Agege Bread & Express Ewa Agoyin

Before you start

• Sort and rinse the dried beans.

  Always check dried beans or peas for small stones and agricultural debris before tossing them into the pressure cooker.

Ingredients

• bread flour1/3 cup
• water1 cup
• bread flour4 1/4 cup
• granulated sugar1/3 cup
• instant yeast2 1/4 tsp
• fine sea salt1 1/2 tsp
• unsalted butter1/4 cup
• whole milk3/4 cup
• Vitamin C powder1/4 tsp
• ground nutmeg1/4 tsp
• honey beans or black-eyed peas2 cup
• white onion1/2 large
• salt1 tsp
• dried California chili pods1 cup
• dried chile de arbol1/2 cup
• unrefined red palm oil1 cup
• red onion2 large
• fresh ginger1 med
• ground dried crayfish3 tbsp
• chicken bouillon cubes2 small

Method

1. 01

   Whisk the tangzhong paste on the stove until translucent and thick.

   In a small saucepan, combine the 1/3 cup of bread flour and 1 cup of water over medium-low heat. Stir constantly for three to five minutes until it suddenly thickens into a dense paste, then remove and cool completely. This technique replaces the industrial bakery dough brake, naturally guaranteeing the bread's legendary pull-apart stretch.

2. 02

   Knead the main dough until it passes the windowpane test.

   In a stand mixer, combine the remaining bread flour, sugar, yeast, salt, Vitamin C powder, and nutmeg. Add the warm milk, melted butter, and cooled tangzhong, kneading on medium speed for ten to fifteen minutes until you can stretch a small piece of dough paper-thin without it tearing.

3. 03

   Proof, shape, and proof the loaf a second time.

   Let the dough rise in a covered, oiled bowl in a warm spot for an hour until doubled. Punch it down, roll it into a large rectangle, then roll it up tightly into a log and place it seam-side down in a buttered loaf pan to rise for another hour.

4. 04

   Bake the Agege bread until deeply golden brown.

   Bake at 350°F for thirty to thirty-five minutes. Brush the hot crust generously with butter immediately upon removing from the oven, then let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing to avoid a gummy crumb.

5. 05

   Rehydrate the dried chilies in boiling water.

   Submerge the California pods and chile de arbol in a heat-safe bowl of boiling water. Cover and let them soak for about forty-five minutes until completely plump and pliable.

6. 06

   Pressure cook and aggressively mash the beans.

   Place the rinsed beans and chopped white onion in an electric pressure cooker, cover with water by two inches, and cook on high pressure for thirty-five minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for fifteen minutes, add the salt, and mash the beans with a wooden spoon into a thick, semi-smooth porridge.

7. 07

   Pulse the rehydrated peppers into a coarse, gritty paste.

   Drain the chilies and transfer them to a food processor with the ginger and roughly chopped red onion. Pulse with just a splash of water to catch the blades—do not puree the mixture, as the authentic street sauce demands a pebbly texture.

8. 08

   Carefully bleach the red palm oil in a tightly covered pot.

   Heat the palm oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-low heat with the lid on. After ten to twelve minutes, when the oil turns from opaque red to translucent amber and begins to smoke, turn off the heat and leave the lid on for five minutes so the smoke settles safely.

9. 09

   Deeply caramelize the thinly sliced red onions in the bleached oil.

   Turn the heat back to medium-low and fry the sliced red onions for fifteen minutes. You want them dark brown and crispy, right on the absolute edge of burning, to build the crucial sweet-bitter foundation of the sauce.

10. 10

    Fry the coarse pepper matrix low and slow.

    Carefully stir the chili paste, crayfish, and bouillon into the hot oil. Fry on low heat for about thirty minutes, scraping the bottom frequently, until the sauce darkens into oily, brick-red pebbles. Serve immediately spooned over the hot mashed beans with thick slices of bread.

Notes

• Never add tomatoes to Agoyin sauce.

  The introduction of tomatoes brings an acidic sweetness that instantly ruins the authentic dark, smoky profile of the traditional dish.

• Bleaching palm oil creates intense smoke.

  Keeping the lid firmly on the pot while heating and cooling the oil is essential to prevent your kitchen smoke alarms from triggering.