Maybe Something Italian - Thyme Scented Dinner Rolls

I am not Italian. And yet, like most Westerners, whether from Italy or not, I like Italian food. You can view it as a subset, if you like, of Mediterranean food, or by itself. In fact, like Provencal food, it is so popular and pervasive it is really a cuisine all by itself. Even with the distinct Mediterranean flavor. Like the olive oil, the fresh and dried herbs, the tomato sauce and all the rest. Oh and the pasta, of course which distinguishes Italian food from say, Spanish or Moroccan (also Mediterranean but VERY different - yet with similarities).

So this bread, inspired by Italian food, is really more Italian style than pure Italian. Still, with a steaming plate of pasta, or a crisp green salad stuffed with artichoke hearts or grilled eggplant, it complements perfectly. Sometimes, it's great all by itself with a little butter. Or dipped in olive oil. Yum!!

Here's What You'll Need: (for about 10 rolls)
about 4 cups of AP flour
1 Tbs instant dry yeast
2 Tbs. sugar
1 1/5 tsp. salt
2-3 Tbs olive oil
about 250 ml warm water
1-2 tsp dried thyme

For the glaze:
1 cup water
1 Tbs honey
dried thyme for sprinkling

Here's What You'll Need To Do:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast, thyme, sugar and salt.

2. Mix the olive oil into the water as best as you can, then add this mixture, in stages to the dry ingredients. Mix by hand all the while, until it all comes together  and forms a soft, not too sticky dough. It should be just tacky.

3. Knead the dough for about 5-10 minutes until it becomes smooth and shiny.

4. Place the kneaded dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover and let it rise until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

5. Divide the dough into about 10 fairly equal portions and shape them into a knotted shape. Place the formed rolls on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Cover and let the rolls rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

6. In the meantime, make the glaze. Place the water and honey in a bowl and stir to dissolve completely.

7. When the rolls have risen, paint them with the glaze then, sprinkle dried thyme over them all.

8. Bake in a pre-heated 350 F (180 C) oven for about 15-17 minutes until golden.

9. Cool on a rack.Yum!!

OMG!!! - Cypriot Bread with Olives, Herbs and Onions

I don't know if I have ever mentioned this, but I grew up on an island. I know I told you about Nova Scotia, but you probably don't realize that it consists of two parts, a peninsula (almost an island) and an island. Cape Breton Island is truly spectacular, has been named one of the world's most beautiful spots and is NOT to be missed. If you are ever looking for an out of the way but really beautiful vacation spot... this is it.

And so, I have this soft spot for islands, and for breads that come from islands. There is something about the influence of the sea that attracts me, and just makes me look a little closer. So this bread, from Cyprus, caught my attention for two reasons at least. Cyprus is an island, of course, a big island. And it is our neighbor in the eastern Mediterranean. Israel and Cyprus even share a marine border and some history. And, of course, Mediterranean culinary traditions. Olive oil and olives, garlic, onions and fresh herbs everywhere and in everything. What could be bad?

This bread is loaded with all of those and has the advantage of being quite moist so it lasts. Or at least that's the theory since it's usually gone in about a day or two. But it should last... if you can resist the temptation!

Here's What You'll Need:

about 3 3/4 cups (500 g) bread flour
1 Tbs. instant yeast
2 Tbs. sugar
1/2 Tbs. salt
2 Tbs. good olive oil
about 1 cup (250 ml) of warm water

1 medium onion. finely chopped, and slightly drained of liquid
about 3/4 cup (200 g) black olives, chopped coarsely
a good handful fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, coriander, oregano...) chopped coarsely

Here's What You'll Need To Do:

1. In a large bowl, mix the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt thoroughly.

2. Slowly add the water and oil mixed together, while mixing by hand to form a rough dough.

3. Lightly oil your work surface, remove the dough from the bowl, and continue kneading for at least 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and shiny and only a little tacky.

4. Place the dough back into the bowl, now lightly oiled, cover and let it rise until doubled, about 2 hours.

5. Remove the dough to a lightly oiled work surface and deflate, spreading it out into a rough rectangle. Spread the olives, onions and herbs evenly over the surface of the rectangle. Fold the rectangle like a trifold letter to enclose the olive-herb mixture. Then knead to distribute them evenly. You may need to add flour at this stage as the olives and onions might be quite wet. Work gently, adding as little as possible.

