Bread

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Researched by CHEF Nazzareno Casha It is estimated that the first bread was made around 10000 years BC or over 12,000 years in the past.

This bread was more than likely flatbread, similar to a tortilla, made simply of ground grains (flour) and water that was mashed and baked. The first tools and implements used in the making of bread are dated to about 8000 years BC. Egypt is attributed with popularizing the art of making bread. Egyptians are considered to be the agricultural pioneers of the old world, probably benefiting from interactions with Samaria.

The closed oven was invented circa 3000 BC and allowed for more varieties of bread to be produced. It is around this time that leavened bread is first described – bread with yeast added so that it would rise during production.

Refined grains were considered superior and therefore were prevalent in the higher courts, so the poorer populations used barley and sorghum in their breads.

Biblical Era Around 1000 BC the Mosaic laws were introduced. These laws, in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, contained instructions to the nation of Israel regarding proper food preparation.

When the Hebrew people fled Egypt during the legendary Exodus, they were forced to make unleavened (flat) bread in their haste. Leviticus declares a feast commemorating the exodus using flatbread.

Bread is a common symbol of bounty in the bible – Leviticus 21:22 declares, “He shall eat the bread of his God.” When the people of God were lost in the

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wilderness, they were fed manna, which was described as bread from heaven. The Christian Savior, Jesus Christ, is called the “Bread of Life”.

The bible also gives one of the earliest recipes for sprouted grain bread. It reads, in Ezekiel 4:9-17: “Take thou also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils, and millet, and fitches, and put them in one vessel, and make thee bread thereof, according to the number of days that thou shalt lie upon thy side, three hundred and ninety days shalt thou eat thereof.”

While more than a year of nothing but this bread sounds like quite a marathon diet, analysis of products today using the same recipe show that it was a wellbalanced, nutritious bread that yielded plenty of protein, fiber, carbohydrate, and healthy fat.

Early Greek In 400 BC, around the time when Socrates was providing sage dietary advice, Plato imagined an ideal world. In this world, men would live to a ripe old age.

Their main source of sustenance would be whole grain bread from local wheat.

168 BC saw the establishment of baker’s guilds in Rome. Bread even played a major role in politics when, in 40 BC, as part of a campaign, it was decreed that bread should be freely distributed to every male adult.

Middle Ages In 1202 AD, English laws were passed to regulate the production of bread. While many people are aware of the differences between whole grain (brown) bread and white breads, few realize that it caused quite a stir in 1307 when the white bread bakers and brown bread bakers split to form separate guilds!

It was not until two centuries later, in 1569, that the guilds were reunited and called the “Worshipful Company of Bakers.”

The Age of Refined Bread As early as 1826, the whole grain bread used by the military was called superior for health to the white, refined bread used by the aristocracy. In fact, the term refined today comes from this fact.

Before the industrial revolution, it was more labor consuming (and therefore costly) to refine bread, so white bread was the main staple for aristocracy. This made them “refined”.

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20th Century 

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In 1910, Americans were eating 210 pounds of wheat flour every year. The commercial bread-slicing machine was invented in 1912 by Otto Rohwedder, and unveiled in 1928.

The 1930s saw the United States pursue a diet enrichment program to begin fortifying breads with vitamins and minerals after their discovery in the late 1920s.

In 1941, calcium was added to help prevent rickets, observed in many female recruits to the military.

In 1956, it became the law to enrich all refined breads.

By 1971 consumption of white bread had dropped to around 110 pounds per year, but by 1997 (possibly due in part to the low fat, high carbohydrate craze and the food pyramid) consumption was up to 150 pounds – still 60 pounds shy of the fit, trim Americans at the turn of the century.

Types of Bread There are many types of bread. This is by no means an exhaustive list.

White and Whole Grain In the most basic form, grinding grains, adding water, and heating it produces whole grain flatbread. Whole grain bread is similar, only yeast is added so that the bread rises.

White bread starts out similar to whole grain bread. The grain is processed, however. The hard, outer portion of the grain is stripped, removing fiber and many vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats that are naturally available. The remaining portion is ground to a fine powder, the enriched with a generic spray of vitamins and minerals. This is then used to bake the bread.

Spelt Spelt (called Dinkel in Germany) bread is a grain-bread, and is closely related to common wheat. Spelt does contain gluten. Gluten, a form of protein, is a common allergen and gluten intolerance or allergies are quite common. However 4

some sufferers with a mild gluten tolerance do sometimes use Spelt as a substitute for wheat.

