I’m deranged. I didn’t bake a single thing when it was cool enough to justify turning the oven on, but give me 100+ days and I’m baking everything, all of it for offerings. I lost my desire to bake anything for a long time after I left the restaurant industry but I’m in the mood to delight my cadre of deities with unexpected little joyful things and it’s making me happy. And a little manic too?
This is koulouri; sesame covered rings of dough, baked until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Greeks claim them as their own but they’re probably of Turkish origin. Whoever first baked them cheers because they are delicious. If they look a little boring, they aren’t and I ate them all over Greece for breakfast with jam or honey or just plain. A stack of these will be on my Noumenia altar tonight but I’ll eat as many as I can. Sorry Selene, I am a bread whore.
Here’s the recipe (which I snagged on Pinterest and adapted a little for a chewier ring):
500 g AP or bread flour
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil plus a little to oil bowl
300g lukewarm water (I needed a little more)
2 tsp honey
8g yeast
2 tsp rose water (it didn’t make much difference but vanilla would be nice. Ouzo is in some recipes)
1 1/2 cup raw white sesame seeds
Medium bowl of cool water to dip rings into
Add water, yeast and honey to your mixing bowl. Let bloom 5 minutes, give it a quick stir and add flour and salt.
Mix on medium low speed for about 10 minutes to develop gluten. Dough should be soft but smooth and pliant.
Let rise 30 minutes or until doubled. Cut into 12 pieces (I only got 9 but I wanted big rings) and roll each piece into an 8-9 inch snake. Dip the ends into water to seal, pressing a little if needed. Let rest 5 minutes.
Quickly dip each ring into water and then press into sesame seeds on both sides. Place onto lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 20 minutes or so at 400f until golden. Cool and try not to eat them all.
