Mediterranean Bread

This larger version of the mediterranean foccacia bread is something I like a lot because with the right amount of moisture it can be had by itself and best with tea or coffee. Its blend of garlic, herbs and bell peppers makes it a savoury treat that you will love more with each bite you take.

Mediterranean Recipe - Recipe

Ingredients:

All purpose flour (Maida)  
Dry Yeast   
Lukewarm water  
Sugar  
Salt  
Italian Herbs    
Garlic  
Yellow / Red  / Green bell peppers
Tomato  / Onion (optional)  
Butter
Olives (optional)
Basil (optional) 

How much of everything?

I generally dislike this idea of measuring things while cooking - in my case, my heart and tummy decide what goes in - but, specially when it comes to baking, proportions do matter. Therefore, I suggest you to look for other websites that mention proportions.

Directions:

Activate the yeast: Take one small cup of lukewarm water (make sure it is not very hot. A little colder is fine but a bit too hot water could kill the yeast). Mix the dry yeast along with some sugar and a little flour and mix well. Keep aside for about 15 minutes. The yeast should now have activated and the mixture in the cup should be bubbly and smelling fruity. Now we are ready for mixing the dough.

Mix the Dough: To the flour, add some salt, the yeast mixture, some melted butter and enough milk to create pliable dough.

Knead, Knead, Knead!: This is the one step where you can’t be lazy. Hey, as they say, no pain, no gain. You will have to knead the dough until there is some elasticity in the dough such that when it is pulled it tries to regain its shape.

Mix: Mix in rest of the ingredients like garlic, italian herbs, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, olives and basil. I sometimes make an Indian version of this bread (Masala Bread) and add chopped green chillies, sundried tomatoes and coriander (cilantro). Trust me it tastes amazing.

Prepare: Now, you can either prepare it as a loaf, or create small cupcake-like pieces or like a foccacia. You can check how you can best prepare them by clicking on the hyperlinks.

What I am an expert at though, is eating. I’ve made my share of the breads. Now, it is your turn to make them. Do share your experiences with me. I would love to hear about them.

Janak A Jain

Mediterranean Bread

Mediterranean Bread

This larger version of the mediterranean foccacia bread is something I like a lot because with the right amount of moisture it can be had by itself and best with tea or coffee. Its blend of garlic, herbs and bell peppers makes it a savoury treat that you will love more with each bite you take.

Mediterranean Recipe - Recipe

Ingredients:

How much of everything?

I generally dislike this idea of measuring things while cooking - in my case, my heart and tummy decide what goes in - but, specially when it comes to baking, proportions do matter. Therefore, I suggest you to look for other websites that mention proportions.

Directions:

Mix the Dough: To the flour, add some salt, the yeast mixture, some melted butter and enough milk to create pliable dough.

Knead, Knead, Knead!: This is the one step where you can’t be lazy. Hey, as they say, no pain, no gain. You will have to knead the dough until there is some elasticity in the dough such that when it is pulled it tries to regain its shape.

Mix: Mix in rest of the ingredients like garlic, italian herbs, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, olives and basil. I sometimes make an Indian version of this bread (Masala Bread) and add chopped green chillies, sundried tomatoes and coriander (cilantro). Trust me it tastes amazing.

Prepare: Now, you can either prepare it as a loaf, or create small cupcake-like pieces or like a foccacia. You can check how you can best prepare them by clicking on the hyperlinks.

Bake: The baking instructions also depend on the shape of the bread. I would recommend you to look online for the best instructions. I don’t follow most of the specifics myself, so I am not the best person to advice you on this. :)