6. Finally, form the dough into a fairly tight ball, and place it on a parchment lined baking tray. Cover and let it rise, again, for about an hour.

7. About 20 minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Bake for at least 35-45 minutes, until the crust is a deep brown and firm. It will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. At this point your kitchen will have a totally 'other-worldly' aroma!!

8. Let the bread cool completely before slicing.

Maneesh - Middle Eastern Flatbread with Seeds and Herbs

Over the years, I have written a lot about breads from different parts of the world. And in different areas there  are 'styles' which are typical for that place. Many times the kind of bread is pretty much determined by geography and climate. So, for instance, in Eastern Europe, with its long. cold winters and short, hot summers, the breads include lots of rye flour, since it grows in that relatively harsh climate. The breads tend to be heavier, denser affairs, sometimes with dried fruit or imported spiced to 'liven' them up a bit.

Another example might be the breads of Asia. I know, Asia is huge. In fact it is the hugest. But in terms of bread, almost all breads from this massive continent are flat breads. Even breads using yeast tend to be fairly flat. In fact, the first breads are likely Asian, baked on a hot stone or in a stone oven. Maneesh is no exception. Originating in the Middle East, and super popular in Israel, Jordan and Lebanon, this bread is typically baked in a stone oven slathered with olive oil and covered with sesame seeds and za'atar (hyssop). You can find it in any open market and it is definitely street food. For very little money, you can buy one and gobble it up while doing your weekly market shopping! The za'atar, btw, is a native herb closely related to the oregano, thyme, basil, rosemary, marjoram family of herbs in terms of flavor. If you can't find it, at a Middle Eastern or Greek grocery, any or all of the these can easily substitute.

Here's What You'll Need:

• 500g/1lb 2oz AP flour or bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 10g/¼oz salt
• 25g/1oz powdered sugar
• 10g/¼oz instant yeast
• 20ml/4 tsp olive oil, plus extra for kneading
• 360ml/12fl oz tepid water
  
  
  Also for the topping:
  about 1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds
  about 1/3 cup chopped fresh herbs or 3-4 Tbs. dry herbs (za'atar or other Mediterranean herbs)
  olive oil
  
  
  Here's What You'll Need To Do:
  1. Mix together the flour, yeast salt and sugar. Then add in the olive oil. Gradually add the water (you may not need all of it) mixing by hand to form a soft, not sticky, dough.
  
  
  
  2. Spread a little olive oil on the tabletop, then remove the dough and knead it on the oiled surface. It will be shaggy at first, but after 5 to 10 minutes will become very smooth and supple. Place the kneaded dough into a lightly oiled bowl, covered, to rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
  
  
  3. Remove the dough from the bowl, punch down to remove the air, then divide into 3 fairly equal pieces. Stretch the dough, using your fingers, into a rough circle, then cover with plastic to rest about 25 minutes. The dough will puff up but not double.
  
  
  
  4. Preheat the oven to 450 F (220 C). 'Dimple' the dough with your fingers carefully so as not to deflate too much, then brush the top with a paste made from the remaining oil and herbs. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a deep golden brown and the bread sounds hollow. The bottom should be deep brown and crispy as well. B'tayavon - Bon Appetit (in Hebrew)!
  
  
  
  
  

Second Home - Mediterranean Olive Bread

When you think of typical Mediterranean foods, certain images immediately come to mind. Salty white cheeses like the famous feta and its universal cousins. Olive oil and olives. Ripe, firm tomatoes. Fresh herbs like oregano, basil of course, thyme, rosemary.

And bread, two styles especially. There is the thick-crusted 'artisan'-style loaves. Basically a boule, baked at a high temperature until almost black. The interior remains soft and white while the crust is so crunchy you almost have to saw it open. Almost. Then there is the 'country' loaf. A softer crust with a white and fluffy interior. Almost heaven and made with only a few select ingredients. White bread flour, yeast, water and salt. To soften the crust just a little more add an egg. To brown the crust add some sugar. That's it.

This bread is from the second category. It has a robust crust but not at all crunchy or chewy. The interior is soft as soft can be. Fluffy. It is a variation on a bread found throughout the Mediterranean in one form or another. Another variant can be found in the wonderful baking book Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads. I have replaced the typical butter with olive oil to cut down on the saturated fats, and to add the flavor of the oil. Olive oil does not suit a lot of baked goods, but is perfect for Mediterranean bread. Also, just so you wouldn't mistake it's origins, I have added about 1 cup of roughly chopped green olives. The aroma in your kitchen will be unbelievable. And if you can manage to wait until it cools, you won't be disappointed.

