Yemarina Yewotet Dabo (Ethiopian Honey Bread)

We are coming to the end of the 2025 Alphabet Challenge, our second year of working our way through the alphabet with recipes. Only one more letter to go! We post every other week for the entire alphabet and this is year two. Thanks for starting this series, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm.

Y is for...

• Dahiwale Aloo Ki Sabzi/Potatoes In Yogurt Sauce by Sneha’s Recipe

• Frozen Yogurt Pie by A Messy Kitchen

• Teriyaki Ahi, Avocado, and Cucumber Salad by A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Vegetable Raita | Indian Yogurt Salad by Mayuri’s Jikoni

• Yamitsuki Addictive Cabbage by Food Lust People Love

• Yangzhou Fried Rice by Karen’s Kitchen Stories

• Yellow Mustard Seed Giardiniera Deviled Eggs by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice

• Yemarina Yewotet Dabo (Ethiopian Honey Bread) by Culinary Cam (you're here)

• Yogurt Cornbread by Jolene’s Recipe Journal

• Yu Shiang Pork by Palatable Pastime

Yemarina Yewotet Dabo

I was inspired by this recipe. It's a simple, delicious bread and I love that Ethiopia is the leading African country in the production of beeswax - and in the top 10 worldwide. This is a recipe a somewhat uncommon bread called Yemarina Yewotet Dabo. The three words mean: Yemar, honey; yewotet, milk; and dabo, bread in Amharic, one of the main languages of Ethiopia. As far as my honeys went, I used a local-to-me honey from Del Rey Oaks and, for serving, some honey that a friend gave me from her travels in Spain.

This is slightly adapted from the original recipes I found. I added more spices and reduced the butter. Also, just to clarify, the first rise was in a stainless bowl; the second rise - and the baking - was done in a stoneware bowl.

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon active, dry yeast

• 1/2 cup warm water

• 2 Tablespoons honey + 1/2 cup (I used honey from a friend's hive)

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 Tablespoon ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup milk, warmed

• 6 Tablespoons butter, softened

• 5-1/2 cups flour + more for kneading

• oil (I used canola oil)

• butter and honey for serving (I used a honey from Spain)

Procedure

Place warm water and 2 Tablespoons honey in a mixing bowl. Whisk to dissolve honey, then add the yeast and let bloom for 10 minutes. The mixture should be foamy.

Whisk the egg, 1/2 cup honey, spices, and salt together in a small bowl. Gently stir in the yeast mixture and then add the warm milk and butter.

Stir 2 cups flour into the mixture. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time while mixing with a wooden spoon. Adjust the flour: if you feel that the dough is wet and sticky, continue adding 1/2 cup flour until the dough is smooth. The dough will be scraggy.

Lightly flour the counter or work space and knead the dough until it is it is smooth and elastic, approximately 10 10 to 15 minutes.

Place in a lightly oiled stainless bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. Let it rise until doubled in size, approximately 60 to 90 minutes

Punch the dough down. Form the dough into a loaf or whatever shape you like. I simply place it in a stoneware baking bowl and covered it with a towel for a second rise, approximately 45 minutes

During the last 30 minutes of the rise, preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake at 325 for an hour until the bread is firm and nicely browned on the top.

Invert the bread onto wire rack or cutting board. Eat by itself or - as we chose to eat it - with butter and more honey.

This Time Last Year...

My posts are below with links to everyone else's recipes. I skipped letter 'F' apparently and also 'W'. Enjoy!

• A Reclaimed Æbleskiver Pan + Æbleskiver Bread Pudding

• Börek with a California Twist

• Crab-Stuffed Ravioli

• Dark Chocolate-Juniper Panna Cotta

• Elderflower & Roasted Strawberry Layer Cake

• Aïgo Bouido (Provençal Garlic Soup)

• Halva with Fiori di Sicilia

• I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Saffron-Cardamom Ice Cream

• Bulgogi-Inspired Oven Beef Jerky

• Purple Napa Kimchi

• Lingcod Over Legumes

• Mushrooms in My Cookies? Yep. Candy Cap Cookies.

• Nocino, Italian Green Walnut Liqueur

• How to Shuck Oysters and a Few Serving Ideas

• A Parade of Pickles, Including Pickled Chard Stems

• Quesabirria Tacos

• Rose Petal-Strawberry Granita

• Buttermilk Shortcakes with Macerated Berries

• Toasted Croutons

• Curry Udon with Prawns

• Teriyaki Sauce-Swabbed Venison Burgers on Seeded Sourdough Buns

• Xoconostle Tartlets

• Garlicky Yogurt Topped with Çılbır, Turkish Poached Eggs

So Far This Year...

Again: my posts are below with links to everyone else's recipes.

• The Polarizing Anchovy + Egg Salad Niçoise

• A Belated Birthday Bûche De Noël (Yule Log)

• Lemon Lavender Blackberry Cake

• Gluten-Free Crystal Dumplings in Noodle Soup

• A Dozen Eggs - Stuffed, Scotch, Curried, and More

• Fig Leaf-Wrapped Cheese

• Garlicky Fregola with Edamame, Mint, and Ricotta

• Huckleberry & Earl Grey Tea Cakes

• Es Teler (Indonesian Drunk Ice)

• Inspired by a One-Word Text: Jjamppong

• A Fruit Formerly Known as ‘Kaffir’ + Makrut-Kissed Cookies

• Enamored with Culinary Lavender: From Sips to Sweets

• Mini Peach Galettes

• White Nectarine-Lime Jam

• Octopus: Takoyaki, a Japanese Snack Food, from a Santa Cruz Apartment

• Brunede Kartofler (Danish Caramel Potatoes)

• Quince Sharlotka

• I missed 'R' but you can see everyone's post in Wendy's R is for Rustic Rye Sourdough Loaf

• Semifreddo al Miele

• Bitter Orange and Blackberry Thumbprint Cookies

• Sea Urchin Crostini (and How to Clean Urchins)

• Summer Rolls and Nước Chấm, a Ubiquitous Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

• Frisky Whiskey Chocolate Cake

• The Luxurious Umami Bomb that is (Homemade) XO Sauce + How to Use it

That's a wrap for my offering for the letter 'y'. We will be back in two weeks with the final letter of the alphabet. Stay tuned!