Turkish bread

We’re home again! We were in the Netherlands for 2 weeks to see our family and friends. It was great to be together and hug them all. Every two years we try to visit them. But, since our mothers are getting old (88 and 81) we hope to see them every year now. 

We were lucky, because Prince Willem-Alexander was crowned King during our visit. In Amsterdam there were many festivities organized for the royal couple, Willem-Alexander and Maxima, and their three daughters Amalia, Alexia and Ariane. It was a great celebration and we saw a lot of orange, the color of the Royal Family and the Netherlands, on the street. Off course we ate a lot of orange pastry.

some of the goodies we took home

When we were in the Netherlands we saw a multi-cultural melting pot of delicious food. We enjoyed it. All kinds of ingredients and dishes from around the world are now easy to find. We had delicious Turkish bread with hummus, a delicious Croatian dish of filo pastry filled with shredded pumpkin, homemade strawberry ice cream, white asparagus, fresh pasta with asparagus sauce, rolls with croquette, soft goat cheese and Dutch cheese, salted herring, Belgian fries, and of course other Dutch delicacies. The Netherlands have a long history of immigrants so most dishes are now regarded Dutch regardless of their origin.  

Ninive of Ninivepisces is the lovely host for Bread Baking Day #59. She came up with the theme: Bread for company. There are so many combinations of good food with bread as a company. This was a easy theme because we love Baba Ganoush and Guacamole and both go very well with Turkish bread. This bread was on my long list of breads to bake, so I had a recipe at hand.

It’s easy and delicious!

Specifics

Name                                       Turkish bread

Yields                                       2 medium or 1 big loaf
Dough temp.                             24°C
Autolyse                                    0 minutes
Mixing                                      10 – 15 minutes on medium speed
Fermentation                            30 minutes
Shape                                      round
Proof at roomtemp.                  15 minutes
Bake 230°C                                20 – 25 minutes

This is what I used:
Bakers formula                      %          grams
Flour                                        100       500

Water                                       30        150
Salt                                          1.8       9         

Dough
Unbleached all purpose flour                 500      
Water                                                  150

Salt                                                       9

Yeast                                                     5                                                         

Topping
egg yolk, water, olive oil and sugar

Sesame seeds to sprinkle

This is what I did:
I added the flour, yeast, water and salt to the mixing bowl. I mixed the dough for 10 minutes until supple.

Bulk Fermentation: transfer the dough to a slightly oiled container, cover and leave for 30 minutes. 

Pre heating: I pre heated the oven to 230°C.

Shaping: I flattened the dough with my hands into a square. The original shape is round or oblong. The edges should be higher than the middle of the bread. With a wet finger you make a diamond pattern. Or push your fingertips randomly in the dough; this gives a nice pattern too.
Mix egg yolk, water, olive oil and sugar and brush it on the dough and sprinkle the sesame seeds over it.

Proofing: I proofed the loaf for 15 minutes.

Baking: I place the loaf on parchment on a peel and. Transfer to the oven and quickly slide the loaf on the baking stone.

I baked the loaf 20 minutes until it is light brown colored.

Cooling: Let the loaf cool completely on a wire rack.

I send this to Susan’s YeastSpotting and Ninive of Ninivepisces