A Sandwich Bread loaf loaded with colorful vegetables; this Tricolor Swirl Bread is a delicious recipe.
Plus, this one looks really chic for a tea party or for a sandwich!
Loaf breads are always fun to make. And when they are made with colorful dough; it is even more fun. But do you know what is the BEST feeling?
It has to be making breads without actually adding food colors. Using fruits and vegetables and probably even flowers! And when you have waited enough for the bread to be cool and pick up the knife to slice it; the jitters are real.
Will the bread be colored inside? How will the yeast react with the vegetable purée? Or will the bread be cooked through or will there be a mushy centre. And when you overcome all these, you get to see the result. The feeling then is unmatched.
That is the prime reason I love to bake colorful breads with vegetables and fruits. Moreover, my toddler is always on the lookout for 'fruit color' foods. That provides the rest of the motivation. No points for guessing we have this purple sweet potato bread, orange pumpkin bread and this white and green swirl chutney bread on the blog already.
Jump to:
What is a Swirl Bread
Bread loaves come in various sizes, forms and colors. And while mot make for a wholesome sandwich, some are almost too pretty to look at.
Swirl breads as the name suggests has a spiral of something within it. It can be a jam, sauce, different colored dough or even nuts and chocolate. These breads look like a loaf when not sliced and reveal their amazing fillings when sliced.
Swirl breads have forever been popular for various reasons; unique, full of flavor and different each time. And no wonder then, we have loved them for years.
A Tricolor Swirl Bread
As you already see, this brad has three colors; orange, white and green swirled away right till the centre of the bread. Wondering why?
I originally made this tricolor swirl bread loaf in honor of India's Independence Day. The day the country got its independence from British rule and was conferred an independent title. The country since has gone on to be the world's largest democratic country and we celebrate two popular days; Independence Day on August 15th and Republic Day on January 26th.
And if you look closely, the colors in the bread are the ones in India's flag. Saffron, white and green; in that order make the national flag. And this bread colors a reflection of that.
Why this recipe works
- It is super easy to make.
- The colors represent the National flag on India.
- We only use vegetables to color the dough; no artificial colors.
- It has the goodness of fresh vegetables all packed in one single loaf.
- The bread makes a great one for tea time sandwiches.
- Simply slather some salted butter and you have a quick snack with this bread.
- The layers are really pretty to look at.
- The bread can be used in several parties; including those that celebrate India.
- This loaf is completely egg-free.
- One can make this bread ahead of time and use as desired.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- All purpose flour: I like to make this bread with all purpose flour. However, we can make this with whole wheat flour and essential gluten too. Plus, bread flour works as well.
- Red Bell Pepper: I like to use roasted belle pepper for the orange layer. Either roast a fresh one or simply use canned or bottled roasted pepper. However, carrot purée works as well.
- Spinach: Spinach is the easiest way to get natural green color. We can use raw spinach for the recipe. However, frozen spinach works as well.
- Active dry yeast: I use yeast as a rising agent in this tricolor swirl bread. While both instant and active dry yeast work, I generally stick to active dry for loaf breads. I like to use instant yeast for focaccia, pizza, pita bread etc.
- Unsalted Butter: Unsalted butter is the preferred fat for the recipe. However, replace with olive oil for a Vegan version. If using unsalted butter, make sure it is at room temperature.
- Salt and Sugar: To activate the yeast we add sugar and salt. Moreover, salt is added to the bread for flavor.
- Water: Water is used to bind the dough together. Warm water is used to bloom the yeast, and added to the dough. Make sure it is warm but not hot as it can destroy the yeast.
See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.
How to make this recipe
1- Apply oil on a bell pepper and roast it on an open flame; turning it around.
2- Remove from flame, peel the pepper and remove the seeds.
3- Transfer the flesh to a blender and blend till smooth. Add a little water if required to make ¼ cup purée.
4- Then blend spinach to a smooth purée with some water if needed. Make ¼ cup purée.
5- In ½ cup warm water add salt, sugar and active dry yeast.
6- Let the yeast bloom for 10-15 minutes.
7- In a bowl add 1 cup flour. Also add ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup water, 1 tablespoon butter and ⅓ of the yeast.
8- Mix well and knead to a smooth soft dough.
9- Similarly make the orange and green dough too.
10- Let all the three dough rise covered in a warm place for an hour.
11- Once the dough has doubled, punch the dough balls and knead for a minute.
12- On a baking sheet roll out the orange dough. Make a rectangle of 8 inch width. Do the same with the rest of the dough balls.
13- Place the orange dough on the baking sheet, then white and finally green.