Here's What You'll Need:
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups bread flour (or AP flour)
1 Tbs. dry yeast
2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cups warm water
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter (or Olive oil)
1 cup green olives, roughly chopped (or half black)
1 egg, lightly beaten

Here's What You'll Need to Do:

1. In a large mixing bowl, add 2 cups of the flour and the other dry ingredients (yeast, sugar and salt). Mix thoroughly.

2. Make a well in the center, then add the water, while stirring, to form a thick-ish batter. Beat in the eggs, then the butter gradually. Or the olive oil if using it instead of the butter.

3. Stir vigorously until the batter is smooth and silky, then add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough 'cleans the bowl'. Continue to knead until the dough is smooth and shiny and only just barely sticky.

4. Place the dough in a lightly-oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover and let it rise until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

5. Deflate the dough. Push it out with your fingers until it forms a rough rectangle. Sprinkle the drained olives evenly over the surface of the dough, then roll it up, jelly-roll style from the long side to form a 'log'. Tuck the ends underneath the log, and place it on a parchment -lined baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel, to rise a second time, about 45 minutes.

6. About 20 minutes before baking time, pre-heat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Brush the loaf with the beaten egg, then bake for about 35 minutes until it is a deep brown. It will sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

7. Cool on a rack.

Oh, and it makes amazing toast!

Closer to Home - Greek Olive Bread

The latest diet craze - the Mediterranean diet - strikes me as very strange. Not the diet itself, but rather the whole idea of a 'diet' based on the most popular components of the foods eaten in this area. The reason it is strange to me, of course, is because this is the kind of food I eat all the time. Let's think about it for a minute. What is this 'diet'? Well, it all starts with what Rachel Ray calls, EVOO, in other words Extra Virgin Olive Oil. From there, it really depends on where you are in the Mediterranean Basin. For instance, think of Italian food, and you think of tomato sauce and pasta. Think of French food from Provence, then you must include, sharp cheeses, red wine and lots of herbs. Actually, when you think of it, Italian food, Spanish food and all North African food, also includes herbs, olive oil and spices (often very spicy!). Lately I've been baking all kinds of dishes (quiches, pies and breads) from this area. This is all in preparation for some workshops I will be teaching this summer on Crete, the largest of the Greek Islands.

This bread is fairly typical of breads from the entire region. It includes olive oil, and even feta cheese, in some versions. It takes a long time to rise in the winter but in the summer will rise quickly. Unlike many breads from the Eastern Mediterranean, it has yeast to help it rise. Many breads from this area are flatbreads, like the famous pita bread found all over the Mediterranean and Middle East in one form or another. This recipe makes one fairly large loaf and keeps really well for several days. The addition of olives and feta give it a distinctly Middle eastern flavor. Needless to say, it makes great sandwiches especially with a sharp cheese, or with some kind of smoked meat. And mustard, good strong dijon mustard.

Here's What You'll Need:

1 onion thinly sliced
1Tbs. olive oil
1 cup pitted and chopped green or black olives
400g (3 cups) bread flour
3/4tsp salt
about 150g (5oz) drained and crumbled feta cheese
2tsp instant yeast
1Tbs chopped oregano, coriander, parsley and/or mint
1 cup hot (45C/120F) water

Here's What You'll Need to Do:

1. Fry the onion in the olive oil until lightly browned. Roughly chop the olives.

2. Put the flour, salt, yeast and herbs in a large bowl with the olives and fried onions and feta cheese, and pour in 1 cup hot water (not boiling - about 45C or 120F).

3. Mix the dough until it comes together. Then place on a lightly-floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth and just barely sticky. Add flour or water as necessary to get the correct feel.

4. Put in a lightly-oiled bowl and cover. Leave it to rise until doubled, about 2 hours (the onions and olive will weigh it down).

5. Preheat the oven to 220C (425F). Lightly grease a baking sheet, then shape the dough into a tight boule. Leave it lightly covered to rise again until doubled.

