Fruit roti gambang
An Indonesian palm-sugar and cinnamon quick bread with dried fruit and sesame.
Roti gambang, chemically raised batch
A spiced, breadcrumb-enriched Indonesian loaf raised with baking soda and baking powder, shaped into ovals and baked with sesame seeds.
A chemically raised spiced loaf
This batch of roti gambang is a dense, spiced bread raised with baking soda and baking powder rather than yeast. Cinnamon and a palm or red sugar syrup flavour it, and whole wheat breadcrumbs give it body. Egg yolks and butter enrich the dough.
The sources associate roti gambang with Jakarta or Betawi. An Archana Kitchen household recipe gives the batch described here, and an Interflour ingredient list gives a different formula whose method was not inspected, so the two cannot be merged.
Sources for this section
Mixing, resting and baking
The syrup is cooled before it is added, so the dough is not heated by it. The dough is kneaded for about ten minutes after the syrup goes in, then butter is worked in and the dough rests for thirty minutes before it is divided into about twelve pieces.
The pieces are shaped into ovals, brushed with water and sprinkled with sesame seeds. They bake at 200 °C for 20 to 30 minutes, until done.
Sources for this section
Limits of the evidence
The source gives no unit for the breadcrumbs and no amount for the palm sugar used in the syrup. Its sugar is listed as 250 g, and palm granulated sugar can stand in for it.
The reviewed journal abstract places roti gambang in the colonial period, but its full text was not inspected. Seasonal use is not stated by the reviewed sources.
Sources for this section
History
The reviewed journal abstract associates roti gambang with Betawi acculturation and concludes that it originated in the colonial period. The full article was not inspected, so that remains the authors' conclusion rather than a verified first date.
Ingredients
Yield 12 pieces · Scaling: source batch only
All-purpose flour (maida)
375 g
Whole wheat breadcrumbs
125
The source gives no unit; grams are likely but unconfirmed.SugarPalm granulated sugar can substitute.
250 g
Java red sugarBoiled with the water into a syrup, then cooled.
Amount not stated
Amount not given by the source.25 g
Lukewarm waterUsed for the syrup.
175 mL
1.2 mL¼ tsp as recorded
4.9 mL1 tsp as recorded
9.9 mL2 tsp as recorded
Cinnamon powder
9.9 mL2 tsp as recorded
Vanilla extract
1.2 mL¼ tsp as recorded
Egg yolks
2
ButterAdded after the syrup dough is kneaded.
200 g
Sesame seedsSprinkled on the tops before baking.
44 mL3 tbsp as recorded
Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Bake until fully cooked through; the source gives 20 to 30 minutes as a range and no internal temperature.
- Boil the Java red sugar with the water until dissolved into a syrup. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
- Mix the flour, breadcrumbs, milk powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and vanilla. Add the egg yolks.
- Pour in the cooled syrup and knead well for about 10 minutes.
- Add the butter, knead again, cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough into about 12 equal portions and shape them into ovals on a baking tray.
- Brush the tops with water, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C for 20 to 30 minutes, or until done.
Conditions
Yield12 pieces
Temperature200°C
Places
Jakarta
Documented preparation · Region evidenceThe sources associate roti gambang with Jakarta or Betawi; this household batch is not shown to be from a particular place.
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Sources
Archana's KitchenMethod · Ingredients
Roti Gambang Recipe (Indonesian Bread Recipe)Ingredient list with quantities
Syrup, kneading, rest and 200 °C bake method
Cited in: A chemically raised spiced loaf; Mixing, resting and baking
InterflourIngredients
Roti GambangA separate ingredient list; its method was not inspected
Cited in: A chemically raised spiced loaf
Journal of Indonesian Tourism, Hospitality and RecreationHistory
Roti Gambang, Acculturation Bread from BetawiAbstract concludes a colonial-period origin; full text not inspected
Cited in: Limits of the evidence