Sweet Turmeric Milk Bread (Shirin Chorek)

Today’s post is doing double duty for Eat the World and Sunday Funday.  Eat the World is heading to Azerbaijan, a country in Eastern Europe, bordering Georgia, Armenia, Iran, and Russia, and therefore taking cuisine influences from each.

Since I am also hosting Sunday Funday, I was thinking of broader categories as I searched through recipes.  Not surprisingly, I found myself drawn to bread, and this one certainly looked unique with the bright yellow color, due to the turmeric.  Once I found my bread, I broadened the Sunday Funday theme to yeast bread!

I ended up halving the original recipe and still ended up with 2 decent sized loaves.

After I cut the bread and had my first taste, I was immediately reminded of my Grandma’s Easter Bread.  Grandma’s bread gets its lovely yellow hue from saffron, but the rest of the sweet enriched dough is much the same.  In fact, I was shocked that the bread was so similar once I toasted it slathered in butter (so so good!).

I mentioned the similarity to Hubs (who agreed) and we got to thinking...

Before coming to the US in 1900, my grandma’s family originally immigrated from Germany to the Odessa region of Russia (modern day Ukraine), which is where I believe the Easter Bread recipe originated.

Looking at a map, Odessa, Ukraine is a fair distance from Azerbaijan, but it seems a very similar bread originated there as well, only using turmeric due to influences from neighboring countries.  And since my research mentioned that in the past the bread was baked as a celebration bread, I had to wonder if that celebration was Easter?

I am so happy Azerbaijan was chosen this month - it was a fascinating culinary journey to take!

Sunday Funday

Yeast Bread

• Basil Garlic Bread by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Buckwheat Dinner Rolls (Gluten-Free) by Cook with Renu
• Cinnamon Raisin Bread by Food Lust People Love
• Keto Eggless Almond Four Yeasted Bread by Sneha's Recipe
• No Knead Ciabatta Bread by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Shirin Chorek by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sweet Turmeric Milk Bread (Shirin Chorek) by Amy's Cooking Adventures

Eat the World

Azerbaijan

• Pandemonium Noshery: Lamb Piti
• Sneha's Recipe: Qutab / Kutab – Azerbaijan Stuffed Flatbread
• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Shirin Chorek
• Amy's Cooking Adventures: Sweet Turmeric Milk Bread (Shirin Chorek)
• Culinary Cam: Üç Bacı (Three Sisters) - Azerbaijani Dolma

Sweet Turmeric Milk Bread (Shirin Chorek)

Adapted from AZ Cookbook

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F), divided

1 ⅛ teaspoons active dry yeast

¾ cup sugar

1 egg, whisked & divided

7 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

3 ¼ cups flour

¾ teaspoon turmeric powder

⅛ teaspoon salt

Pinch of poppy seeds

Place half the milk, the yeast, and a pinch of sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Set aside until yeast is foamy.

Add the remaining milk and sugar and half of the whisked egg (about 2 tablespoons).  Place the paddle attachment onto the mixer and add the butter, flour, turmeric, and salt.  Mix until combined, then switch to the dough hook and knead until smooth.

The dough will be very soft and loose (but not sticky).  Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover and allow to rise for 1 ½ hours.

Split the dough in two, form into balls, and place on a baking baking sheet.  Cover and allow to rise for another hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Brush the loaves with the remaining egg, then take the tines of a fork to make a design.  Sprinkle with a pinch of poppy seeds.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes.  Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Amy Eats the World in...

1. Cuba: Ropa Vieja (Slow Cooker Beef)
2. Ireland: Cheesy Potato Soup with Irish Ale
   
3. Thailand: Chicken Satay
   
4. Kenya: Crunchy N’Dizi (Peanut Crusted Bananas)
   
5. Sweden: Rodbetssallad med Getost (Grated Beet Salad with Goat Cheese)
6. New Zealand: Kiwi Burger 
7. France: Fougasse (Provencal Flatbread)
8. Argentina: Chimichurri Sauce
   
9. Mexico (Halloween Special): Pan de Muerto (Day of the Dead Bread)
10. India: Spiced Golden Milk 
11. Poland: Chrusciki (Angel Wing Cookies)
12. Ethiopia: Buticha (Hummus)
13. England: Wizarding World of Harry Potter Leaky Cauldron-Style Mini Cottage Pie 
    
