Ekmek is a light and slightly sour flatbread that tastes wonderful with Havarti cheese. It uses a starter which ferments for 4 days. I recommend using a pizza stone to bake the loaves on. If you’ve no pizza stone, cookie sheets will work also. The recipe seems complicated, but it’s a lot easier than it appears.
Original recipe makes 2 loaves
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups bread flour, divided
3/4 cup water, divided
5 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
6 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons salt
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PREP
1 hr
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COOK
40 mins
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READY IN
4 days 4 hrs
Directions
- To make the starter: Place 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup water in a coverable bowl; stir well. Cover and let sit at room temperature overnight. The next day, add 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup water to the bowl. Cover and let sit at room temperature overnight. On the third day, add 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup water to the bowl. Cover and let sit at room temperature overnight.
- To make the dough: In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
- Break the starter into small pieces and add it to the yeast mixture. Stir in 4 cups of flour and the salt. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle a little flour over the dough and then cover it with a dry cloth. Let it raise until double in size.
- Put the dough back onto a lightly floured work surface and punch out the air. Divide the dough in half and knead each piece for 2 to 3 minutes. Shape each piece into a tight oval loaf. Sprinkle two sheet pans with corn meal. Roll and stretch two loaf until they are 15×12 inch ovals. Dust the tops of the loaves with flour. Cover with a dry cloth and let raise in a warm place until doubled in size. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Mist with water 3 times in the first 15 minutes. Loaves are done when their bottoms sound hollow when tapped. Let cool on wire racks before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 315 kcal
Carbohydrates: 63.1 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Fat: 1.5 g
Fiber: 2.4 g
Protein: 10.9 g
Sodium: 390 mg