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Qagħqa tal-Appostli - Maltese Apostle's ring bread

Qagħqa tal-Appostli is a delicious soft bread with a crunchy crust covered with sesame seeds and whole almonds. This bread is made specifically during the Lent period. 
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Resting Time2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time3 hours 30 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Side Dish
Cuisine: Maltese, Mediterranean
Keyword: Bread, Easter, Lent
Servings: 1 large

Ingredients

  • 500 g bread flour or plain flour
  • 4 g sugar 1 tsp
  • 15 g salt 2 tsp
  • 6 g active dry yeast
  • 45 ml olive oil
  • 280 ml water

Toppings

  • 12 whole almonds
  • sesame seeds

Instructions

  • In a small bowl mix together the lukewarm water, yeast and sugar. Set the mixture aside until it froths. This usually takes about 15 minutes.
  • In a mixer or in a large bowl, mix the flour and the salt together and make a well. Add the olive oil and the yeast mixture in the well.
  • Start kneading or mixing the dough in the mixer. If you are going to knead the dough by hand it should take you about 20 minutes. Whereas with the mixer the dough should be done in 10 minutes. The dough should be sticky, so don't add any extra flour to it.
  • Place the dough in a bowl, cover and let it proof for about 1 hour. After this resting time it should be double in size. Punch the dough down, knead for a few minutes and let it rest again for 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 200°C or 400°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
  • Once rested roll the dough into a log of about 60cm. Form the ring by joining both ends together and place on the baking tray. Brush the ring with some water, sprinkle the sesame seeds and add the whole almonds. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes or an hour. if you're doing two medium sized rings, divide the dough in 2 and roll each piece to about 35cm long, and continue with the same process as above.
  • Bake the Apostle's ring bread for about 40 minutes until it has a nice golden brown colour.
  • Let it rest before serving.