Here's how you can use your automatic breadmaker to produce breads from all around the world.
They have been tested using Canadian measures and ingredients: unless otherwise mentioned, white all purpose flour (13% protein), white sugar-cane sugar, large eggs, unsalted butter and 'active dried' yeast. Ingredients are added to the pan in the order given. For notes on ingredients and techniques, see my Canadian bread page. Many of them are properly made in special shapes or are cooked on a griddle, which of course a breadmaker doesn't do, but an authentic taste should be there.
If you are native to any of the countries whose bread is shown here, I
welcome comments to make their taste more typical of your cuisine.
Basic White Bread | ||
---|---|---|
water | 12 fl.oz | The staff of life around the globe. Here's where it all starts: the recipe that forms the mainstay of bakeries everywhere that make leavened breads. Get this recipe right for your ingredients, machine and methods, then use it as the base for the other recipes here. |
sugar | 1-1/4 Tbsp | |
salt | 1/2 tsp | |
vegetable oil | 2 Tbsp | |
flour | 4 cup | |
yeast | 1 tsp | |
Arabia: Za'atar Bread (Manakeesh bi Za'atar) | ||
za'atar mix | 1/3 cup | To Basic White Bread add za'atar mix and chopped onion. Za'atar mixes (ground sesame, sumac, salt and herbs) are found in Mid-Eastern stores. Note that za'atar refers to a specific herb (Origanum syriacum) and also to a mix - you want a mix. Street vendors throughout the Mid-East sell pita bread that's dipped in olive oil then in a local za'atar mix, or breads with a za'atar topping or filling. |
onion | 1/2 cup | |
Armenia: Easter Bread (Choereg) | ||
sugar | 1/2 cup | In Basic White Bread increase sugar, replace oil with butter, reduce liquid a bit. Toast the sesame. Mahleb is found in Mid-Eastern stores, it's the "bread spice" throughout south and east Mediterranean cultures, and must be ground fresh for proper flavour. Black sesame seeds have more oil and anti-oxidants than pale sesame, and are preferred throughout Asia. |
butter | 1/2 cup | |
mahleb | 2 tsp | |
water | 11 fl.oz | |
caraway seed | 1 tsp | |
black sesame seed | 2 Tbsp | |
Austria: Fruit Bread (Kletzenbrot) | ||
honey | 1/4 cup | In Basic White Bread use honey as sweetener, replace 1 cup of wheat flour by rye and whole grain wheat flour, add cut up fruit and nuts when kneading is almost complete. The fruit mix can be any combination desired of raisins, dates and candied peels. This is traditionally baked on 21 December, originally St. Thomas the Apostle's feast day (and Christmas day as well as New Year, thanks to Roman errors in the Julian calendar). |
rye flour | 1/2 cup | |
gluten flour | 2 Tbsp | |
whole wheat flour | 1/2 cup | |
white flour | 3 cup | |
dried pears | 1/2 cup | |
fruit mix | 1/2 cup | |
slivered almonds | 2 Tbsp | |
Azerbaijan: Spiced Yoghurt Bread (Ovma-sheki Fyatir) | ||
yoghurt | 12 fl.oz | In Basic White Bread use natural unsweeted yoghurt for the liquid, increase sugar, add spice mix, omit oil (it's in the yoghurt). A typical spice mix includes cardamon, ginger, coriander seed, cinnamon and nutmeg. Don't use more than 1 tsp cinnamon, it will set back the yeast. |
sugar | 1/4 cup | |
spice mix | 2 Tbsp | |
egg white | 1 Tbsp | Just before baking starts, brush the top of the loaf with egg white coloured with saffron, sprinkle with poppy seed. |
saffron | pinch | |
poppy seed | 2 Tbsp | |
Bavaria: Pumpernickel Bread | ||