Sourdough Supermarket “sourdough” breads are often simply wheat bread with no sweetener added. Once a sweetener is added – often high fructose corn syrup in commercial breads, but typically brown sugar, honey, or molasses in fresh baked breads – it becomes the typical bread you are used to buying.

True sourdough however is something completely different. Sourdough is a culture of lactobacilli bacteria and yeasts used to leaven bread. The culture is used as a “starter” whereby new flour and water are added. The bread has a sour or tangy flavor.

Cultures can often be passed on from loaf to loaf for years.

Other Varieties Varieties such as oat, barley, rye, kamut, triticale, millet, and even rice bread are simply variations using different grains other than traditional wheat. Sometimes seeds and spices are added, creating varieties such as basil, garlic, onion, or cinnamon bread.

Sprouted Grain Sprouted grain bread has increased in popularity in recent years. Traditional bread is made from ground flour from the hardened kernel of grain.

Sprouted grain bread involves soaking the grain and allowing it to sprout. The sprouted seedlings are then mashed together and baked.

Sprouting allows the enzymes in the grain to convert some of the carbohydrates and fats to vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

Due to the changes that take place, sprouted grain bread typically is higher in protein, fiber, and certain vitamins and minerals than regular bread. It is also less refined and processed than even stone ground wheat bread, so it has less of an impact on your blood sugar.

Refined and Enriched Many commercial types of bread are highly refined. Enriched breads have the original nutrients stripped out and replaced with inferior, often lesser quantities of standard vitamins and minerals.

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Some companies will try to produce wholesome-looking bread by adding grains to the outside, even when the main ingredient is enriched bread. High fructose corn syrup is often added as a sweetener.

How to Purchase Healthy Bread The first thing to look at when purchasing breads is the ingredients list. 

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Look for breads where the very first ingredient is “whole grain” or “stone ground” rather than “enriched” (even if whole grains follow the enriched flour ingredient).

Look for natural sweeteners like molasses or honey over high fructose corn syrup. Preferably, the sweetener and salt should be last on the ingredients list.

If you consume high quantities of bread or keep the bread refrigerated, it will last longer and you can purchase fresher varieties that do not contain additives or preservatives.

Basic Ingredients List The most basic ingredients list will look like this: whole-wheat flour, water, salt.

There should be a few grams of protein and fiber per slice – low protein and/or fiber is a sign of excessive processing that has stripped these nutrients, and implies that the other nutrients will be missing as well.

Rye bread typically contains moderate portions of protein and fiber per slice. A 100-calorie slice will contain a few grams of protein, a few grams of fiber, around 20 grams of carbohydrate, and decent amounts of calcium and iron. The addition of flaxseed increases protein and fiber (for the same 100 calorie slice) but also adds trace amounts of healthy, unsaturated fats.

“Men’s Bread” There are actually some amazing bread recipes that can be very beneficial for the bodybuilder.

A variety of bread called “Men’s Bread” by French Meadow Bakery contains the following: Organic whole wheat flour, filtered water, organic flaxseed, organic pumpkin seeds, organic oat fiber, organic low fat soy flour, organic wheat flour, organic sesame seeds, organic raw sprouted fava beans, organic sunflower seeds, organic millet, organic pea protein isolate (non-GMO), organic wheat flour (wheat germ restored), soy germ isoflavone concentrate (non-GMO), organic sprouted quinoa, organic sprouted amaranth, organic sprouted spelt, organic sprouted kamut, wheat gluten, organic sprouted barley, organic sprouted oats, organic sprouted wheat, unrefined sea salt.

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This power-packed ingredients list provides a 100-calorie slice of bread with essential fatty acids, 5 grams of fiber, and 8 grams of protein to only 11 grams of carbohydrate. It is abundant in over 13 vitamins and minerals. Compare this to a typical slice of white bread, which contains no fiber, trace amounts of protein, and double the carbohydrate.

Summary Bread has been around for ages. While trends such as low carbohydrate nutrition or low fat dieting come and go, bread is here to stay – people “earn their bread” or “bring the bread home” and are constantly looking for the “best thing since sliced bread”.

Before eliminating bread from your diet, consider the many types of bread that are available and decide if there is one that suits your needs.

Bread can increase your protein intake, add fiber to your diet, refill you muscles by supply quality carbohydrate in addition to healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.