14- Roll them all in a tight roll.
15- Transfer the roll to a greased bread pan. Place in a warm spot and let it rise for an hour.
16- Then, place in a preheated oven at 425 F. Bake for 20-22 minutes.
17- Remove from the oven, cool on a cooling rack.
18- Slice the bread once cool. Use as desired.
Expert Tips and Notes
- Make sure the purée is not super thin. If it is, the bread will not form and definitely remain uncooked in the centre or sides.
- Use your favorite combination of orange and green colored vegetables to achieve the colors naturally.
- The same bread is perfect to make with whole wheat flour. Simply add 1 tablespoon of essential wheat gluten for each cup of flour used.
- The recipe is designed to work in a 9*4*4 inch loaf pan. Using a pan larger than this volume will result in a flat bread and a smaller pan will have the dough overflowing.
- The same loaf works without a bread pan too. Simply roll a tight roll and place on a baking tray to rise and then bake.
- Wait for the bread to completely cool before slicing. Slicing a warm bread will make it all crumbly.
- Make sure the roll is tight so there will not be any gap in the layers.
Using Natural Colors
I like to use roasted peppers for the orange color. However, carrot purée works well too. Simply purée steamed carrots and add to the dough.
The green color is easy to get from any green vegetable. Spinach, saag, roasted green pepper or even peas purée works well.
And last, white can either be as in this recipe or with roasted garlic.
However, if you like; skip all the vegetables and use plant based food colors to make the layers. That way the bread will not have any vegetable taste but will have all the colors.
Recipe FAQs
Roasted red pepper is great for orange color is spinach is the best for green. However, carrot, saag leaves or roasted green peppers are great.
If the vegetable purée is too thin, the excess water tends to make the bread soggy from the middle. While the sides dry out due to the high heat of the oven, the middle remains soggy.
To cook the bread evenly without browning the outside quickly, simply place a piece of foil on the bread pan. The heat will be trapped in and the outside will not turn too dark.
To check if a loaf bread is cooked through, lightly knock on the top. If you hear a hollow sound, it is cooked. However, if it does not sound hollow, bake for another 2-3 minutes.
Yeast bread gets its characteristics from yeast and flour. Bread turns hard due to incorrect yeast or flour. Use fresh yeast, bloom it correctly and measure the flour well before starting the recipe. If these are right, the bread will be perfectly soft.
More Tricolor Recipes
More Delicious Loaf Bread Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below & if you REALLY like it, consider a review in the comments whilst you are there, thanks!
Naturally Colored Tricolor Swirl Bread
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- ½ cup spinach (packed)
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Apply oil on a bell pepper and roast it on an open flame; turning it around.
- Remove from flame, peel the pepper and remove the seeds.
- Transfer the flesh to a blender and blend till smooth. Add a little water if required to make ¼ cup purée.
- Blend spinach to a smooth purée with some water if needed. Make ¼ cup purée.
- In ½ cup warm water add salt, sugar and active dry yeast.
- Let the yeast bloom for 10-15 minutes.
- In a bowl add 1 cup flour. Also add ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup water, 1 tablespoon butter and ⅓ of the yeast.
- Mix well and knead to a smooth soft dough.
- Similarly make the orange and green dough too.
- Let all the three dough rise covered in a warm place for an hour.
- Once the dough has doubled, punch the dough balls and knead for a minute.
- On a baking sheet roll out the orange dough. Make a rectangle of 8 inch width. Do the same with the rest of the dough balls.
- Place the orange dough on the baking sheet, then white and finally green.
- Roll them all in a tight roll.
- Transfer the roll to a greased bread pan. Place in a warm spot and let it rise for an hour.
- Then, place in a preheated oven at 425 F. Bake for 20-22 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, cool on a cooling rack.
- Slice the bread once cool. Use as desired.
Notes
- Make sure the purée is not super thin. If it is, the bread will not form and definitely remain uncooked in the centre or sides.
- Use your favorite combination of orange and green colored vegetables to achieve the colors naturally.
- The same bread can also be made with whole wheat flour. Simply add 1 tablespoon of essential wheat gluten for each cup of flour used.
- The recipe is designed to work in a 9*4*4 inch loaf pan. Using a pan larger than this volume will result in a flat bread and a smaller pan will have the dough overflowing.
- The same loaf can be made without a bread pan too. Simply roll a tight roll and place on a baking tray to rise and then bake.
- Wait for the bread to completely cool before slicing. Slicing a warm bread will make it all crumbly.
- Make sure the roll is tight so there will not be any gap in the layers.
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