KUMBA BREAD

We grew up eating this satisfying sandwich bread that is popularly called “Kumba Bread” in Cameroon. That’s because most of the bakeries that first made these loaves were located in Kumba, a fiesty town in the South West region of Cameroon. The Nigerian equivalent of this loaf would be Agege Bread.Sweet memories of having this bread with Ovaltine beverage fill our heart. If we were expecting a guest from another town, we would want them to show up with some Kumba Bread. We remember how our mouthed younger brother embarrassed a visitor because he showed up all the way from Mamfe to Yaounde to see us with no bread. Hah!Making bread at home is addictive and if this is confession time, we are saying with knees bowed and hands raised that, “We are addicted to making homemade bread.” we love the fact that you can put whatever you want into your bread. You can use whole wheat flour, add dried fruits, you name it. The smell that fills your house in unbeatable and one very important thing is that your bread is free of additives or preservatives.This is how we make Kumba Bread at home.KUMBA BREAD RECIPEPrep: 20 minsInactive time: 2 hoursCook: 20 minsYield: 1 loaf
Utensil needed
Loaf baking pan
Ingredients
Flour (All-Purpose or Bread Flour)- 3 cupsYeast- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons or 1 small sachetWarm water- 1 cupSugar- 2 tablespoonsSalt: 1 teaspoonNutmeg: half teaspoonDry whole milk: half cupVegetable oil: 2 tablespoonsHere is the fun part:
Put warm water in a bowl and add yeast to it in order to activate it.

Throw in your flour, salt, sugar, nutmeg and milk.

Mix until you form a dough that’s not too hard. It should be soft and really stretchy. A hard dough will result in a hard loaf.

Put the dough on a floured surface.

Knead it for 5-10 minutes. You can knead for up to twenty minutes if you have more time. Time is not always our friend so we just knead for a few minutes. The kneading will improve texture and make your dough smoother.

Put your vegetable oil in a bowl.

Spread the oil round the bowl.

Put in your dough and let the oil rub all over it. This prevents it from sticking to the bowl while rising.

Cover with a plastic wrap.

Cover with a kitchen towel.

Keep in a warm place to rise for about one to one and a half hours. We usually put our oven on for about a minute then turn it off and let the dough rise inside. After it must have more than doubled in size. Open it up. Yes, yes, yes! Good things are happening!

Punch it down to deflate and form into a rectangle to fit your loaf pan. Grease your loaf pan and place bread inside.

Let it rise in a warm place again for about 30 minutes.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 Degrees Fahrenheit for about 15-20 minutes or until bread gets a pale brown colour.

Notes

If you would like your bread to have a glossy/shiny look, beat and egg and brush the top of the dough just before baking.

CHECK OUT MY OTHER BREAD RECIPES:

• Milk Bread– The bread that needs no filling.
• Dinner Rolls– The rolls that make your ride on waves of ecstasy (what does that even mean?)
• Chocolate bread– The love of our life… and Mr N’s life… and the girls’ lives.
• Coconut Bread– The coconut lover’s dream bread.

Love,