6. Just before baking, slash the bread with a sharp knife, about 1/2 in (3mm) deep.

7. Bake for about 35-40 minutes until it is a deep rich brown. Serve with unsalted butter, or as part of a meze table. That's the small salads and dips that you find everywhere in this area. In Spain called tapas, in Greece, meze.

 

 

Closer to home - Jerusalem Bagels

No doubt the reason these are called bagels in Jerusalem, is because of the hole in the middle. But, as they say on TV detective shows, any resemblance to 'the real event' is purely coincidental. OK. So not purely but pretty close. In a previous post I showed you how to make Montreal  bagels, a variation on the NYC bagels and to North Americans the only true bagels in the world. It's just not true! These bagels, found all over the Mideast but especially in this form, in Jerusalem have the required hole, but that's where the comparison ends. They are completely covered with sesame, and most importantly, they are not boiled like their North American cousins. Regardless, they are delicious, and these relatively thin round, elongated breads are crunchy as well. The sesame adds a nutty flavor you just don't get with other breads like this. Serve them with za'atar and olive oil for dipping.

Here's What You'll Need:

4 1/2 cups AP flour
3 1/2 Tbs. sugar
2 heaping Tbs. milk powder
1 Tbs. dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 Tbs. oil (olive oil is good but optional)
1 tsp. salt

Here's What You'll Need To Do:

1. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl of an electric mixer with a dough hook until it comes together into a 'shaggy' dough. Then mix at medium speed for about 7 minutes until the dough is smooth and a little shiny.

2. Place it in a lightly-oiled bowl, turn to coat, then cover and let it rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

3. Divide the dough into 6 or 8 pieces (depending on the size of the bagels). Then flatten each piece. Punch a hole in the middle using you thumb, then stretch the dough (careful not to tear it) into an elongated oval bagel shape.

4. Place each bagel on a parchment lined baking tray. Cover and let rise a second time, this time for about 20 minutes.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Before baking, brush each bagel with egg diluted in water then sprinkle heavily with sesame seeds mixed with sugar and salt (2 Tbs sugar + 1 Tbs salt + 3 Tbs. sesame seeds).

6. Bake for 15 minutes until they are a  rich golden brown and crispy. Cool on a rack and serve with za'atar and olive oil. Yum!!

Brunch and Mediterranean 'Style' rolls

There is something to be said for authenticity in cooking and baking. If you are trying to make French pastry, for instance, then by all means use real butter and cream, use 100% pastry flour and the 'correct pots and pans. French cooking is deservedly famous, and should be copied and learned. Sometimes, however, we want to capture the essence of a style of cooking or baking, while at the same time compromising a little on the authenticity of the recipe. Sometimes it's because we don't have all the ingredients on hand. Or sometimes we 'invent' a recipe by creating something using the type of ingredients that typify a style. So, for instance, if I make a rice dish and use soy sauce, tamari sauce and pomegranate concentrate for the sauce, I will produce a Chinese-'style' rice dish without the dish being authentically Chinese.

So it is with these rolls, so delicious with breakfast and brunch type foods (salads and spreads) yet probably not native to any single area in the Mediterranean area. After all, when you think of the Mediterranean, what foods do you think of? Olive oil, of course. And rosemary or some aromatic herb (oregano or thyme). Tomatoes in all forms. Oh, and more olive oil. Different areas place a different emphasis on each ingredient, but they are really a variation on a theme... There are other foods as well but you get the point. These rolls are delicious and include lots of things typically from the Mediterranean area. You'll love them, I'm sure.

Here's What You'll Need:

400-450 g flour
300 g  water
100 g Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
7 g instant yeast
2 tsp honey
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp rosemary
50 g olive oil (about 4 T)

Here's What You'll Need To Do:

1. Dissolve yeast and honey in 150 ml of warm water, cover and leave in a warm place to rise for 10-15 minutes.

2. In a bowl sift flour and salt, add the finely grated cheese, stir.

3. Make a well and pour the yeast and remaining water, Knead to a soft dough.

4. Shape it into balls and place in a greased bowl, cover it with cloth and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume.

5. Pour the risen dough on work surface, cut it to 8 equal parts.

6. Shape rolls, place them in greased or parchment paper covered baking tray. Allow rolls to rise for 20-30 minutes.

7. Brush them with olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary.

8. Bake them 20-30 minutes in preheated oven to 350 degrees F.