strong coffee | 6 fl.oz | There are far too many ridiculous legends about the origin of the name of this traditional bread! Vinegar, although not traditional, helps a bread machine to knead the sticky dough; good yoghurt is also acidic. Caraway seed is the general favourite, but many local Bavarian cuisines use others such as toasted sunflower. Commercial bakeries often add blackened caramel to darken the colour instead of cocoa. Add the seeds right away, bread machines need the time to distribute them among the thick dough. If you prefer some seeds on top, use this method. If the dough ball doesn't glisten with moisture after 5 min kneading, add a bit more liquid. |
natural yoghurt | 7 oz | |
vinegar | 1 Tbsp | |
molasses | 2 oz | |
brown sugar | 2 Tbsp | |
salt | 1/2 tsp | |
butter | 1 oz | |
white flour | 1-1/4 cup | |
dark rye flour | 2 cup | |
whole wheat flour | 1/2 cup | |
cocoa | 2 Tbsp | |
gluten flour | 2 Tbsp | |
caraway seeds | 1/4 cup | |
yeast | 1-1/2 tsp | |
Belize: Coconut Bread | ||
coconut milk | 13 fl.oz | In Basic White Bread use coconut milk for the liquid, increase sugar, increase yeast a bit. Several Central American cuisines have a similar bread. In Samoa, it's baked in a pan in coconut milk, like a dumpling. |
sugar | 1/4 cup | |
yeast | 1-1/4 tsp | |
Bulgaria: Bird of Paradise Bread (Khliab Raiska Ptitsa) | ||
egg white | 1 Tbsp | This bread gets its name from the decorative placement of cheese, olives and red pepper, mimicking the colourful flower. Cut cheese pieces thin so they won't sink into the dough. Just before baking starts, brush top of loaf with egg white, arrange yellow cheese rectangles to form a cross, white cheese triangles between the rectangles, a half olive on top of each of the white triangles, a star shaped piece of red pepper in the center. Sometime thin slices of ham are used for the rectangles. |
white cheese | 4 pieces | |
yellow cheese | 4 pieces | |
black olives | 2 | |
sweet red pepper | 1 piece | |
Cree: Winter Bread | ||
fresh berries | 13 oz | In Basic White Bread use berries for the liquid, lard for the fat. This is inspired by the bread made by the Cree who live around Hudson's Bay, which since time immemorial was made of equal parts animal fat, corn meal and berries, moulded around a stick and baked over an open fire. (Today, they add baking powder and sugar.) True winter fare for anyone who spends all day outdoors, combining energy and vitamin C. If you use dried berries, such as currants, use 1 cup and add water to total 13 fl.oz. |
lard | 3 oz | |
Denmark: Rye Bread (Sigtebrod) | ||
water | 10 fl.oz | Boil the molasses, salt, grated peel and seed mix in the water so their flavour spreads evenly throughout the dough, let cool. A common Scandinavian seed mix is equal parts of anise, caraway and fennel seeds. An alternate treatment for the seeds is to grind them finely with the peel. If the dough is too sticky for your machine to handle easily, a Tbsp cider vinegar will help. |
molasses | 1/4 cup | |
salt | 1/2 tsp | |
orange peel | 1 Tbsp | |
seed mix | 1 Tbsp | |
cardamom | 1 tsp | |
vegetable oil | 2 Tbsp | Use the autolyse method. To above mix, add rest of ingredients; it will rise about 3/4 the height of Basic White Bread. |
dark rye flour | 2 cup | |
bread flour | 2 cup | |
gluten flour | 2 Tbsp | |
dried buttermilk | 1/4 cup | |
yeast | 1-1/4 tsp | |
Egypt: Sesame Onion Bread (Eesh Baladi) | ||
onion | 1/4 cup | To Basic White Bread add chopped onion and toasted sesame. |
sesame seed | 1/4 cup | |
Eritrea: Spiced Bread (Hembesha) | ||
fenugreek seed | 1 tsp | To Basic White Bread add ground seeds and crushed garlic. If you use pre-ground spices, their flavour will be duller and heavier than if fresh ground, so increase pepper a bit to compensate. |
coriander seed | 1/2 tsp | |
cardamom seed | 1/2 tsp | |
white pepper | pinch | |
garlic | 1 clove | |
Ethiopia: Honey Bread (Dabo) | ||
