Shared by Ilanit Menachem
Shared by Ilanit Menachem
Appam (Cochini Shabbat Bread)
Yield: 10-12 servingsTime: 10 minutes plus 2 hours inactive
Appam (Cochini Shabbat Bread)
Yield: 10-12 servingsTime: 10 minutes plus 2 hours inactiveFamily Journey
Chendamangalam, IndiaGivat Ko’ach, IsraelRishon LeTsiyon
Atlit
The word appam typically refers to a lace-like crepe made with coconut milk and rice flour in Sri Lankan and South Indian kitchens. In Ilanit Menachem’s community, which comes from Cochin (present-day Kochi) on India's southwestern coast, it’s the name of a Shabbat bread made in a tube pan. Her grandmother Rebecca used to make the bread every Friday morning over a live fire, but her mother-in-law taught her to make a version that can be baked in an oven. It’s best dipped into dishes like ispetti, or beef with ginger, coriander, and potatoes in spicy tomato sauce.
Read more about Ilanit’s family in “Ilanit Menachem’s on a Mission to Preserve Cochini Jewish Recipes” and try her recipes for Cochin-style pastel (fried pastries filled with spiced chicken), and ispetti (spicy beef stew).
Ingredients
- 4 packets dry active yeast
- 3 cups lukewarm water, plus more as needed
- 6 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup ground semolina flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 3-4 cups of water
Preparation
Step 1
In a very large bowl, mix the yeast with 3 cups of lukewarm water. Set aside for at least 5 minutes to allow it to foam.
Step 2
Add in the remaining ingredients and whisk until very smooth. Add up to 1 cup of water as needed. The final dough should be very soft but neither liquidy nor pourable.
Step 3
Cover the bowl with a clean towel and set aside to rise for about an hour, until it doubles in size.
Step 4
Grease a 10-inch removable bottom tube pan and one small loaf pan. Fill the tube pan with dough until there is about 2½-3 inches of space remaining at the top, and place the rest of the dough in the loaf pan.
Step 5
Allow the dough to rise once more for 30 minutes.
Step 6
While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350F. Bake both loaves uncovered until golden and baked through, about 35-40 minutes,
Appam can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 days.