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Bread recipe - the Zopf This is a typical Swiss Sunday treat. Some people think it owes its origins to a custom whereby widows cut off a braid of their hair and buried it with their husbands. As time went on, they buried a loaf in the same shape instead of their hair. The Zopf - or Züpfe as it is called in Bern - has been known in Switzerland since at least the middle of the 15th century.

Ingredients (for 2 loaves)       

1 kg white flour 200 g butter 1 egg ½ l milk 50 g fresh yeast or 15 gm dried ½ tsp sugar 3-4 tsp salt

Method Sieve flour into a bowl, and make a hollow in the centre. Dissolve yeast in cold milk, add sugar. Separate egg, keeping yolk to one side. Add whites to yeast/milk mixture, beat slightly. Add salt, and beat again. Gently melt butter in pan. Add all ingredients to flour, and mix in. Cover with cloth, leave to rest for one hour in a warm place.

Divide the dough into four equal pieces, and form each into a sausage, with tapering ends.

Here comes the difficult bit...

Each zopf is made up of two strands. To make the first loaf, lay one strand horizontally on the work surface, and place another vertically across the middle. Take the right end of the horizontal roll and lay it leftwards across the top one, and take the left end and lay it rightwards. Then take the two ends of the vertical roll and do the same, bringing the upper end downwards and the lower end upwards. Continue alternately until the braid is complete, and then press the ends together.

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Alternatively, twist the strands together from the top, like a rope, then bend the twisted dough in half and twist the ends round each other again.

Repeat for the second loaf.

Never mind if they don't come out quite right: they should taste just as good!

Paint the loaves with the egg yolk mixed with water.

Bake for about 40 minutes at 200-220 C, turning the heat up towards the end in order to brown them.

A bread roll is a piece of bread, usually small and round and is commonly considered a side dish. Bread rolls are often used in the same way as sandwiches are—cut transversely, with fillings placed between the two halves.

Ingredients Yield: Makes 12 rolls, active time 45 minutes, total time 3 hours 45 minutes 

812 grams /1 pound 12 2/3 ounces bread flour

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430 grams / 15 1/8 ounces water 41 grams / 1 1/2 ounces eggs 29 grams / 1 ounce fresh yeast 19 grams / 2/3 ounce vegetable oil 16 grams / 1/2 ounce malt syrup 19 grams 2/3 ounce salt 18 grams / 2/3 ounce sugar

Procedures Prepare the mise en place.

Combine the bread flour with the water, eggs, yeast, vegetable oil, and malt syrup in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the hook. Mix on low speed for about 4 minutes, or until blended.

Add the salt and sugar, increase the mixer speed tp medium, and mix for about 8 minutes, or until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, feels elastic, and gives some resistance when tugged.

Lightly oil a large bowl or container.

Scrape the dough into the prepared bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic film and set aside to ferment for 1 hour.

Lightly flour a clean, flat work surface.

Uncover the dough and divide it into 12 115-gram / 4-ounce rounds on the floured surface. Cover with plastic film and bench rest for 15 minutes.

Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.

Uncover the dough and, if necessary, lightly flour the work surface. If you have a Kaiser Roll stamp, press the center of the roll with it. If you don’t have a stamp, lightly press on the dough to degas and carefully shape each round into a baguette

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about 12 inches long. Working with one piece at a time, form each baguette into a loop, crossing the ends with the right end being on the bottom. Pull the right end up and over the center of the loop and the push it under in the same direction. The left loop should now be pointing right. Take the left end and pull it up and under the center hole and then connect it to the other end. You should now have a roll that is rather like a rosette. Place 6 rolls, seam side down, onto each of the prepared pans. Cover with plastic film and proof for 1 hour.

About an hour before you are ready to bake the rolls, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Uncover the dough and transfer the rolls to the preheated oven. Bake for 22 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown and crisp.

Remove from the oven and transfer to wire racks to cool.

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White bread

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This recipe is the basic white bread recipe that I use in the restaurant. It is classic French, yeast, white bread. It can be shaped and flavoured to your liking with sun dried tomatoes, pesto, etc.

This is a recipe for 2 large loaves of 500g:  1kg flour  12g Salt  40g Fresh yeast  1/2 lit/ 1 pt (about) Water Mix the flour and the salt. Dissolve the yeast in half of the water. Place the flour in a mixer (type Kenwood chef), set on slow and slowly add the water/ yeast mixture. Add the rest of the water slowly until the dough reaches a soft, moist texture. You may not need all the water as the flour does not behave the same way if the weather is dry or humid. Set you food mixer on fast for 5 minutes then on slow for another 10 minutes. At this point, the gluten matrix forms and the starch absorb the moisture and solidify the gluten matrix by filling the gaps in the gluten web of protein.

