The cool thing about my watermelon sandwich bread recipe is I don't use artificial colouring to bake them! Plus, my breads are actually made with health-savvy savoury options!
Instead of using red yeast rice powder or any red artificial colouring, I'm using the superfood beetroot powder to make the red part of the watermelon breads. Unlike other red colouring additives, the healthy beetroot is rich in antioxidants, nitrates, vitamin C and folate which increase energy and immunity and also reduce tiredness and fatigue.
Instead of using green tea powder or any green artificial colouring, I'm using the superfood spirulina powder to make the green part of the watermelon breads. Spirulina is a type of cyanobacteria that grows in both fresh and sea water and they are often known as blue-green algae. Unlike other green additives including the healthful green tea, spirulina is extremely rich in many essential nutrients such as vitamin B, iron and manganese.
Instead of using raisin, I'm using charcoal to make the black watermelon seed area in the breads so that I can use these breads to make both sweet and savoury sandwiches. Brilliant?
Superfood Watermelon Sandwich Breads
They are soft and also crusty ^-^
These watermelon sandwich breads don't just look cool, they taste really nice, soft and crusty too. Cool that they look like watermelon and super cute. Super soft at the beetroot red area. Crusty at the green spirulina outer crust area. Nice because I can make tomatoes cheese sandwiches with it. Healthy!
You might ask... where can you buy beetroot and spirulina powder? I bought them in a pharmacy and I'm sure that you can buy them at any health shops and via online too.
I can show you how I baked these super cool superfood watermelon breads. Watch my video.
"Wow! These sandwich breads really look like watermelons!"
I can see that my son is very impressed with these watermelon breads.
We are also impressed with its softness and crusty texture too!
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Here's my recipe.
Makes two 10 x 20 cm loaves
For the dough:
460g lukewarm water
650g bread flour with 12% protein
45g milk powder - please do not use milk to replace water and milk powder.
50g caster sugar
5g salt
60g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
2 1/4 tsp instant dry yeast
To color the dough:
15g red beetroot powder, mixed in 10g water
10g green spirulina powder*, mixed in 5g water
2g (1/2 tsp) black charcoal powder**, mixed in 5g water
* WARNING: Spirulina powder is very high in iron and doesn't absorb water very well, making bread dough very dense, sticky and difficult to handle.
** You can use raisin or sultanas to replace the black charcoal dough if charcoal powder is not available or you prefer to bake the sweet version of these breads.
For the dark green watermelon strips:
3g green spirulina powder mixed in 7g water plus slightly more to form a thick glossy paste
extra bread flour for dusting
If you are using a breadmaker to knead and prove, add all ingredients except butter and the colouring ingredients into the breadmaker according to this order. Use "dough" setting to mix and knead dough for 30 mins.
If you are using an electric mixer with an hook attachment to knead, combine all ingredients except butter and the color ingredients in the mixing bowl and mix at low speed until a soft dough forms. Then, knead in the butter until incorporated. Continue to knead at low speed for at least 25 mins or until the dough is smooth and elastic. It is important that the dough has to be elastic and stretchy.
Divide dough (total weight = 1240g) into 2:1:1 ratio by weight: 620g to color red, 310g to color green, 310g to be plain with no color. From the plain dough, remove 50g and use it to color black. Then, knead in the color ingredients accordingly.
Allow all dough (without touching each other) to prove in a warm and humid place for about 1 hr or until doubled in size.
Divide the red, green and plain dough into into two equal portions (310g red each, 155g green each and 130g white each).
Shape divided dough into smooth balls. Allow them to rest at room temperature for about 10 mins.
To shape the dough:
Grease two 10 x 20 cm loaf pans with butter or vegetable oil spray.
Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll one red dough on a lightly floured non-stick surface into a large rectangle. Fold one-third of the dough, then another one-third towards its middle. Use a rolling pin to roll the longish rectangle into a wide rectangle with 20 cm width. Divide and roll black dough into many small-raisin-sized dough. Scatter the little black dough evenly on the red dough and roll the red dough tightly into a Swiss roll.
Use a rolling pin to roll one white dough into large rectangle with 20 cm width and wrap the red dough inside the rolled white dough.
Using a rolling pin, roll one green dough into large rectangle with 20 cm width, making sure that the rolling surface is generously floured because the green dough can be very sticky to roll and handle. Then, wrap the white-red dough inside the rolled green dough.
Place the shaped dough into one of the prepared pans with its seam side down.
Then, repeat this shaping step to shape another watermelon sandwich bread.
Allow the shaped dough to prove in a warm and humid place for another 1 hr or until doubled in size.
Use a fine brush to paint dark green watermelon strips on the surface of both breads.
Bake bread in a preheated 180°C (350°F) oven for 25 mins or until the breads are thoroughly baked. Remove breads from the loaf pans immediately onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
These breads are be crusty on their outside and very soft at their inside.
To store, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and keep at room temperature for 2-3 days or freeze in serving portions for 2-3 months.
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