Η συνταγή και στα ελληνικά στο τέλος της ανάρτησης!

Bread! What can I say about this magical food? How many people have been fed with bread and how many lives has saved from hunger or death! Combining only two so simple and blunt ingredients such as flour and water only to arrive to this delicious final result called bread, is simply a magic.

“Ancient Greeks had three to four meals a day. Breakfast consisting of barley bread dipped in wine, sometimes accompanied by figs or olives or tagenites made with wheat flour, olive oil, honey and curdled milk.

A quick lunch was taken around noon or early afternoon. Dinner, the most important meal of the day, was generally taken at nightfall. An additional light meal was sometimes taken in the late afternoon.

Loaves of flat bread many times were used as plates or pieces of bread were used to spoon the food or as napkins, to wipe the fingers.

Cereals formed the staple diet. The two main grains were wheat and barley. Wheat grains were softened by soaking, then either reduced into gruel, or ground into flour and kneaded and formed into loaves or flatbreads, either plain or mixed with cheese or honey. Dough loaves were baked at home in a clay oven set on legs.

A simpler method consisted in putting lighted coals on the floor and covering the heap with a dome-shaped cover; when it was hot enough, the coals were swept aside, dough loaves were placed on the warm floor, the cover was put back in place and the coals were gathered on the side of the cover.

Barley was easier to produce but more difficult to make bread from. It provided a nourishing but very heavy bread. Because of this it was often roasted before milling, producing a coarse flour which was used to make maza, the basic Greek dish. Many recipes for maza are known; it could be served cooked or raw, as a broth, or made into dumplings or flatbreads. Like wheat breads, it could also be augmented with cheese or honey.” (Source: Wikipedia)

The bread I am sharing with you today is a staple in our home and an indispensable item on our everyday table. Crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy in the inside is the perfect bread to accompany your meals! The recipe for the sourdough can be found here.

 I would like to wish to all of you who celebrate a very Happy Easter with the people you all love!

Η νικήτρια του βιβλίου της Αθηνάς Πάνου είναι η Argy με στο σχόλιο Νο 12! Συγχαρητήρια! Παρακαλώ πολύ επικοινώνησε μαζί μου για να σου πω πως θα παραλάβεις το βιβλίο!

Sourdough Crusty Bread

Ingredients

227 gr. / 8 oz.  sourdough starter (the recipe for the sourdough can be found here)

340 gr. / 12 oz. lukewarm water

2 tsp instant yeast

14 gr. / ½ oz. sugar

2 1/2 tsp salt

602 gr. / 21 ¼ oz. All-Purpose Flour

Instructions

In your mixer bowl mix all of the ingredients with the hook to form a smooth dough.

Allow the dough to rise, in a covered bowl, until it’s doubled in size, about 90 minutes.

Divide the dough in half.

Shape the dough into two oval loaves.

Place the loaves on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

Cover and let rise until very puffy, about 1 hour.

Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 200° C / 400°F.

Spray the loaves with lukewarm water.

Make two fairly deep diagonal slashes in each.

Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes or until its color becomes very deep golden brown.

Remove from the oven, and cool on a rack.