Place your dough in a warm place, covered with a clean kitchen cloth. Let it proof for 1 hour. The fermentation process takes place. The yeasts feed on the glucose component, of the starch and generate some CO2. The dough rises and doubles in size.

Put the dough in a mixer and set it on a medium speed for 6 minutes. On a clean and floured surface knead the dough by hand for 10 minutes. Dive it in two parts of equal size. Shape your bread to your liking. Place your bread on a baking tray leaving some space for the to rise again. Score the bread. Set a side to proof for 1/2 hour in a warm place. This is the final fermentation process, more CO2 is produced as well as some alcohol type molecule that will kill the yeast in the bread.

Preheat your oven on high heat (230 degrees Centigrade) and place a container of water in it. Sprinkle some flour on the bread put in the oven for about 40 minutes. After 10 minutes set your oven to 160 degrees Centigrade. The first part of the cooking process will create the crust and the flavour of the bread by the browning reaction or "Maillard reaction". The very same chemical reactions that happen when you roast meat. The second part of the cooking process set the starch/ protein walls around the bubbles of CO2.

Leave the bread to cool on a pastry rack.

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Maltese loaf Traditional Maltese loaf and I’m sure that many out there agree with me. It’s so wholesome and tasty and yet so plain! As in many other places, what was poor man's fare is now rich man's favour. Not that one has to be rich to acquire such food.

Many Maltese still eat it as a snack or as part of their supper. Both the stonecutter in the quarry and the farmer in the field, as well the family relaxing by the seaside on a delicious Summer evening, all love to dig their teeth into this tasty meal. It satisfies the taste buds and fills the stomach in the simplest and most complete way. It is inexpensive and easy to prepare, but it is true that richer foods and faster food have replaced most of what today can be considered as traditional food.

In the past, the manual workers used to take lunch which consisted of half a loaf of our excellent bread, hollowed out and filled with tomatoes, oil, olives, anchovies and accompanied by a glass of wine. They then wrapped it up in a cloth for freshness and then sliced it up with a penknife at the time of eating. It was very filling and practical especially for outdoor workers. This tradition is unfortunately giving way to the more regular sandwich.

When I sometimes pass in front of a bakery the heavenly smell of baking bread evokes memories of when dad used to come from work carrying with him freshly baked bread still crackling hot. We kids used to make a feast with a simple loaf of bread. Mum sliced the bread and we siblings were left free to prepare our Hobz biz-Zejt the way we wanted.

I was usually allowed to have the round crusty part (il-genba) from which I dug out the middle and filled it up with all the stuff that I could get hold of.

The term ‘Hobz tal-Malti’ makes me conjure up images of this delicious snack eaten on the sand, watching the sun set, with the salty sea smell lingering on one’s skin. Hobz biz13

zejt somehow always tastes better eaten at the beach – did you ever realise that? So what exactly is this hobz biz-zejt? If I had to translate this term it would literally mean "Bread with oil� which up to a certain extent is true because drizzled oil is one of the basic ingredients but it has more than just that. And what goes on in this Hobz biz-Zejt??

The first thing you have to do is to get hold of a fresh Maltese loaf (hobza). The crust should be cracked and crunchy and the middle soft and white. Cut thick slices of bread.

Halve a couple of ripe summer tomatoes and rub the cut side over the bread until it gets a reddish hue. If using tomato paste, (kunserva) just spread over the bread. Next dip one side of the bread into a plate of good olive oil. Or else you can drizzle the oil onto the bread. Sprinkle with salt and freshly cracked black pepper. That’s the basic recipe. What follows is up to you. You can either have it as it is or else add some of the following ingredients. The other ingredients vary widely, although capers and olives are almost universally included. Here is the list of ingredients I compiled:

Butter beans marinated in garlic and oil, olives, marinated vegetables, lettuce, anchovies, tuna, onion slices, peppered cheeselets (gbejniet), capers, marjoram, mint, basil, pickled onions, bigilla, Sundried tomatoes, cucumber slices, artichoke hearts and even ham. Yes!!

I was told that the Qormi people like having their Hobz biz-zejt with ham! My dad who hails from that town often puts ham in it and I can vouch that it is very tasty.

