3 cup unbleached, all-purpose
1 flour
1 package dried yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin seed, ground
1 cup plus 3 oz. lukewarm water
Directions
1) Place the flour, yeast, salt, and ground cumin in a large mixing
bowl. Blend well. Add the water and mix the dough for 2-3 minutes,
until all the water is absorbed and evenly distributed. The dough
will be damp and very sticky, but no internal dry areas should appear
by the end of the mixing. If they do, mix a few minutes more, or add
a little more water and mix again.
2) Let the dough rest 5 minutes. Now sprinkle 1 or 2 tbsps. flour
over the dough and knead, either in the bowl or on a lightly floured
surface for 5-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic and
only slightly sticky. Add more flour if needed (e.g. in humid
weather). Let the dough rest for 2 minutes more.
3) The dough should now be very smooth and easy to handle. Knead 30
seconds more, return the dough to the bowl, cover the bowl with a dish
towel or large plate, and let rise at room temperature for at least 3
hours; the dough should almost triple in size.
4) Flour the top of the dough lightly, punch it down, and remove
the dough from the mixing bowl. Form the dough into a rectangular
loaf and place in a well greasad loaf pan, 9-1/4 in. by 5-1/4 in. by
2-3/4 in. Cover with a towel and let rise 1 hr., until nicely risen.
5) Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 35 minutes, until
browned on top; the bottom of the bread should sound hollow when
tapped with the finger. Let the bread cool, then serve.
Servings: 1 servings
Alexandrian Cumin Bread Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Bread; Breads
The History of Recipes
Written recipes as a concept can be observed far back into the far past, in fact as far back into history as ancient Egypt, and maybe even further. However, mostly, these ancient cook books were just basic pictorial instructions for preparing food.
Interestingly, the oldest recipe in existence, according to academics are some tablets in ancient Sumerian which describe the baking of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who tried it feel blissful. Closer to modern times, we find some recipe books which were published in the 1300s : a cookery book titled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary entitled `Curye on Inglish`. Although the titles sound familiar, they are unconnected to the curry that is familiar to us all today, but instead descriptions of the types of meals served to the rich and wealthy people of those days. In the fifteenth century, people returning from the crusades brought back many foods and herbs from Arab countries, including spices such as coriander, parsley, basil and rosemary. The introduction of these new herbs and spices led to an eruption in manuscripts on food, most of which are kept safe in private collections. During the succeeding few hundred years, the powerful and rich competed to offer the most extravagent meals, and as a consequence, chefs and their collection of recipes were at a premium. Even so, it was during the 19th century that formal cookery and recipe books became popular. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the US, devoted much of their lives to collating, trying out, and writing down recipes to help cooks of their time. By the arrival of the 1900s, cookbooks were in great demand, mostly as a result of more people being able to read, increased leisure time and having more disposable income. Like it or not, the introduction of television gave us TV cookery programs and the demand for the accompanying recipe books. Which pretty much brings us to the present day and the invention of computers and the internet, allowing everyone to access massive numbers of recipes like those on our site. |
We hope you enjoy this Alexandrian Cumin Bread recipe.
