Mediterranean Loaf

Hi Guys,

Sorry for the neglect! Well it is December so no doubt we all have a little extra on our plate! I have been working behind the scenes getting a few things ready for a bloggy onslaught 🙂 This is a twist on the basic bread dough. A bit more grown up version. I have served it twice over the weekend and it’s super good straight out of the oven with a big slap of butter! You could add olives if you wanted to but seen as I can’t stand the taste of Olives and I am the cook we did not have olives…. ahhh the power 🙂

INGREDIENTS: 

100g Buckwheat (or normal Wheat)

300ml Warm Water

2 tsp Dried Yeast (or equivalent fresh about 30g)

400g Bakers Flour

20ml Olive Oil

200g Feta (Roughly chopped)

Big handful of Baby Spinach (Roughly chopped)

150g Sundried Tomato (Roughly chopped)

Few leaves of fresh Basil

METHOD:

1. Add buckwheat to TM bowl and mill to flour on Speed 9, for 30 Seconds.
2. Add warm water, then yeast, Oil, Salt and Bakers Flour to the TM Bowl and mix for 5 Seconds, Speed 7.
3. Set lid to closed position and knead for 2.30 minutes on Interval Speed.
4. Tip dough onto your bread mat and wrap. (or into a glass bowl covered with cling wrap.) Set aside for at least 25 minutes to prove.
5. Once dough has risen. Use a little bit of Olive Oil on your hands and spread the dough out. You can use a rolling pin if you like but I just used my hands to spread the dough into an even rectangle.
6. Evenly spread the sun dried tomatoes, feta cheese, basil and spinach over the dough. Leave about 2cm from each edge.
7. If you are using your bread mat it will be easier to roll the dough. Roll the dough as tight as you can but it will be a bit sticky and heavy  towards the end of the roll. Once it is rolled into a loaf (see pics below) tuck the ends in under each other.
8. Using a little oil (or water) on your hands lightly rub the loaf. Sprinkle with a tiny bit of grinded salt
9. Place into the cold oven and bake at 180 degrees till golden brown. If you have a pizza stone bake the bread on it for a better finish on the bottom. It should take about 30 minutes.
10. Slice bread into slices and serve warm.

Dough with Feta, Tomato and Basil.

Spinach all on top ready to roll.

 All Ready for the Oven!

All Cooked and Ready to EAT!

TIPS:

• You could add all sorts of things to the bread. You could spread a nice fresh capsicum pesto with spinach. Switch the Feta for a cheddar or parmeson. You could also do a nice fresh garlic butter with cheese for a cheesy garlic loaf.
• If you use the olive oil on your hands it makes it easy to work with the dough. You can use flour if you prefer.
• The feta won’t melt like other cheeses so you will need to give it a rough chop so that you don’t end with big chucks of feta.
• I used the Thermy Bread mat straight into the oven. I did give it about 10 minutes at the end straight onto the oven tray to bake the bottom throughly.
• Don’t stress if you have a hot oven to put it into just leave the dough sit for 10 minutes before you pop it into the oven once you have rolled it, this will give it a chance for a second rise.