14. Georgia: Lobiani (Bean-Stuffed Bread)
15. Mexico: Crispy Pork Carnitas
    
16. Cambodia: Loc Lac (Shredded Beef with Lime)
17. Israel: Chicken Albondigas (Chicken Meatballs)
18. Finland: Sima (Lemonade) 
19. Puerto Rico: Arroz con Tocino  (Rice with Bacon)
20. Egypt: Ghorayebah Cookies
    
21. Ukraine: Scuffles (Rohalyky) Cinnamon Crescent Rolls
    
22. Portugal: Bitoque (Steak & Eggs) 
23. Germany (Christmas Special): Lebkuchenherzen (German "Gingerbread" Cookies) 
24. Trinidad & Tobago: Trini Macaroni Pie 
25. Iraq: T'bit (Slow Cooked Chicken & Brown Rice) 
26. Fiji: Fijian Creamy Lentil Soup (Dhal) 
27. Senegal: Cafe Touba (Senegalese Spiced Coffee) 
28. Colombia: Cañón de Cerdo (Colombia-Style Pork Loin Roast) 
29. Soul Food (United States): Oven-Baked Ribs with Cola BBQ Sauce 
30. Bangladesh: Shemai (Sweet Vermicelli Pudding) 
31. The Netherlands: Dutch Farmer’s Cheese Soup (Boerenkaas Soep) 
32. Laos: Khao Piak Sen (Lao Chicken Noodle Soup) 
33. Jamaica: Chicken &  Pumpkin Soup 
34. Vietnam: Vietnamese Chicken Porridge (Chao Ga) 
35. Sudan: Red Lentil Soup (Sudanese Addas) 
36. Luxembourg: Bouchée à la Reine (Vol-au-Vent)
    
37. Uruguay: Pasta Caruso
38. China: Homemade Fortune Cookies
39. Lesotho: Borotho Bread
40. Scotland: Tattie Scones
41. Native American Tribes of North America: Wild Rice, Squash, & Corn Soup
42. Guyana: Butterflaps
43. Greece: Cabbage Roll Rice Bowls
44. Réunion Island: Rougail Z'Andouille
45. Japan: Yoshinoya Beef Bowl (Gyudon)
46. Australia: Fairy Bread
47. Ecuador: Lentil Soup with Rice (Arroz con Menestra de Lentejas)
48. Slovakia: Garlic & Potato Soup (Cesnaková Polievka)
49. Turkey: Simit Bread
50. Dominican Republic: Taco Shepherd’s Pie (Pastelón de Papa)
51. Libya: Macroona Imbakbaka (Libyan Minestrone)
52. Malta: Brodu Tat-Tigiega (Maltese Chicken Soup)
53. Wales: Cawl Cennin (Welsh-Style Leek & Potato Soup)
54. Morocco: Kefta Tagine with Eggs in Tomato Sauce
55. Bermuda: Bermuda Triangle Cocktail
56. Philipines: Pork Siomai
57. Chile: Chilean Beef & Corn Shepherd's Pie (Pastel de Choclo)
58. Slovenia: Slovenian Flatbread (Belokranjska Pogača)
59. Lebanon: Ka’ak (Lebanese Purse Bread)
60. Congo: Moambe Chicken (Congo Poulet Moambe)
61. Guatamala: Fiambre (Guatemalan Salad)
62. Austria: Viennese Kaiser Rolls
63. French Polynesia: Vanilla Bean Lemonade
64. Seychelles: Creole Rice
65. Switzerland: Bündner Gerstensuppe (Swiss Barley Soup)
66. Brazil: Brigadeiro (Brazilian Fudge Balls)
67. Madagascar: Hen`omby Ritra (Malagasy Simmered Beef)
68. Spain: Tortilla Española (Potato Omelette)
69. Afghanistan: Aush (Afghan Noodle Soup)
70. Indonesia: Nasi Goreng with Chicken
71. Denmark: Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)
72. Oman: Omani Bread (Khubz Ragag)
73. Costa Rica: Costa Rican Garbanzo Bean and Chicken Soup
74. Palestine: Whole Chickpea Hummus (Musabaha)
75. Zimbabwe: Beef Hifiridzi (Beef Short Ribs with Greens)
76. Kiribati: Kiribati Squash Coconut Soup
77. Belize: Pan de Muerto
78. Azerbaijan: Sweet Turmeric Milk Bread (Shirin Chorek)