Name: Qudsia Ali
Class Year: 1995
Country of Residence: Saudi Arabia
Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory?
I really like bread and testing different bread roll recipes. I have come to really enjoy the versatility of the Turkish Pogaca dough. The yogurt in this dough makes the bread nice and soft. Here I have taken a slightly spicy chicken mixture as a filling in making a stuffed bread. This recipe will make 2 large or 3 medium sized breads. This can be enjoyed with tea or eaten as a meal with a nice salad on the side!
Masala Chicken Bread
Serves 4-6. Takes approx. 2h 15min
Ingredients:
Ingredients for the Dough:
- 3 ¼ cup (425g) all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ (1 sachet) instant yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt
- 1 egg, beaten
- ½ cup olive oil or melted butter
- ½ cup warm milk
Ingredients for the Masala Chicken Filling:
- 300g chicken breast fillets, fat trimmed
- ½ onion, chopped finely
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- ¾ tsp coriander powder
- ¾ tsp cumin powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- pinch cinnamon (optional)
- 2 tbsp yogurt, beaten lightly
- Few coriander leaves, chopped
- Ingredients for the topping:
- I egg, beaten with 1 tsp of water
- Sesame seeds or nigella seeds for decoration
Instructions:
For the Dough:
In a medium sized bowl, combine the instant yeast with the flour and salt. Add in all the other ingredients and mix. (If using regular dry yeast, first mix the yeast in the warm milk and leave it for 5 minutes until frothy, then add in the other ingredients.) Knead well for a few minutes with your hands until the dough comes together and is not sticky. Shape the dough into a ball and cover the bowl with a damp cloth. Let dough rise for 45-60 mins until doubled in size. Meanwhile prepare the filling.
For the Masala Chicken Filling:
In a medium size saucepan combine chicken with the onion, garlic, spices and yogurt. Add about ¼ cup water and let cook covered on medium heat until cooked through and water is dried (about 20 minutes). In case the water is not dried by the time the chicken cooks, remove the cooked chicken and dry the sauce to a creamy consistency.
Allow the chicken to cool. Once cooled, shred the chicken, and mix it well with the sauce and chopped coriander leaves.
For the Bread:
Once the dough has risen, punch down the dough. Divide it into 2 or 3 equal pieces. Take one piece and roll it out into a rectangle a few millimeters thick. Place one-half (or one-third) of the filling lengthwise in the center third of the rectangle. Make diagonal slits in the dough to both sides of the filling (see picture). Starting from the top (slits facing downward) bring the slit ends across each other alternately in a criss-cross pattern. Pinch the last two crossed slits to seal the dough. Transfer the bread to a parchment lined baking sheet.
Repeat with the other dough pieces.
Cover the breads with a kitchen towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 180 C (350 F).
Brush the breads with the egg wash and sprinkle them with the seeds.
Bake the breads for 20-25 minutes until nicely browned.
Remove from the oven and let the breads cool for 10 minutes before cutting and enjoying.
Source:
Adapted from https://thebigmansworld.com/pulled-tandoori-chicken/