Hobz Malti-Maltese Bread Ingredients

600g flour 10g salt 15g sugar 15g margarine 25g yeast

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345ml Luke warm water 1 tablespoon milk Method Mix the four, salt and margarine. Add the yeast. Make a mixture of the luke warm water, sugar and the milk. Add on to the flour and knead the mixture well until the dough is white and elasticated. Place in a bowl, seal with cling film and a wet dish towel, place in a warm place for about 1 hour. Work the dough, cut into small pieces (50g). Place on a baking tray, paste with egg, cut with a knife and let the pieces rest for about 15 minutes. Cook in oven 450F (232C) gas mark 6-8 for 12-15 minutes.

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PITA BREAD Pita bread is served at just about every meal in Middle Eastern dining. It can be used for dipping in great dips like hummus, when toasted and cut into wedges.

Pita bread is even better as a sandwich, holding roasted lamb or beef within it's pocket. Try this easy pita bread recipe and say goodbye to store bought pita forever!

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SWEET YEAST BREAD A classic recipe, that makes a great serving of French toast as well.

NGREDIENTS 2 (1/4-ounce) packages active dry yeast or 5 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 1/2 cups warm water (105°F to 115°F / 40°C to 45°C) – divided use 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 teaspoons salt 2 1/2 tablespoons corn oil 3 large eggs – divided use 4 3/4 cups all-purpose or bread flour – divided use 3 tablespoons poppy or sesame seeds DIRECTIONS  In a small bowl, combine yeast, 1/2 cup warm water and sugar. Leave it in a warm place for 5 minutes.  Beat the rest of warm water with salt, corn oil, 2 eggs, yeast and 2 1/2 cups flour in a separate bowl. Beat often for 5 minutes or until elastic. Stir in 2-1/4 cups more flour gradually, working flour into dough thoroughly.  Turn flour onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. In a greased bowl, put dough and turn to coat the top. Use a plastic wrap to cover and leave it to rise in a warm place for an hour or until doubled.  Prepare 2 cookie sheets and grease with oil.  Deflate dough and knead for 1 minute. Divide into 6 portions and roll each one into equal 15-inches long. Make 2 braids using 3 strands for each. Cover with a dish towel and leave it to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled.  Prepare the oven to 375 degrees F preheat settings.  Whisk the egg and brush it over the loaves in an upward motion. Sprinkle top with seeds and bake for 35 minutes. Loosely cover with foil if it appears to brown too fast. Cool over wire racks when done.  Makes 2 loaves.

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MILK BREAD INGREDIENTS 350 g (12 oz) whole milk, at room temperature 20 g (3/4 oz) maple syrup (you can use a bit more for a sweeter loaf) 175 g (6 3/4 oz) all-purpose flour 125 g (4 1/2 oz) bread flour 200 g (6 3/4 oz) whole wheat flour 1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt 1 tsp instant yeast 37 g (1.5 oz, 3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus extra for brushing loaf olive oil, for greasing

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flour, for dusting Place the milk and syrup in a measuring cup or bowl and stir together. Whisk the flour, salt and yeast mix together in a mixing bowl. Pour in the milk mixture stir together with a wooden spoon then with your hands to bring together as a soft, sticky dough. Pour the warm melted butter over the dough and mix into the dough with your hands. Cover the bowl and let stand for 10 minutes.

Grease your hands and a flat clean surface with olive oil (or, use a Silpat as I do).

Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for ten seconds, then form the dough into a smooth round ball. Wipe the bowl clean and grease with olive oil, then return the dough ball to the bowl and leave for 10 minutes.

Repeat this ten-second kneading and resting process every 10 minutes twice (a total of three kneading), then let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Grease a deep 5 x 8 inch loaf pan and dust with flour. Divide the dough into two equal pieces, shape into two balls and place side-by-side into the loaf tin. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for one and a half hours, or until almost doubled in height.

Preheat oven to 410 F. Brush the top of the loaf with a little melted butter and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 F and bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until the top of the loaf is a shiny dark brown and the loaf has come away from the sides of the tin. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack. Warm bread is pretty irresistible, but your loaf will have the best texture if you wait until it cools completely. That said, if you cut off a few slices to try, only the cut end will be a little moist, the rest of the loaf will completely normal.

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German Easter bread is usually a soft, white loaf made in a bouleshape and scored with a cross. Filled with currants and almonds and scented with lemon peel, German Easter bread is not as heavy as a brioche; it is light like panettone bread from Italy, but not as tall, since it is not baked in a form. Like panettone, it is made with low protein flour, not bread flour, which gives this Easter bread a more cake-like texture.

