Baking bread like Ottolenghi
Say wine, snacks or haute cuisine and the foodies of online food magazine FavorFlav know where to drink, how to eat it and what to cook. This time our chefs serve you: the Ottolenghi bread.
Yotam Ottolenghi is an extremely successful bestselling author and two of his loyal cooking buddies have now created their own cookbook: Falastin. A must-have for every Yotam fan, because this book also features mouthwatering delicious and colorful recipes from the rich Middle Eastern kitchen. Like this immensely popular bread with my favorite spice mix ever: za'atar.
Falastin is a tribute to Palestine. Arabic has no letter ‘p’. Hence the spelling with an F in the title. It is an ode to the rich food culture that produced, among other things, falafel, hummus, and tabbouleh. And the most divine za'atar breads....
Za'atar
Aside from this delicious recipe, I also want to share my love for za'atar with you. This is an irresistible spice mix that every cook gives their own twist to. Most za'atar mixes contain at least dried thyme, sumac, sesame, and a bit of salt. Sprinkle the spice mix in some tasty olive oil and dip pieces of bread in it, then you taste za'atar at its best. Or make it like I do when I'm lazy and don't have time to bake these breads: make a generous mix with olive oil and za'atar (and if you like sesame seeds, also add extra sesame seeds) and spread it generously over flatbread and bake it in the oven or in a frying pan.
Aside from with bread, za'atar is also delicious like this: stir yogurt with sesame paste, sprinkle over grilled carrots, and then add some za'atar on top. Also delicious with eggs.
Za'atar bread
Za'atar bread is also called ‘fatayer fallahi’, which means ‘pie of the villager’. It was originally made in the spring, at the beginning of the season when people wanted to go looking for za'atar. In this recipe, fresh oregano and dried za'atar are used, which allows you to make this bread all year round. You can shape the bread in various ways: into flatbread, a regular loaf, or separate balls like here. It must always be super soft inside – almost gooey – with a really crispy crust. Serve them either warm or at room temperature on the day you make them, with some labneh (or feta) and olives.
Tip: prepare in advance
You can make the dough up to 2 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator, so you can roll it out and bake it immediately. Freshly baked rolls can be frozen excellently, and you can toast them directly from the freezer or warm them in the oven. With the recipe below, you can make 12 rolls.
Here's how to make za'atar bread from the Ottolenghi team
First, make the dough. Put the yeast with sugar and water in a small bowl and stir everything together. Set the yeast mixture aside for 5 minutes until it starts to foam. Put the flour with the milk powder, turmeric powder, and sea salt in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook. Mix for 1 minute until everything is just combined and add the yeast mixture, followed by sunflower oil and olive oil. Let the machine run on low speed for 2 minutes until everything is mixed, then switch to medium speed. Keep mixing for 3 minutes. Add the sesame seeds, nigella seeds, and oregano leaves and mix for another 4 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic and the oregano leaves are incorporated. It will now feel very soft and almost sticky, but that's how it should be. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and shape it into a ball. Grease the mixing bowl with 1 tablespoon of oil and place the dough ball in it. Roll it around a few times so it is coated in oil all over and cover the bowl with a clean tea towel. Let it sit in a warm place for 1 hour until the dough has doubled in volume.
Roll the dough into a log about 30 cm long, and cut it into 12 equal-sized pieces, each about 50 grams. Shape each piece into a ball, place the balls on a large plate, and cover them with a clean tea towel for 20 minutes to rest. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
On a clean, lightly floured work surface, press each ball with your fingers into a circle about 10 cm in diameter and 2-3 mm thick. Scoop 2 heaping teaspoons of crumbled feta into the center of each circle. Pull the edges up around it and press them together to form a dough ball again. Place the rolls on a baking sheet with the pressed side down and not too close together. Brush the balls all around with yogurt, in the same way you would with beaten egg, and sprinkle them with extra sesame seeds, nigella seeds, and za'atar. Let them rest for 5 minutes and then bake them for about 20 minutes in the oven or until they are cooked and the bottom is golden brown. Remove the rolls from the oven and serve them immediately while still warm, or a little later at room temperature.
Text: Favorflav
