Sticky Chai Spiced Citrus Bread

Sticky Chai is back with a boom and we have the perfect recipe for chai lovers to indulge in. Learn how to make this sweet and flavourful Sticky Chai spiced citrus bread, guaranteed to be a hit at home!

Recipe created by our talented Teabird Elly McCausland

• 2 Perfect Tea Spoons of Sticky Chai
• 160ml whole milk, plus a little extra for brushing
• 350g strong white bread flour
• 150g spelt or wholemeal flour
• 10g salt
• 10g instant yeast or 25g fresh yeast, crumbled
• 40g unsalted butter, softened
• 50g golden caster sugar
• 3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
• 150ml water
• 200g mixed candied peel (homemade is best, or the kind you can buy in whole strips rather than tiny cubes), chopped into 1cm pieces
• 100g sultanas
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds

1. First, put the milk in a small saucepan and heat gently until it just starts to boil. Add the Sticky Chai and stir for a minute or so, then remove from the heat and leave to cool to body temperature – if it is too hot it will kill the yeast, so be patient. When the milk has cooled enough, strain the chai through a sieve (keep the infused milk!).
2. Put the flours into a mixing bowl. Add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. 
3. Add the butter, sugar, eggs and infused milk, plus half the water, then begin to mix on a slow speed. You may need to add more water – continue to mix until you have a sticky dough, then mix for 5-10 minutes until the dough becomes more elastic and soft. Add a little more flour if it gets too sticky!
   
   
4. Add the candied peel and sultanas and mix again for a couple of minutes, until everything is combined.
   
   
5. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave to rise until doubled in size – around 1-3 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen! You can also do this in the fridge overnight for a slow rise.
   
   
6. When the dough has doubled in size, knead it on a floured work surface to knock out all the air. Divide the dough into three equal pieces and roll each into a long sausage about 1.5 to 2 inches wide.
   
   
7. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Arrange the three strands of dough vertically on the tray in front of you and squish the strands together at the top.
   
   
8. Now get plaiting!  To do this, drape the left strand over the middle, then the right strand over the middle, then repeat this until all the dough is plaited. Squish the bottom ends together and tuck neatly under the loaf.
   
   
9. Leave the loaf to rise again in a warm place until doubled in size. Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
   
   
10. Brush the loaf lightly with the remaining milk and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the loaf is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Cool on a wire rack before devouring with lots of butter. It freezes well and is also excellent toasted!
    
    
11. Enjoy! 

Our Brewdini gravity steepers are perfect for making iced teas without any mess- or if you want to leave your tea overnight to steep, you can experiment with a Cold Brew Bottle.