milk | 10 fl.oz | In Basic White Bread use goat milk for the liquid if you can get it, honey for the sweetener, sesame oil, add spices. Dabo is baked for special events in huge loaves. Set breadmaker for light crust, and sweet bread cycle if you have one. |
honey | 1/2 cup | |
sesame oil | 2 Tbsp | |
coriander | 1 Tbsp | |
cinnamon | 1/2 tsp | |
cloves | pinch | |
Fiji: Sweet Potato Bread | ||
sweet potato | 10 oz | In Basic White Bread replace liquid by cooked mashed sweet potato and coconut milk, add ginger and lemon zest, increase yeast a bit. A Hawaiian would use pineapple juice instead of coconut milk. The Maori of New Zealand make a sourdough bread based on sweet potato (Kumara Paraoa), but of course without tropical coconut or spices. |
coconut milk | 5 fl.oz | |
ginger | 1 tsp | |
lemon zest | 1 Tbsp | |
yeast | 1-1/4 tsp | |
Georgia: Cheese Filled Bread (Khachapuri) | ||
egg | 1 | Whisk egg with vinegar, mix in finely chopped or grated cheeses, fill Basic White Bread (method here). Georgians use their salty pickled suluguni cheese, replaced here with mozzarella, vinegar and feta available in Canada, and bake it on a griddle as a cross between a cheese pie and pizza. |
vinegar | 1 Tbsp | |
feta cheese | 2 oz | |
mozzarella cheese | 4 oz | |
Germany: Chocolate Cranberry Filled Bread (Gugelhupf) | ||
chocolate | 4 oz | A German will use grated bittersweet chocolate, but 3 oz. semisweet chips will do. Mix everything together, moisten enough so it sticks together, fill Basic White Bread (method here). Finely chopped walnuts are traditional, as is baking in a bundt pan. |
dried cranberries | 1/3 cup | |
nut meal | 1/2 cup | |
cinnamon | 1/2 tsp | |
Greece: Olive Bread (Eliopsomo) | ||
water | 11 fl.oz | With Basic White Bread decrease liquid a bit (the olives release some), add oregano, chopped garlic and chopped onion. Pit and cut olives in half, add near end of kneading. A Greek bakery would use lots of an olive oil handcrafted by a local village and selected for maximum fresh olive taste, and work in as many olives as the dough can support. |
oregano | 1 tsp | |
garlic | 2 cloves | |
green onion | 1 | |
black olives | 3/4 cup | |
Guatemala: Mango Lime Bread | ||
lime juice | 1 | With Basic White Bread grate the zest and squeeze the juice from one lime, mash the mango, add water to total 12 fl.oz.; use brown sugar, add cinnamon and allspice. Sliced mango tossed in salt and lime juice or vinegar (mango y vinagre) is a common street food in Guatemala. |
lime zest | 1 | |
mango | 6 oz | |
water | to make 12 fl.oz | |
brown sugar | 1/4 cup | |
cinnamon | 1/2 tsp | |
allspice | 1/2 tsp | |
Haiti: Sweet Bread | ||
coffee | 11 fl.oz | In Basic White Bread use coffee for the liquid, replace sugar by honey, add allspice. Allspice is native to Haiti, coffee to the Haitian homeland in Africa. |
honey | 1/4 cup | |
allspice | 1/2 tsp | |
Hungary: Poppy Seed Filled Bread (Beigli) | ||
sugar | 1/4 cup | To Basic White Bread increase sugar, add cinnamon. In Croatia these are known as makovnjaca, in Poland, makowiec. |
cinnamon | 1/2 tsp | |
poppy seed | 1 cup | Filling: Grate rind from an orange, combine with other ingredients in saucepan, bring to boil, cover and let cool, stir firmly so everything sticks to the softened raisins. (Filling directions here.) |
sugar | 1/4 cup | |
orange rind | 1 | |
raisins | 1/2 cup | |
water | 1/4 cup | |
Iran: Soda-Glazed Bread (Barbari) | ||
baking soda | 1 tsp | Mix soda, flour and water, bring to boil, let cool. Just before baking starts, dimple top of Basic White Bread with fingers, brush generously with soda mixture, sprinkle with black sesame seed. |
flour | 1 tsp | |
water | 1/3 cup | |
black sesame seed | 2 Tbsp | |
Italy: Herbed Cheese Bread | ||
