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
It is actually possible to track the history of recipes way back into the far past, in truth as far as the ancient Egyptians, and quite possibly further than that. Interesting though that maybe, generally, these old cookbooks were just very basic pictorial recipes for preparing meals.
The truth of the matter is, the most ancient recipe in existence, according to historians is a series of tablets in ancient Sumerian describing the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making those who drank it feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. As we move into Roman times 25BC a roman called Apicius assembled a collection of scripts which described recipes prepared by wealthy Romans. In his scrolls, he describes how the roman meals were split into hors d`oeuvres, main course and afters, a style of dining still practiced today. Aspicius recounts how the ancient chefs made use of many different herbs and spices, including a few that will be familiar to modern cooks such as basil, rue and dill. Later, in the 15th century, knights returning from the crusades brought back many new spices and herbs from Arab countries, including rosemary and coriander. These new spices and herbs created an increase in manuscripts on cookery, many of which are kept safe in private collections. During the following few centuries, the upper-class families of Wesstern Europe tried to lay on the most exotic banquets, and as a consequence, the best cooks and their recipe collections were greatly in demand. Even so, it wasn`t until the nineteenth century that cooking and recipe collections became popular. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, dedicated years of their lives to collating, verifying, and publishing the recipes that were being prepared for the better households. By the advent of the 1900s, cooking books are increasing in popularity mostly due to more people being able to read, people having increased free time and having more money. |
We hope you enjoy this Kouloura recipe.
