
- Allow to rest for 60 minutes while doing 3 sets of stretches and folds at 20 minute intervals.
- Rub hands with melted shortening then portion dough into 12 pieces
- Stretch and fold dough pieces onto themselves to form a tight ball then place on a smooth surface and roll in a circular motion to tighten the "skin" of the dough.
- Place in a baking tray and allow to rest for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Brush with melted vegetable shortening.
- Place in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes
- Place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes
- Enjoy!
Video
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