This delicious, chewy flat bread is a little addictive.. it’s savoury, and yet a wonderful addition to dips and soups etc.
There are many variations on this base recipe, but they will be posted another day!
Turkish Bread
400ml warm water
1 table spoon (2 sachets) instant/dry yeast (about 14grams)
1 tea spoon of caster sugar (or honey, if you dont like white sugar)
500g white flour – a good strong or bakers flour is ideal, but any will do.
1 tea spoon of sea salt flakes.
Olive oil, for brushing
sea salt flakes
One teaspoon each of sesame seeds and nigella seeds*, mixed
Mix the first three ingredients, in a jug, and leave for about 10 minutes until it is frothy.
By hand:
Put flour and salt in a bowl, and pour in the yeast mix, mixing by hand until it is a smooth but wet and sticky dough. This is very tricky by hand, so I prefer:
By Kitchenaid/mixer:
Using flat beater attachment, put flour and salt in the bowl, and on a low speed, add the yeast mix. As soon as all the flour is incorporated, switch to the dough hook. Knead for a couple of minutes, until the dough is smooth, sticky, but the bowl is clean.
Very lightly oil a clean bowl, scrape dough in, cover with glad wrap, and put in a warm place to rise. And rise it will! (About an hour, possibly less depending on the weather)
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C
Important: you must have wet hands for this next step!
Line a tray with baking paper. Put the dough in the middle of the paper, and with wet hands, smooth it out evenly. It is VERY sticky, so wet hands is a must.
Make indentations in the bread with your fingertips.
Brush the bread generously with oil (traditionally you use egg, but I bake egg-free so my toddler can eat it too!) and then sprinkle with sea salt and the mixed seeds.
Bake until golden, but not too hard and dry.
Cool on a wire rack, and slice into squares. Enjoy!
*nigella seeds can be hard to find. Try an indian grocer, where they are also known as black cumin, kalonji, or black caraway. They add a beautiful nutty savoury flavour to the bread.
