Tabriz Ramadan Bread (Traditional Persian Ramadan Bread)

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 85 g white sugar
• 85 g lukewarm milk
• 42 g vegetable oil
• 125 g lukewarm water
• 50 g thick cream
• 10 g instant yeast
• 1/4 tsp vanilla sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 500 –600 g all-purpose flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp milk
• 1/2 tsp strong brewed saffron, optional
• as needed Sesame seeds,
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 –2 tsp water, to thin the honey
• as needed Ground pistachios,
• as needed Desiccated coconut,
• as needed Slivered almonds,
• as needed Slivered pistachios,

Steps

1. Add the eggs, instant yeast, milk, water, vanilla sugar, and sugar to a bowl and mix well.
2. Gradually add the flour and mix well until a soft dough forms. The amount of flour may vary depending on the type of flour and the size of the eggs. I used 550 g of flour.
3. Add the salt, vegetable oil, and thick cream, then knead the dough well again. The dough should pass the windowpane test.
4. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a greased bowl. Cover and let it rest in a warm place until doubled in size.
5. After the dough has risen, gently deflate it and divide off one-third of the dough.
6. Roll out the remaining two-thirds of the dough in a baking tray to a thickness of about 1 cm.
7. Use the remaining one-third of the dough to decorate the top of the bread as shown in the photos. This is the traditional way of decorating this bread; other decorative patterns are not traditional.
8. Keep the decorative strips fairly thin, as they will puff up considerably during baking. Also, do not place the decorations too close to the edges of the dough, as they may slide down the sides when the bread expands in the oven.
9. Let the decorated bread rest again. Since the decoration takes some time, this also serves as the second proofing.
10. Mix the egg-wash ingredients. Brush the surface of the bread with the egg wash and sprinkle sesame seeds over some areas.
11. Bake in a preheated 180°C oven for about 25 minutes. The baking time may vary depending on the actual temperature of your oven. At the end, turn on the grill briefly to brown the top of the bread.
12. Allow the bread to cool completely after baking.
13. Thin the honey with 1–2 teaspoons of water. Brush the diluted honey over the cooled bread, then decorate with ground pistachios, desiccated coconut, slivered almonds, and slivered pistachios.
14. This is a large bread. If desired, you can divide the dough into two portions and make two smaller breads, or make half the recipe.