Hobz Malti (Maltese Bread) 37

I really love visiting Malta and eating in the restaurants that served local food. I particularly like the bread (Ħobż Malti), and the snack called Ħobż-bi-żejt (bread and oil), which I found remarkably like a Tunisian Sandwich. Maltese bread is a solid sourdough bread. It has a crisp crust and a light crumb with irregular ...

Sourdough Bread Starter

Sourdough breads need a starter. Starters are variously known as sponge, poolish, or biga in different countries/languages. The concept is the same even if the starters differ in texture. Basically it is a flour and water mix, with optional yeast added, which is allow to ferment for a time before being used to make bread. ...

Krantz – Plaited Yeast Cake

Krantz - Plaited Yeast Cake
Galit loves Krantz – a plaited a yeast cake with layers of chocolate or poppy seed spread. Apparently the chocolate variety is German in origin, but the poppy seed variation is middle eastern. I’ve tweaked my original recipe to use the proportions recommended by Yaffa Wainer in honour of the fact that Galit still remembers ...

Ciabatta

Ciabatta
Having mastered the French style Pain de Campagne I thought I’d move on to another sour dough – the Italian Ciabatta. I picked this style of bread because it is meant to be very light and airy, and ultimately I’m aiming for Maltese Bread which is also light and airy. Because you’re aiming for light ...

Bread with Antipasti

A friend of mine, Gitit Wainer, did a cooking course and sent through a few recipes. This one is kind of like a pizza pie with antipasti.  Bread with Antipasti Gitit Wainer I learnt a real easy bread recipe and upgraded it. Some of it I baked as is but the rest I filled with ...

Pain de Campagne (French Country Bread) 7

Pain de Campagne (French Country Bread)
This is my favourite bread recipe at the moment – a French country style loaf using a sourdough starter. I’ve been making a loaf every Saturday morning for months now. The original version of this recipe is from Treuille and Ferrigno (1998), which is a book I’d thoroughly recommend for those just starting to make ...

Lahuhua – Yemenite Pancakes or Sponge Bread 5

Lahuhua - Yemenite Pancakes or Sponge Bread
Lachuchua is a spongy pancake that looks remarkably like an English crumpet, but is a bit more soft and flexible. Traditionally served with soups and stews … and Yemenites like their food hot. This recipe caught my eye when looking at the bread recipes in Ganon and Maiberg (1990). Then when we had a bunch ...

Yemenite Pita 2

Yemenite Pita
This recipe started as an adventure and ended in a taste sensation. To get this recipe we had to get up at 4.30 am to make it to Sarah Ratzabi’s place by 6.00. Sarah is a Yemenite woman living on a religious moshav north of Tel Aviv. Every Friday morning she and her friends (Nama ...

Challah

I wanted to try a fluffy white bread and picked Challah because Galit has a fondness for it.  Challah Challah is a feature of Friday night meals in Jewish families. It is an enriched bread dough with eggs, honey and oil in the mixture. The result is a light crumb with a hint of sweetness. ...

How to Make Bread

How to Make Bread
I love bread. Always have. And a few years ago I got a real passion for learning about and making bread. I particularly like southern European breads. The perfect loaf for me is a sour dough with crunchy crust and light airy crumb. French, Italian and Maltese breads all have these characteristics and I love ...