Greeks LOVE to bake… especially bread! Horiatiko Psomi which is also known as Country Bread is a type of Greek bread that you’re able to find in every Greek bakery. It originates from Greek villages, has a unique flavour and texture and is a dense and crusty bread commonly made in rural Greece.
It’s perfect for dipping in olive oil and sauces. You can serve it with feta, olives and maybe a sliced, ripe tomato. The unexpected flavour of this bread comes from honey and a good quality olive oil. I’ve used a Greek olive oil from Greece.
Horiatiko Psomi Country Bread
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olympian dry yeast
- 1/2 cup Lukewarm water
- 1/2 cup Olympian Special White Flour
- 8 cups Farina Plain Flour
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 2 1/2 cups Lukewarm water
- 2 tbsp Milk
- 2 tbsp Respect olive oil
- 2 tbsp Honey
Instructions
- In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in lukewarm water. Slowly add the 1/2 cup of Olympian Special White Flour and mix until all lumps of flour have dissolved, to form a thick liquid. Allow to rise about 15-20 minutes.
- Sift the remaining plain flour with the salt, put in a large mixing bowl, and make a well in the centre. Add oil, honey, milk, yeast mixture (or sourdough starter) and 2 cups of the water in the well. Pulling in the flour slowly, mix with hands until it’s a cohesive mass. Turn out onto a floured surface and continue kneading until the dough is nice and smooth and no longer sticks to the hands.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled mixing bowl and roll until all sides of the dough are lightly oiled. Cover the bowl with three dishtowels: one dry, one dampened with warm water (wet towel and wring out), and the other dry. Place in a warm place and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Punch down and knead for 5-6 minutes on a floured surface. Divide the dough into the number of loaves you want to make (this works well in 3-4 loaves), and form into round or oblong or baguette shaped loaves. Place 10 cm apart on ungreased cookie sheets and cover with three clean dishtowels (the middle one damp). In a warm place, allow the loaves to rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 220°C. For a thicker crust, score the tops of the loaves in 3 or 4 places. Otherwise, bake as is on the rack just below the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes until browned. When tapped on the bottom, bread will sound hollow. When the loaves are done, remove from oven and cool on racks.
Thanks for posting the recipe for bread Im going to ask my husband to give it a go this reminds me of the beautiful bread my mum used to make we wait and pit loads of butter and be very happy just to eat this I can almost smell the bread in the oven.
Thanks Anna, please let us know how it turns out