Tapalapa — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A crusty West African bread made from a blend of wheat, millet, and maize flours, baked in traditional wood-fired ovens and enjoyed throughout the day.

Ingredients

2 cups wheat flour
1 cup millet flour
1 cup maize flour
2 tsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1.5 cups warm water

Instructions

1 Combine all three flours in a large bowl. Add yeast, salt, and sugar. Mix well.
2 Add oil and warm water gradually, kneading until a smooth, elastic dough forms.
3 Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for one hour until doubled.
4 Punch down dough and divide into four portions. Shape each into an elongated loaf.
5 Let shaped loaves rise for thirty minutes. Slash tops diagonally with a sharp knife.
6 Bake in a preheated oven at 220C for twenty-five minutes until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped.

Did You Know?

Tapalapa bakeries are often the first businesses to open each morning in Gambian towns, with the aroma of fresh bread serving as an unofficial alarm clock for entire neighborhoods.