Jamaican Hard Dough Bread

Jamaican Hard Dough is THE everyday bread of choice in Jamaica. It is a flavorful, every day, versatile, round-topped loaf with a close crumb. It has a thicker crust compared to a Pullman loaf. Despite being dense, it’s still soft and chewy inside. It makes excellent sandwich bread and is perfect for toast, and very easy to make with instant yeast and all-purpose flour.

1. 1. Sift together flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Cut in cold shortening or butter. Feel around for the pea-sized bits and give them a squeeze.

2. Add water, mix to form a firm dough. Knead the dough either with floured hands or in a stand mixer, using dough hook attachment until no flour remains in the bowl, and a consistent, firm, smooth ball is formed.

3. Place in a greased bowl, cover dough with a damp cloth, and allow to proof in a warm place for 1 hour or so. The internal temperature of the dough should be about 25ºC (77ºF).

4. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, pat or roll into a rectangle. Roll up dough into a tight log and fit it into a greased 23 x 13 cm (9 x 5 inches) pan. Alternatively, with a bench knife cut into 35 gram (1 ¼ oz) pieces and form into rolls and place on a parchment lined sheet pan. Cover, and allow to rise for 50 minutes or so.

5. Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Brush top of loaves or rolls with milk. Bake until golden brown and bottom sounds hollow when tapped (internal temp 190ºF), about 40 minutes.