Noon Rogani ~ Azerbaijani Sweet Bread

When the Artisan Bread Bakers Facebook group chose this recipe for Noon Rogani as the July BOM, I knew that no matter how busy I was or how much bread I already had in the house this month, this one was going on my to-bake board.

I knew it would be an attractive loaf of bread, but to tell you the truth, the results exceeded my expectations. The end result was not just attractive, it was beautiful. Really. I'm not bragging; I was honestly surprised at how pretty it was, given the amount of work it took, which is to say, not much at all.  

This was an exceptionally easy* dough to work with. It performed exactly as I anticipated it would, kneading cooperatively and rolling out smoothly. It rose as it should and performed predictably in the oven. I covered it with a sheet of foil for the last 10 minutes or so of baking, when it seemed to be browning a perhaps a touch too enthusiastically.

I embellished on the original recipe by adding an almond-butter-cream glaze and toasted sliced almonds to the cooled loaf. This produced a sweet bread that resembled a giant cinnamon roll, but since the dough has so little fat that it almost qualifies as lean, it's neither as calorie-dense nor as heavy as a typical cinnamon roll. And yet it was every bit as delicious.

The leftovers ~ and there were some, it was a large loaf ~ I sliced, dipped into an egg batter, and made French toast with. I served this with homemade blueberry compote, a not-too-sweet accompaniment that suited it nicely.

I can't wait to experiment more with this recipe. Next time, I may use ground almonds or almond paste in the filling. I'd like to try a savory version, maybe with sauteed shallots and farmhouse cheddar ~ if I do, look for it here.

In the meantime, I encourage you to try this recipe for yourself. Click here for a link to the recipe, which you'll find on the King Arthur Flour Web site. My modifications to the recipe (ingredients and/or process) are noted below:


*Recipe Notes

• The recipe calls for "1 1/4 cups warm water" but I found that I had to use significantly more than that. Begin with that amount and add more, a couple of tablespoons at a time, until you achieve the correct consistency.
• I did not make a slurry. Instead, I combined all the dry ingredients, then added the wet ingredients, then mixed them together by hand, adding additional water as necessary to achieve a cohesive dough that wasn't overly sticky.
• For the egg batter to make French toast, I whisked together 2 large eggs, 1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of sea salt.

To make the almond-butter-cream glaze: In response to the comments I've received, I'm adding my formula (can't quite be called a recipe) for the glaze I used. This also works well for iced cookies, scones, and Bundt cakes. The less liquid you add, the firmer the glaze will dry.

• 1 tablespoon butter (not margerine)
• Confectioner's sugar ~ about 11/2 cups
• Heavy cream, light cream, or half-and-half ~ about 1/4 cup
• Almond extract (can use any flavor of extract to vary)

Place butter in a small heat-proof bowl and melt in the microwave. Add confectioner's sugar by the tablespoon until you have a pasty consistency and all the butter is absorbed. (Depending on the water level of the butter you use, this will vary. Plan on about a cup, at this point.) Add cream 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking it in with a fork until you have achieved a relatively thick glaze with good drizzling consistency. Add 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and whisk in. Let stand 1 minute and check consistency; add additional confectioner's sugar as necessary to adjust consistency. Cover any leftover glaze and store in the fridge.