Himbasha | H’mbasha | Ambasha | Ethiopian Flatbread

Himbasha | H’mbasha | Ambasha is an Ethiopian Flatbread, often made as a celebratory bread. It is a mildly sweet flatbread flavored with cardamom, raisin and black sesame seeds. 

Himbasha | H’mbasha | Ambasha, is an Ethiopian celebration bread, made for special occasions. It is a popular flatbread made for Christmas in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Himbasha is a mildly sweet leavened bread most commonly flavored with ground cardamom. The bread apart from being celebratory, can be made for breakfast or afternoon tea. It goes perfectly well with a cup of tea.

There are many variations of the flavorings used in the Himbasha. Some use black sesame seeds while some use raisins. There is also a version made with fenugreek seeds. I used both black sesame and raisin in my bread. There is a tradition in Ethiopia where the Himbasha is placed on the child’s back on their first birthday and then broken into two to give the child the strength and prosperity.

We are in the second week of our A to Z International Flatbread Mega BM. Week 1 just flew past and this is going to be yet another interesting week. It will be interesting with the kinds of flatbread that I have in line and also for the fact that I have to make most of them as and when we move along. I have hardly baked / cooked for this week except couple of recipes and it will be quite a week of flatbread at our house.

When baking an Ethiopian Flatbread, also check out another Ethiopian bread, Yemarina Yewotet Dabo | Ethiopian spiced Honey Bread, that I baked for A to Z Baking Mega Marathon.

My Other recipes in the A-Z International Flatbread Series –

A for Aish Baladi
B for Boulanee Katchalu
C for Chickpea Flatbread / Socca
D for Dhal Puri
E for Emirati Khameer 
F for Fruit Focaccia
G for Gozleme

Preparation time – 15 minutes plus 2 hours of resting time
Baking time – 25 to 35 Minutes
Difficulty level – Easy
Recipe adapted from – Priya’s Versatile Recipes

Ingredients to make Himbasha | H’mbasha | Ambasha | Ethiopian Flatbread – Makes one 9 – inch

• All Purpose flour – 2 cups
• Sugar – 3 TBSP
• Instant Yeast – 1 tsp
• Salt – 1/2 tsp
• Olive oil – 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp to grease
• Warm water – 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup
• Raisin – 1/4 cup
• Black Sesame Seeds – 1 tsp
• Cardamom powder – 1/2 tsp
• Milk – 3 TBSP (for brushing on top)

Procedure to make Himbasha | H’mbasha | Ambasha | Ethiopian Flatbread –

• I used my food processor to make the dough for the Himbasha. We could make it by hand or a stand mixer as well.
• In the bowl of the food processor or a large bowl, add the flour, instant yeast, sugar, salt, cardamom powder and black sesame seeds. Mix well to combine.

• Add the raisins and the oil and mix once to combine.
• Slowly add warm water to make a soft dough. Knead for about 7 to 10 minutes to get a soft and non-sticky dough.
• Cover the dough and let it rest until doubled in volume. It took me about 1 1/2 hours.
• Once the dough has risen, punch it down gently. Grease a 9 inch cake pan or any oven safe pan.
• Place the dough and spread it evenly across the pan. The dough will retract back. In that case, rest for 5 minutes and then stretch again.

• Cover the pan and let it rest for about 30 to 45 minutes or until the dough is puffy.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Now using a blunt knife, make patterns on the dough. I made the traditional wheel pattern on mine.
• Brush the top with milk and bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the Himbasha is golden brown on top.

• Remove from the oven and let it briefly rest on a cooling rack. Slice and serve.

5 from 7 votes

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Himbasha | H'mbasha | Ambasha | Ethiopian Flatbread

Himbasha | H'mbasha | Ambasha is an Ethiopian Flatbread, often made as a celebratory bread. It is a mildly sweet flatbread flavored with cardamom, raisin and black sesame seeds. 

Course Baking, Breakfast, Flatbread

Cuisine African, Ethiopian

Keyword African flatbread, Baking, breakfast, Ethiopian flatbread, flatbread, snacks, Sweet flatbread

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Resting time 2 hours

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 8 Slices

Ingredients

• All Purpose flour - 2 cups
• Sugar - 3 TBSP
• Instant Yeast - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1/2 tsp
• Olive oil - 2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp to grease
• Warm water - 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup
• Raisin - 1/4 cup
• Black Sesame Seeds - 1 tsp
• Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
• Milk - 3 TBSP for brushing on top

Instructions

1. I used my food processor to make the dough for the Himbasha. We could make it by hand or a stand mixer as well.
2. In the bowl of the food processor or a large bowl, add the flour, instant yeast, sugar, salt, cardamom powder and black sesame seeds. Mix well to combine.
3. Add the raisins and the oil and mix once to combine.
4. Slowly add warm water to make a soft dough. Knead for about 7 to 10 minutes to get a soft and non-sticky dough.
5. Cover the dough and let it rest until doubled in volume. It took me about 1 1/2 hours.
6. Once the dough has risen, punch it down gently. Grease a 9 inch cake pan or any oven safe pan.
7. Place the dough and spread it evenly across the pan. The dough will retract back. In that case, rest for 5 minutes and then stretch again.
8. Cover the pan and let it rest for about 30 to 45 minutes or until the dough is puffy.
9. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
10. Now using a blunt knife, make patterns on the dough. I made the traditional wheel pattern on mine.
11. Brush the top with milk and bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the Himbasha is golden brown on top.
12. Remove from the oven and let it briefly rest on a cooling rack. Slice and serve.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 92

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