hard cheese | 4 oz | To Basic White Bread add cheese, herb mix and crushed garlic, omit oil (it's in the cheese). In the north of Italy, Parmesan cheese would be used, in central regions Romano, in the south a Pecorino. Every Italian cook has their own special herb mix, equal amounts of fresh-crushed rosemary, marjoram, basil and thyme is a good start. Reduce cheese to 3 oz with vertical pans to ensure good rise. |
herb mix | 1-1/2 Tbsp | |
garlic | 1 clove | |
Italy: Squash Seed & Pancetta Bread | ||
squash seed | 3/4 cup | To Basic White Bread add squash seed and sage, omit oil, add pancetta near the end of kneading. Pancetta is Italian bacon; sliced thin as parchment, it crisps quickly. Cool it and chop finely, chop the sage leaves, toast hulled squash seed until light brown. The bacon and seed contain all the oil needed. |
pancetta | 2 oz | |
sage | 2 leaves | |
Latvia: Rye Bread (Saldskaaba Maize) | ||
apple juice | 11 fl.oz | Use the autolyse method, and natural or pasteurized apple juice without preservatives. Rye grows further north than wheat, so is traditional in northern countries. Moisture is more critical for rye flour than for wheat, even a Tbsp too much makes the loaf flat. This is a dense bread, rising about 1/2 the height of Basic White Bread, and won't rise significantly more with longer rise time or more kneading. It properly uses a rye sourdough and is mixed up in a wooden container with a strong wooden spoon made for the task. The unauthentic vinegar and gluten here are necessary additions for a bread machine. Finns make a similar bread, using water instead of apple juice, in flat loaves that they dry for long term storage. Russian Borodinski bread is also similar, using water and adding coriander seed to the caraway, as is German Vollkornbrot which adds pre-soaked whole and cracked rye. |
cider vinegar | 2 Tbsp | |
sugar | 2 Tbsp | |
salt | 1/2 tsp | |
vegetable oil | 2 Tbsp | |
dark rye flour | 4 cup | |
gluten flour | 1/3 cup | |
caraway seed | 1 Tbsp | |
yeast | 1-1/2 tsp | |
Lithuania: Potato Bread (Bulvinis Ragaisis) | ||
raw potato | 6 oz | In Basic White Bread replace water by grated raw potato, milk and sour cream. Use organically grown potatos; standard P.E.I. potatos will kill the yeast. Norwegians have a similar bread. |
milk | 7 fl.oz | |
sour cream | 2 Tbsp | |
Lithuania: Poppy Seed Bread (Kaledu Pyragas) | ||
water | 11 fl.oz | In Basic White Bread reduce water, use honey for sweetener, add poppy seed. Muscat raisins are oven-dried white grapes; add them when kneading is almost complete. Just before baking starts, top with more poppy seed. Lithuanians associate poppy seed with celebration; they are served at most auspicious occasions and holidays such as Christmas and New Year's. |
honey | 1/4 cup | |
poppy seed | 1/4 cup | |
Muscat raisins | 1 cup | |
Mexico: Savoury Bread (Mochos) | ||
onion | 2 oz | Finely chop onion and garlic, sauté with pepper and allspice in the oil of Basic White Bread until completely soft, cool and add to liquid. The onion and garlic flavour should almost disappear leaving a light savoury flavour with a hint of bite from the pepper. |
garlic | 1 clove | |
pepper | 1/2 tsp | |
allspice | 1/2 tsp | |
Netherlands: Spice Bread (Ontbijtkoek) | ||
milk | 10 fl.oz | In Basic White Bread use milk for liquid (reduced due to molasses), molasses as sweetener, add spices, omit oil, increase yeast (the spices depress it a bit). |
molasses | 1/2 cup | |
cloves | 1/2 tsp | |
nutmeg | 1/2 tsp | |
ginger | 1 tsp | |
yeast | 1-1/4 tsp | |
Norway: Ginger Rye Bread (Verterkake) | ||
