Got some flour, yeast and salt? Make bread!

Those of you who know me know that I'm a fledgling baker. Specifically, bread baker. I got this book, 100 Bread Recipes by Paul Hollywood. It is amazing how so many different breads can exist from combining the same four ingredients: flour, yeast, salt and water. One of my new favorites is Laganes bread. It is a traditional bread made in Cyprus and is usually eaten with fresh fruit and cheese. Me, I prefer it hot, toasted and with lots of butter!

Laganes Bread

1 heaping teaspoon ground fennel
4 cups white bread flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 heaping tablespoons of active dry yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/4 c water
7 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
2 tablespoons black cumin seeds (note: could not find cumin seeds, so substituted 2 T black sesame seeds with no problem)

Activate the yeast in 1/4 c warm water and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Mix and let proof for 5-10 minutes.

Mix flour, proofed yeast, olive oil and water in a bowl for approximately 3 minutes. Cover and let dough rest for 10 minutes. Tip dough onto a lightly floured counter. Knead in salt and ground fennel (you'll knead for about 5 minutes). Put dough back into the bowl and let rise for 1 hour.

About 40 minutes into the first rise, place all seeds into a bowl and pour over just enough warm water to cover. Let stand for 20 minutes (this balloons the seeds and releases their flavors-bet ya didn't know that!).

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Tip the dough onto your floured counter and divide into 4 pieces. I use a sharp pizza cutter to divvy up my dough. It is considered a no-no to just sort of tear or rip it apart. Flatten each piece into an oval shape, 1-2 inches thick (note: make it closer to the 1 inch thick measure, it will rise again). Drain off the excess water from the seeds and spread onto a plate. Turn each loaf in the seed mixture until the dough is completely covered (top, bottom and sides). Put two loaves onto each baking sheet and let rise for another hour.

Preheat the over to 425. Using your finger, press holes over the top of the dough. Then bake the loaves for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

First note: I do not have a convection oven. Thus, I baked one baking sheet at a time. If I put both in, there is not enough air circulation and they burn before they cook. So, I put in one baking sheet and baked (leaving the other on the counter). Then, baked the second two loaves. Although the last two loaves had an extra 20-25 minutes to rise, it didn't change the taste or texture. All four loaves turned out the same . . . . Good!

Second note: Last time I made this, I made two loaves and used the other half of the dough to make 16 rolls. Rolls bake for about 13 to 15 minutes. These are great to freeze and pull out to thaw a few hours before dinner.

Final note: If you do not like fennel, just omit it from the recipe. The bread still turns out wonderful. The caraway seeds gives it a hit of rye bread taste.

Happy baking!