Hellimli Golyandrolu Ramazan Pidesi

There are some great bread recipes out there and then there is THIS. From the delicious spiced Cypriot tea infusion that it used to ever so slightly flavour the pide, to the fluffy coriander and hellmli middle, and the golden, salty seeded topping, this one is an absolute WINNER. Watch the recipe video HERE to guide you through the method.

INGREDIENTS

4cm piece of cinnamon bark

5 whole cloves

1/4 tsp aniseed

150ml boiling water

150ml lukewarm milk

1 tsp caster sugar

1 sachet (7g) instant dry yeast 

1 egg white (reserve the yolk for later)

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

30g fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

150g hellim, finely grated

500g strong white bread flour

1 1/2 tsp salt 

For brushing: 

1 egg yolk

2 tsp flour 

1 tbsp milk 

For coating:

2 tsp sesame seeds

1/4 tsp Nigella seeds 

1/8 tsp aniseed

METHOD

Place the cinnamon, cloves and aniseed in a large mug and pour in the boiling hot water. Let it infuse for thirty minutes, then once lukewarm, strain the liquid through a tea strainer into a large mixing bowl. Add the caster sugar, stir until dissolved then stir in the milk, the yeast and 1 tbsp of the flour and whisk until smooth. Cover a with a tea towel and leave for 20-30 minutes until the yeast activated and is bubbly. 

After the yeast has activated, add the egg white and drizzle in the olive oil, whisk, then add the coriander and all but 3 tbsp of the hellim. Whisk well, then add the salt and slowly start to add the flour to the mixture, a little at a time, using a spatula to mix, finally getting your hands stuck in. It is a wet and sticky mixture (which makes the loaf light and bubbly) so sprinkle a liberal dusting of flour over a clean surface and overturn the dough onto it. Fold the dough over onto itself a few times, taking from the sides and folding on top, using a little flour where necessary to prevent it from sticking too much (the dough doesn’t require too much kneading), and keep going until it is as smooth as you can get it, and shape it into a ball using a little flour to help you rotate on the surface using cupped hands. Flour the sides and bottom of the bowl that you originally made the dough in, and pop the dough back in it. Cover the bowl with clingfilm, then with a tea towel and leave somewhere warm and cosy to proof for 1hr-11/2hr until doubled in size, bubbly and jiggly. 

Once the dough has proofed, take it out of the bowl and onto a floured surface and gently push down on it a little for a few seconds. Fold the dough over onto itself a few times again, taking from the sides and tucking on top, and work to create a rectangular shape to the dough, ensuring that all the folds are on one side (the top, which will actually be the underside of the bread). Turn the dough over to the smooth side and very gently push down and spread it out using the palms of your hands, flip over, do the same on the underside, sprinkling over a little more flour when and if the dough starts sticking too much. Keep doing this until you have a flat (3 cm thick) rectangular shaped piece of dough, roughly 35cm x 25cm in size. Carefully lift the dough onto a large baking sheet lined with greaseproof parchment paper, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to proof for another 45 minutes-1hr.  

While the dough is proving, preheat your oven to 215C (fan) / 230C. 

Mix together the egg yolk, 1 tsp flour and 1 tbsp milk until smooth.

Once the dough has finished proofing for the second time, brush it all over with the egg yolk mixture, reserving around 1 tsp of it. Using your fingertips, push right down into the dough to make indents to create a border (around 2cm in from the edge) around the the perimeter. Mix the remaining hellim into the remaining egg yolk mixture and spread it all over the central part of the dough (within the border you created). Using the same finger tip technique as earlier, create a cross cross pattern (3 long vertical indented lines, 6 horizontal ones) within the perimeter. Sprinkle over the seeds the pop the tray onto the middle shelf, and throw in a little water from a cup at the bottom of the oven (to create steam) and quickly close the oven door. Bake for around 15-20 minutes until beautifully golden brown, and let it cool on a cooling rack for at least 45 minutes slicing into it.