Most often, it is glazed with apricot jam straight from the oven and sprinkled with almond slivers but you can choose other methods of glazing, such as course sugar, milk or egg yolk.

Makes one loaf, about 12 servings

Prep Time: 4 hours Cook Time: 45 minutes Three rises total: 3 hours, 15 minutes Total Time: 8 hours Yield: 12 pieces

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Ingredients:                   

1 c. (120 g.) Zante currants 1/4 c. (40 g.) chopped almonds Milk ***Sponge*** 1 2/5 c. (170 g.) low protein flour* 1/4 tsp. instant yeast* 2/3 c. (150 g.) cold milk ***Dough*** All of the sponge 1 2/5 c. (170 g.) low protein flour* 2 - 3 T. (35 g.) sugar 1 small (33 g.) egg 1 tsp. instant yeast* 1/2 tsp. (4 g.) salt 3 1/2 T. (50 g.) sweet butter 1 tsp. lemon or orange zest ***Glaze*** Your choice of milk, egg yolk, apricot jam or powdered sugar glaze Almond slivers or coarse sugar

Preparation: *Low protein flour (about 9%) is like southern-style flour you use for biscuits.

You may mix cake and all-purpose flour (1:1 ratio), use King Arthur Italian style flour or just make the bread with all-purpose flour, if you cannot find any other kind.

Instant yeast can be replaced with regular, dried bread yeast or fresh yeast (4 grams and 20 grams, respectively), but dissolve them in some of the liquid for best results. Instant yeast can be mixed into the dry ingredients.

Pick over the currants (small raisins) and let them soak in water. Soak the almonds in a little milk. Drain both well before using (see below).

Mix the ingredients for the sponge together until it forms a ball. Knead for several minutes with a machine or by hand, being careful not to let the sponge temperature rise above about 72°F (22°C or room temperature). Let the sponge work for 1 - 2 hours and room temperature.

Place the sponge, flour, sugar, egg, yeast and salt in a bowl and mix until combined. Knead for several minutes. Add the butter and lemon zest and knead for several more minutes.

Add the drained currants and almonds and knead them in. You may have to add a little more flour to make the dough less sticky. The amount depends on how wet 20

and plump the raisins are. Turn the dough out onto a floured board to finish and knead until satiny and only slightly sticky.

Form the dough into a loose mound and let rest on the table for 30 minutes.

Turn oven on to 390°F with a baking stone, if you have one. If you do not have one, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Form the dough into a boule (round loaf), pulling the surface down over the dough towards the bottom and pinching closed. Cover with loose plastic wrap and let the loaf rise 45 minutes at room temperature on a floured board or the parchment papered baking sheet.

A few minutes before baking you can glaze and score your loaf. Brush milk or beaten egg yolk over the surface and sprinkle with sugar or almonds if you wish, then score a cross in the loaf with a razor blade.

Bake with steam (instructions here) for 30 to 45 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 185°F. If the loaf is too dark on top, tent with foil for the last part and reduce the temperature to 350°F. If you have not used a glaze before baking, brush hot loaf with apricot jam and sprinkle with almond slivers (traditional) or allow to cooling and glaze with a powdered sugar and milk mixture.

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ITALIAN OLIVE OIL BUNS You need: 1 kg (about 9 cups) bread flour; 60 gr (2.2 oz) fresh yeast, 150 gr (about 10 table-spoon) olive oil, 80 gr (1/3 cup) sugar, 500 gr (2.1 cups) water, 15 gr (1 table-spoon) salt.

How to: melt the yeast in 1/5th of the water, Luke-warm. Mix the flour with the remaining ingredients and at last add the yeast mixture. Knead 10 minutes by hand or 5 minutes with a machine (using the lowest speed not to over-heat the dough). When the dough is elastic and not sticky, divide into two balls and let rest, covered, for 50 minutes. Make into 2 cylinders without pressing or working the dough (you have to keep all the gasses in). Divide each cylinder in about 10 parts and shape into buns. Do as described here. Place the buns over 2 oven trays covered with parchment. Let rest covered for about 1 hour (they have to double their size). Pre-heat the oven to 210 degrees (Celsius, 410 Fahrenheit). Brush the buns with milk or egg yolk and bake for 8 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 180 degrees (Celsius, 356 Fahrenheit) and bake for further 10 minutes. Check for doneness by actually opening a bun and let cook more if needed.

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ITALIAN OLIVE OIL BUNS

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BAKER MALTESE FTIRA

Maltese Stone Oven

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Who has hunger has no bread, and who has bread has no hunger

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