dark beer | 10 fl.oz | Use the autolyse method. The original uses a malt ginger soda called vørterøl; this substitutes beer available in Canada and ginger. Add currants near end of kneading. It will rise about 3/4 the height of Basic White Bread. The beer makes the mix a bit acid, reducing the gummy effect of the natural pentosans in rye. |
corn syrup | 2 fl.oz | |
salt | 1/2 tsp | |
black pepper | 1/2 tsp | |
ginger | 1 tsp | |
cloves | 1/4 tsp | |
vegetable oil | 2 Tbsp | |
dark rye flour | 2 cup | |
wheat flour | 1-3/4 cup | |
gluten flour | 1/4 cup | |
yeast | 1-1/4 tsp | |
currants | 1/4 cup | |
Poland: Egg Bread (Babka) | ||
egg yolks | 6 or more | In Basic White Bread use egg yolks for part or all of liquid, increase sugar, replace oil by butter, add lemon zest and almond flour; add raisins when kneading is almost complete. Poles make this bread to celebrate the return of eggs to food after Lent - authentic recipes use egg yolks for all the liquid required. It's properly made in a bell-shaped mould. |
water | to make 10 fl.oz | |
sugar | 1/2 cup | |
lemon zest | 1 Tbsp | |
butter | 4 oz | |
almond flour | 1/4 cup | |
raisins | 1/3 cup | |
Portugal: Sweet Bread | ||
sugar | 1/3 cup | In Basic White Bread increase sugar, add buttermilk, juices and vanilla. |
dried buttermilk | 1/4 cup | |
lemon juice | 1 tsp | |
orange juice | 1 tsp | |
vanilla extract | 1/2 tsp | |
Romania: Corn and Feta Cheese Bread | ||
yoghurt | 12 fl.oz | In Basic White Bread use yoghurt for liquid, add crumbled feta cheese and corn meal, increase yeast a bit, omit oil (it's in the yoghurt). Corn, that provides so many calories per acre of farmland, is very common in today's Romania. |
feta cheese | 3 oz | |
corn meal | 1/2 cup | |
yeast | 1-1/4 tsp | |
Russia: Nut Filled Bread (Kolachi) | ||
ground nuts | 1-1/2 cup | Cream nuts, sugar and lemon zest with sour cream, fill Basic White Bread (method here). Romanians make a similar bread that they braid after filling (Cozonac). |
sugar | 1/4 cup | |
lemon zest | pinch | |
sour cream | 1/2 cup | |
Serbia: Sour Cream Bread (Pogacha) | ||
milk | 4 fl.oz | In Basic White Bread use sour cream and milk for liquid, omit oil (it's in the sour cream). This bread is common throughout the region, including neighbouring Croatia and Macedonia. |
sour cream | 8 fl.oz | |
Sweden: Christmas Bread | ||
milk | 12 fl.oz | In Basic White Bread use milk for liquid, increase sugar, replace oil by butter, add cardamom. The Swedish-Canadian original used local sun-dried berries and fruit - currants and citron or mixed fruit peel are modern supermarket substitutes. Add them when kneading is almost complete. The original had twice the butter and sugar - I'm sure it tasted great in a prairie sod house at 40 below, but is a bit much in a modern centrally-heated house, even at Christmas. Just about every European cuisine has a similar bread for Christmas, loaded with as much butter, sugar, spices and dried fruits as the dough can support, Norwegians call their's Julekake. |
sugar | 1/3 cup | |
butter | 3 oz | |
cardamom | 1/2 tsp | |
currants | 1/2 cup | |
citron peel | 1/2 cup | |
Switzerland: Alpine Baguettes | ||
rye flour | 1/2 cup | In Basic White Bread replace 1/2 cup wheat flour by rye flour, omit oil, add rolled oats and a rustic seed mix such as equal parts of toasted whole sunflower, squash and sesame seeds. |
white flour | 3-1/2 cup | |
gluten flour | 2 Tbsp | |
rolled oats | 1/3 cup | |
seed mix | 4 oz | |
Tunisia: Semolina Bread (Khubz Mbassis) | ||
water | 14 fl.oz | In Basic White Bread replace half flour by semolina meal and gluten flour, omit oil, increaseliquid, add seed. An alternative to the grain of paradise seed is a tsp ground mahleb and a Tbsp anise seed. Grain of paradise (Amomum melegueta, melegueta pepper) and mahleb can be found in Mid-East food stores. |
semolina meal | 2 cup | |
