My current favourite recipe book is Mamushka by Olia Hercules. A friend told me a while back how interesting and delicious Ukrainian cuisine was and when I read about the book on Twitter towards the end of last year, I immediately ordered a copy. The cuisine is something that is totally foreign to me and I have loved reading about the food and the traditions Olia recalls. I have been itching to bake some of the fantastic breads in the book (amongst an array of recipes I want to try) and this Ukrainian Garlic Bread is the first recipe I want to share from the book.
Olia’s introduction to the recipe made it impossible to resist baking the bread : “The word pampushka can be used to describe a gorgeous plump woman and is one of my favourite words. Pam-poo-shka! The pampushky are traditionally served with red borshch. In Ukraine, we would use regular garlic, so if you can’t find wet (new) garlic don’t worry – it will still be delicious.
The recipe is easy (I did amend the quantity of yeast a bit and let the dough come to room temperature the next day) but you need to plan just a bit as it does prove overnight. It is such a delicious and beautiful loaf of bread, glistening with the garlic oil poured over it as it comes out of the oven. I have no doubt in my mind it will be an absolute winner at your next barbecue!
Ingredients
- 10g instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 225ml warm water (blood temperature)
- 400g white flour, plus extra for dusting
- 8g fine sea salt
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil, plus extra for oiling
- 20g wet (new) or regular garlic, crushed
- half a bunch parsley, finely chopped
- 1 egg, beaten to glaze
Instructions
- Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the water
- Add 200g of the flour and mix roughly
- Cover with clingfilm and leave to prove in the refrigerator overnight
- Remove from the fridge and leave the sponge at room temperature for 30 minutes
- Add the rest of the flour and salt and knead on a well-floured work surface until the dough is smooth and comes away from your hands easily
- Divide the dough into 8 pieces and shape into round buns
- Put them side by side in an oiled round overnproof dish or caketin (20cm diameter), cover and let them prove in a warm place until doubled in size. They will join together just like hot cross buns
- Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C
- To make the garlic oil, simply stir the crushed garlic through the oil with a small pinch of salt and the parsley and let it infuse
- When the pampushky look plump and ready, brush them generously with some beaten egg and bake for 20 - 25 minutes until they form a golden crust
- Take the bread out from the oven and baste with the garlic oil
- Serve immediately
More photos, food and travel stories on: Instagram Pinterest Twitter Facebook
Chris von Ulmentein
Feb 22, 2016
Hi Hein
I’m looking at photographs in a whole new light (pardon the pun) since yesterday’s fabulous Food Photo Workshop. I look forward to receiving more of your blogposts.
Chris von Ulmenstein
heinstirred
Feb 22, 2016
That makes me so happy to hear Chris!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
Feb 23, 2016
Loving this garlic bread, my Russian grandmother makes something quite similar – definitely looks delicious. And I love the photography too!
heinstirred
Feb 23, 2016
Thanks Thalia. I am enjoying exploring the cuisine through the book. Some more bakes I definitely want to try.
Sabrina
Feb 23, 2016
Wow, what a gorgeous garlic bread! Thanks for sharing 🙂
heinstirred
Feb 23, 2016
Thank you Sabrina!
Pampushky – Ukrainian Garlic Bread – Honest Cooking
Jul 8, 2016
[…] itching to bake some of the fantastic breads (amongst an array of recipes I want to try) and this Ukrainian Garlic Bread is the first recipe I want to […]