My all time favorite bread, PIDE, Its also known as Turkish bread, full of flavour, chewy texture, keeps for ages and great toasted with whatever you like on top.
I bet Timber could come up with some great toppings, but I usually have some salad and grilled chicken breast topped with a bit of good old NZ cheddar melted over it. The texture should be coarse with lots of open area, big holes are all right.
The black stuff is not rat shit, its black sesame seeds, all I had at the time.
You wanna know how to make it? well gather around kiddies and I will divulge my super secret Pide recipe.
First make a preferment, you absolutely need this to get the texture and flavour.
Half teaspoon dry Yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup warm milk
a cup 120 grm flour, general purpose is fine.
Mix it all up and leave overnight or longer if its cooled.
After your preferment has had time to work its magic.
Get a bowl and add
- 1 Tsp yeast
- 1 1/4 Cups of warm water
- 1 Tsp sugar
- 3 Cups 450 grm Flour
- 1 1/4 Tsp salt
- 2 Tbs Olive oil
Chop up the preferment in little bits and them mix it up, I use a mixer because I'm a rich cvnt
But you poor people can do it by hand as this bread doesn't need a lot of development and the 'ol Turks were doing this well before Mr Ken Wood came along.
Give it two Prooving times of 40 mins each.
One proof of 40 mins as above in a covered bowl, and then a good 2 min hand moulding.
Divide into two and then a 5 min hand moulding each peice, you will need plenty of flour to roll it in during moulding.
Leave it for its 2nd 40 min proof, and when this is complete roll each peice into flat lengths about 250 mm long by 100 mm.
Push finger tips into the dough to dimple and sprinkle sesame seeds over it.
In the meantime get your oven stinking hot and keep some trays in it so when you put the bread on it gets a good jump from the residual heat.
12 mins baking time at least 250 deg and there you have it. Sounds a bit complicated I must admit but its not and it produces the best tasting bread you will ever come across.
It also makes really great hamburger buns, just roll out in a flattened ball instead of long shape.