Ablo (rice-based steamed bread)
Soft, lightly tangy steamed cereal bread documented across Benin and Togo. This page gives one measured rice-flour research method; maize-based Ablo and mixed-grain versions remain distinct traditions.
Modern adaptation
Ghanaian tea bread
Lightly sweet Ghanaian wheat loaves with nutmeg, a long single proof and a crisp warm crust.
A Ghanaian tea bread
Adwoa Fofie's Ghanaian tea bread makes tapered, lightly sweet loaves with nutmeg and a crisp crust when warm. This formula uses a small amount of yeast and one long proof after shaping; it is distinct from a fruit-filled cake also called tea bread.
Sources for this section
Documented by 1968
A January 1968 Food Research Institute bulletin distinguishes tea bread from sugar bread in Ghana. Its page 11 describes tea bread as unsweetened and served at breakfast stalls with a drink called tea, a category that could also include coffee and other beverages. This is a dated record of use, not proof of the bread's first appearance.
The same account describes both residual-heat ovens and modern town bakeries. It does not establish one universal loaf formula. Fofie's contemporary home version contains a modest amount of sugar, margarine and nutmeg; those measured ingredients remain intact rather than being removed to match the older description.
Sources for this section
A bread category with regional use
Atuna and colleagues' 2020 study examined bread consumption in four Ghanaian regions. Tea bread was the most consumed bread type among respondents in Northern and Upper East regions, while butter bread led in Greater Accra. These results describe the study sample, rather than defining every Ghanaian household's preference.
The category therefore sits within a wider bakery range. This page retains Fofie's particular low-yeast, long-proof method; neither a survey preference nor an older oven description justifies changing its yeast dose, counter proof or shaping.
Recognized names, variable formulas
A 2023 Ghanaian consumer-acceptance study used tea bread, butter bread and sugar bread as three familiar commercial categories. Its authors note that commercial preparation is not standardized and describe differences in texture and sweetness between them.
That matters when comparing a bakery loaf, an older description and a modern home recipe: a shared category name does not establish identical ingredients. The study's purchased samples do not replace Fofie's measured low-yeast formula, and its sample handling is not storage advice for this bread.
History
Ghanaian tea bread is documented in contemporary home and bakery sources; its first attestation is not established.
Ingredients
Scaling: source batch only
Bread flour
585 g
Instant dry yeast
0.2 mL0.03 tsp as recorded
A tiny 1/32 teaspoon for the approximately nine-hour proofSugar
26 g
Fine sea salt
10 g
Margarine
60 g
Nutmeg
3 g
Weighed whole, then freshly gratedWater
305 g
Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Contains wheat; check margarine ingredients for other allergens.
Do not taste raw dough: raw flour can contain harmful germs. Wash hands and surfaces after handling it.
Use care with the hot oven and tray.
- Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, salt and nutmeg in a stand mixer bowl. Add the water and knead with the dough hook on medium until no dry flour remains, about 6–10 minutes.
- Add the margarine and knead on medium-high for about 25 minutes, until a small piece stretches thin without readily tearing. Rest the dough for 35 minutes.
- Divide into four or five equal pieces. Flatten each piece, fold opposite sides toward the centre and press to seal; bring the outer ends together and pinch the seam. Roll seam-side down into a log about 18 cm long, tapering the ends.
- Arrange on a parchment-lined tray with space between the loaves. Raise ridges of parchment between them, cover with a kitchen towel and proof on the counter for about 9 hours; yeast strength and room conditions affect the rise.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C. Dust the loaves lightly with flour and flatten the parchment ridges. Put the tray on the middle rack, reduce the oven to 190°C and bake for 40–45 minutes. Rotate the tray midway; loosely cover the tops with foil if they brown too quickly. Cool before slicing.
Conditions
Fermentation9 h
Places
Ghana
Documented preparation · Country evidenceThe recipe documents Ghanaian tea bread without establishing a precise birthplace.
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Sources
AdwoaInspiration · Method · Geography
Ghanaian Tea BreadMeasured dough, yeast and proof timing, shaping, baking and Ghanaian context.
The source divides the dough into four or five equal pieces; the exact batch yield varies.
Cited in: A Ghanaian tea bread; Documented by 1968; A bread category with regional use; Recognized names, variable formulas
Food Research Institute, Ghana Academy of SciencesContext · History
Food Research Institute bulletin No. 1, January 1968, page 11Indexed page 11 distinguishes unsweetened tea bread from sugar bread and describes breakfast stalls, hot drinks and residual-heat ovens. Direct PDF retrieval was inaccessible. This is a dated documentation point, not first attestation.
Cited in: Documented by 1968
African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and DevelopmentContext
Bread Consumption Pattern and the Potential of Orange-Fleshed Sweetpotato-Composite Bread in GhanaFour-region survey reports tea bread most consumed among respondents in Northern and Upper East regions; this is sample-specific, not a timeless national rule.
Cited in: A bread category with regional use
Wikimedia Commons / DromoTettehImage reference
Tea and Bread with groundnut paste.JPGFile-level CC BY-SA 4.0, excluded from PD/CC0 references. No exact loaf identity is inferred from the general bread-and-drink description.
Wikimedia CommonsImage reference
Baked tea bread.jpgListed in Breads of Ghana category, but individual page inaccessible; rights and exact subject remain unverified and are not counted.
Frontiers in Food Science and TechnologyCultural context · Category variation
The relevance of the number of categories in the hedonic scale to the Ghanaian consumer in acceptance testing2023 study uses commercially supplied Ghanaian tea, butter and sugar breads as three commonly known and consumed types. Section 2.3 states commercial preparation is not standardized and describes differences in texture and sweetness.
This is evidence about recognized commercial categories and the study's samples, not a universal formula, national preference ranking or storage guidance for Fofie's loaf.
Cited in: Recognized names, variable formulas