white flour | 2 cup | |
gluten flour | 1/3 cup | |
grain of paradise | 2 Tbsp | |
Ukraine: Cabbage Filled Bread (Pagach) | ||
cabbage | 8 oz | In Basic White Bread omit oil; this is a Lenten bread. Shred cabbage, sprinkle with salt, toss and press under heel of hand until no crunch is left, fill (method here). |
salt | 1/4 tsp | |
Turkey: Cornbread (Misir Ekmegi) | ||
egg | 1 | In Basic White Bread add egg, replace some flour by corn meal and gluten, add lemon zest, increase yeast. The egg is essential for proper rise. Corn is available ground fine (flour, particle size less than 0.3 mm), medium (meal, 0.3-0.6 mm) and coarse (grits, greater than 0.6 mm). Look for bright yellow stone ground meal for the most authentic texture and flavour. In some regions of Turkey this bread is made with water, cornmeal and nothing else, essentially a baked porridge, in other regions leavening is used as here. Spread it with yoghurt or hot butter, or dip in soup. |
water | to make 12 fl.oz | |
corn meal | 2 cup | |
white flour | 1-1/2 cup | |
gluten flour | 1/2 cup | |
lemon zest | pinch | |
yeast | 1-1/2 tsp | |
Turkey: Feta Cheese Bread (Peynirli Ekmek) | ||
yoghurt | 11 fl.oz | In Basic White Bread use yoghurt as liquid, add crumbled feta cheese, chopped dill, parsley & onion, omit oil (the cheese and yoghurt have plenty). With a vertical pan, reduce cheese to 3 oz. to ensure good rise. |
feta cheese | 4 oz | |
dill weed | 2 Tbsp | |
parsley | 2 Tbsp | |
green onion | 1 | |
Tuscany: Grape Harvest Bread (Schiacciata con l'Uva) | ||
fresh grapes | 13 oz | In Basic White Bread use grapes instead of water, add crushed rosemary. When I was young, grape harvest in the Niagara Peninsula was celebrated by a parade the whole length of town, with harvesters throwing bunches of grapes to onlookers. I prefer grapes with seeds, the way they were when I was young - they turn crunchy when baked. Crush the grapes between your fingers to make it easier for the kneader to incorporate their liquid with the flour. Most Tuscans would keep a branch of rosemary in a bottle of olive oil to get the rosemary essence for cooking. |
rosemary | 1 Tbsp | |
Uganda: Pineapple Peanut Bread | ||
crushed pineapple | 10 fl.oz | Although both pineapple and peanut are native to South America, they've been grown in sub-Saharan Africa and been part of its cuisine for over a century. In Basic White Bread replace liquid with drained crushed pineapple and juice, increase sugar and yeast (pineapple slows down yeast a bit), add chopped well-roasted peanuts. The dough will look dry for the first few minutes of kneading until the moisture is pressed out of the pineapple. |
pineapple juice | 3 fl.oz | |
sugar | 2 Tbsp | |
yeast | 1-1/4 tsp | |
peanuts | 1 cup | |
United States: Anadama Bread | ||
corn grits | 1 cup | The original was made with cooked corn grits, but autolysing brings out the natural sugars of the corn better. Mix corn and water, cover, let stand at room temperature overnight. |
water | 1 cup | |
water | 5 fl.oz | To Basic White Bread add soaked corn grits, reduce water to allow for water in the corn, use molasses instead of sugar. |
molasses | 1/4 cup | |
Uruguay: Sweet Anise Bread | ||
corn syrup | 3 fl.oz | In Basic White Bread use corn syrup for sweetener, add whole anise seed, reduce liquid, omit oil (to improve the taste of the anise). This is a traditional breakfast bread. |
water | 11 fl.oz | |
anise seed | 1 Tbsp | |
Wales: Bara Brith | ||
cinnamon | pinch | To Basic White Bread add cinnamon and buttermilk powder. Add currants near the end of kneading. This is made either with baking soda (similar to Irish Spotted Dog) or this way, with yeast. |
buttermilk powder | 1/3 cup | |
currants | 4 oz |