3 cup plain flour
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm milk - (water may be substitue, d)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp oil
1 sesame seeds
Directions
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix in remaining
ingredients except sesame seeds, using more or less
flour, as necessary, to form a workable dough.
Knead dough until smooth; shape into a ball and place
in an oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in warm place
until doubled in bulk. Punch down and turn out onto a
floured surface to shape. Form dough into a thick
rope about 20 inches in length, slightly tapered at
each end. Place rope in the shape of a ring on a
greased baking sheet, overlapping and tucking under
ends. Cover and let rise again.
Preheat oven to 375 F. (190 C.). Brush bread with
water and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until
bread is golden brown, about 30 minutes.
Variation - Elioti (Olive Bread):
Prepare 1 quantity of Kouloura dough, as directed
above. During first rising, saute 1 medium onion in 1
tablespoon olive oil until transparent. Lightly smash
1 cup of Greek black olives with a wooden mallet or
knife handle to split; remove pits from olives. Mix
olives and onions together and let cool.
After punching down dough, turn onto a floured surface
and roll out to form a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick.
Cover rectangle with onion and olive mixture, leaving
a border around edges. Starting at one long end, roll
up dough and shape into a loaf. Press edges closed.
Place loaf on a greased baking sheet and slash
diagonally in three or four places. Cover and let
rise again until double in size. Bake in a preheated
375 F. (190 C.) oven about 35-40 minutes.
Adapted by Karen Mintzias, from a recipe in: "The
Complete Middle East Cookbook" by Tess Mallos
Submitted By KM@SALATA.COM (KAREN MINTZIAS) On 08
NOV 95 070349 -0800
Servings: 1 loaf
Kouloura Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Beverage
The History of Recipes
Historians have traced the existence of recipes way back into distant history, certainly as far back into recorded history as the ancient Egyptians, and possibly even further than that. However, mostly, these ancient records were just very simple pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for preparing food.
In fact, the oldest recipe found, according to Professor Solomon Katz, are a few tablets in the Sumerian language which recount the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making drinkers feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. Later on, in Roman times around 25BC a man called Apicius assembled some documents detailing recipes prepared by wealthy Romans. In his scrolls, he tells us how the meals of wealthy Romans were split into hors d`oeuvres, entrees and dessert, a very modern way of dining. This early Roman chef tells us how the Romans used many herbs and spices, including a few that are still present in modern kitchens for example bay, fennel and dill. Later on in the 1400s, the Crusaders brought back a variety of spices and herbs from the East, such as parsley and basil. The introduction of these new culinary ideas caused a surge in publications on food, most of which are now in private cookery archives. For the next few years, the powerful families of Europe competed to lay on the most exotic meals, and as a result cooks and their recipe collections were highly sought after. However, it wasn`t until the 1800s that fine cookery and recipe books rose to prominence. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, devoted their lives to collating, verifying, and recording recipes common in their social group. By the advent of the twentieth century, recipe publications were highly popular mostly due to increased literacy, more spare time and being a little richer. The introduction of the TV brought us TV cooks and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which brings us neatly up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting everybody to access thousands of recipes like the ones you can find on our site. |
We hope you enjoy this Kouloura recipe.
