Cypriot Spiced Tea-Infused Bread
Every few weeks I turn my kitchen into a mini “Kıbrıslı fırın” (Cypriot micro bakery) and have a homemade bread freezer re-stock. Here I’m using my one Cypriot tea infused bread recipe (I’ve tripled the quantities for the amount of bread I made in the video) to create four different types of Cypriot loaves. Please make it.
NOTE: The recipe below makes either:
•1 large round Cypriot loaf / 2 small Cypriot seeded loaves (Kıbrıs çöreği - the recipe can be found here and here
• 8 Cypriot pitta bread (Kıbrıs pidesi - the method can be found here)
• 8 mini olive breads (zeytinli bidda / ekmek - add 150g chopped Kalamata olives, 25g finely chopped coriander leaves, 2 tsp dried mint and 2 spring onions very finely sliced, to the bread dough and knead until sticky - you can watch the video here).
• If you want to make everything in the video here, triple the quantities below.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 tsp aniseed
1/2 tsp whole cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon bark, lightly crushed
300ml cold water + more to top up with later
450g strong white bread flour
50g strong wholemeal bread flour
1 tsp caster / granulated sugar
7g instant dry active yeast
100ml milk
1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil
METHOD
Add the aniseed, cloves, cinnamon bark and cold water to a “cezve” (Turkish coffee pot) or small saucepan and place on the hob over a medium heat. Once it comes up to the boil, turn it down to a simmer and let it slowly bubble away for 10 minutes. Strain 255ml of the spiced infused water into a measuring jug, stir through the sugar, then top up with the cold milk. Check the temperature and allow to cool until lukewarm if necessary. Once lukewarm / tepid, add the yeast and leave somewhere warm and cosy for 5–10 minutes until the yeast activates and bubbles form in the liquid.
Add the flours to a large bowl, stir in the salt, make a well in the centre, pour in most of the olive oil (reserve a little more than a teaspoon) and liquid yeast mixture and mix to form a dough. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, either on a clean, flour-dusted work surface with your hands, or in a stand mixer or using a hand mixer with a dough hook until nice and smooth. Tuck the sides of the dough under to form a smooth ball, smooth over with a little of the reserved olive oil, then grease the inside of a large bowl with the remaining olive oil and pop the dough into the bowl. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and a tea towel and leave somewhere warm and cosy to prove for an hour or until doubled in size.
Once proved, take the dough out of the bowl, knock it back by gently punching it down a couple of times, turn it over, stretch it out, tuck the sides under to form a large ball, then cut and divide the dough to use as you please.
