Bread for a New House ( Recipe)

[Athenaeus]

A chef talk fellow moved back to her house so before anything else, Bread must be baked.

I post this Bread recipe for the new house. This recipe comes from the Book of Evi Voutsina “ Gefsi Elliniki “ (Greek taste) Vol I Bread-cookies- Pies

If wish Evi wrote in English too because I’d love to share this book with you. She is a very educated woman, she has studied English Language and Literature, but she just belongs to a different world – an off stream world.

The recipe is a bit complicated but our friend here is very skilled in bread making!!

When I got married, my mother in law made one in her lab in NYC and sent it to us as gift for the new house.
We did not eat it. Instead, we painted it with colorless lacquer and we have it (with some other … trophies) on the wall of our kitchen. Just an idea!

Originally, this Bread is made for Christmas (as Christopsomo – Bread of Jesus) but it is also made when someone is moving to a new house or starts a new life (mostly after marriage). It must have a ring shape because from the hole of the bread you pour some oil and wine in the fireplace in order that Jesus protects your house.


Bread Ring from the Island of Zakynthos (Doughnut Shaped bread))

Ingredients

1,5 kl of hard white flour
1 bowl of starter
2 env. of dry yeast
200ml olive oil
2.5 tea sps of salt
350 gr of sugar
Juice form 3 oranges
The grained zest of the 3 oranges
1 tsp of boiled and drained anise
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp clove
1tsp of mastic or 5 tsp of liqueur of mastic
250gr of walnuts chopped
150gr of almonds blanched and chopped
400 gr of blond raisins

for the spread before baking
4 tblsps of tepid milk
1 tblsp of sesame
Some colored Jordan almonds


Day I
Work the starter with the ½ quantity of the flour and leave it overnight in a warm place.

Day II
Place the other half of your flour in the bowl and add the oil. Stir with large wooden spoon first and then work this mixture with your hands. Grain it with your palms (it must have the look of coarse salt)

Add the dry yeast, the sugar, the salt, the juice the clove, cinnamon and anise (that you have boiled and drain in advance)
Work this mixture for 15 minutes and put it in the dough with the starter you have prepared the previous day.
Take a deep breath.
Now you need to knead it with your hands, using some tepid water if necessary, for some time.

Cover you dough and leave it in warm place to rest for a couple of hours.
Then you add the walnuts, raisins and almonds you work until you have all the air out of your dough.
Your bread must have a ring shape, like a huge doughnut with a nice whole in the middle. In order to have one you cover with foil an empty can and you place it in the middle of the pan to keep your bread in shape.

Cover the pan with a cloth and wait your bread to rise
Before place it in the oven spread the surface with the tepid milk, sprinkle the same and the Jordan almonds
Pinch your bread with a fork in two –three places ( ) and place it in a pre-heated over ( 180 C) after half an hour , reduce the temp in 150C and bake for an hour.

[KyleW]

Sheeeeeeee's Baaaaaaaaack!

Welcome back Kimmie

[Isa]

Originally posted by Athenaeus
A chef talk fellow moved back to her house so before anything else, Bread must be baked.

You are wrong Athenaeus the first thing is to unpack!

[nancya]

.....well, as long as the bread baking stuff is unpacked....the rest can wait!

C'mon Isa, there's bread to be baked after all!

[Svadhisthana]

Nothing says "home" as well as the smell of bread baking........

[Isa]

Ok Nancy first thing to be done after you have unpacked is baking bread.


Why not before? Simply because one can only truly relax when all the boxes are unpacked....


Trust me on this one, It hasn't been a year since my last move.

[nancya]

Isa,

It has been 3 1/2 years since my last move. All the boxes still aren't unpacked - it just isn't possible here. I can relax when the kitchen is unpacked and I can manange the rest over time. But, you're right. You can't just walk in and start baking, I suppose.