This recipe creates a delicious and soft Turkish bread, perfect for dipping or enjoying alongside meals.
Ingredients
- 250g (2 cups) bread flour
- 7g (1 packet) instant dried yeast
- 200ml (3/4 cup + 4 tsp) warm water
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil, for glazing
- Handful of white and black sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the bread flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
- Combine wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix the warm water and olive oil.
- Form the dough: Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl for a few minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
- First rise: Lightly oil the bowl, then place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel or plastic wrap and set it aside in a warm place for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Shape the bread: Once risen, punch down the dough and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough for a minute, then shape it into a round or oval loaf.
- Second rise: Place the shaped dough on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cover it loosely with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for another 30 minutes.
- Prepare for baking (optional): Preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F). Brush the top of the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.
- Bake: Bake the bread for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and crusty on the outside.
- Cool and enjoy: Remove the bread from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack to cool slightly before slicing and serving.
Tips:
- For a chewier crust, preheat a baking tray in the oven while it preheats. After shaping the dough, place it directly on the hot baking tray for baking.
- You can substitute honey for the sugar in this recipe.
- If you don’t have sesame seeds, you can use poppy seeds or nigella seeds for sprinkling.
