Hobz Malti (Maltese Bread)

Crusty bread from Malta

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Prep Time 1

Cook Time 40

Resting time 15 45

Servings: 1 Loaf

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

Ingredients for Stage 1 - making your dough starter

3 grams active dry yeast (or 7 grams fresh yeast)
100 grams lukewarm water (body temperature, 37º C, or just cool enough to put your little finger in. I use 1/3 boiling to 2/3 tap water)
100 grams strong flour (unsifted)

Ingredients for Stage 2 - Refresh Tinsila (old dough)

200 grams Previously made starter or Tinsila (old dough)
100 grams lukewarm water
100 grams strong flour

Ingredients for Stage 3 - Make the Bread

200 grams Tinsila (old dough) (keep the other half from stage 2 in the fridge for next time)
3 grams active dry yeast (or 7 grams fresh yeast; you use less, or none, but leave the bread to rise longer)
250 ml lukewarm water
400 grams strong flour
10 grams salt
[Optional] Sesame seeds or additional flour for dusting

Method

Stage 1 - Make your the dough starter (only do once, if you don't have a starter)

Place all Stage 1 ingredients in bowl
Mix by hand until a smooth dough (add more water if necessary)
Knead for a few minutes (may be tricky due to the small quantity).
Cover and leave in a warm place (about 21-29º C) for at least 6 hours. Overnight if cooler.

Stage 2 - Refresh Tinsila (old dough)

Mix all Stage 2 ingredients in a bowl
Mix/knead to a ball
Cover and leave in a warm place (about 21º C) for at least 6 hours. Overnight if cooler.
Split Tinsila in two. Store half for future use; you can dry it, or store in the fridge or freezer. Use the other half for the bread

Stage 3 - Make the Bread

Mix 200 grams Tinsila or old dough, yeast, and water in a bowl. Dissolve the dough starter by squeezing with your fingers.
Add salt and flour to yeast mixture and mix.
Add just enough flour to yeast mixture so it stops being a batter and holds together as a soft dough. The wetter it is the bigger the holes in the final bread, but don't make it too wet or the loaf will collapse. .
Cover and rest the dough for 10 minutes.
Knead the dough in the bowl until it is smooth and silky (about 10 min).
Turn into an oiled bowl, cover and leave to rise in a warm place (21-29º C) 2-5 hours.
Turn the dough over in the bowl every hour during that time.
DO NOT KNEAD OR KNOCK BACK – we want the air bubbles intact.
At this point you can store the dough in the fridge
When ready to bake transfer to a floured work top.
Lightly slash the top of the dough.
[Optional Step] Dip dough in a pile of sesame seeds or sprinkle flour over the top of dough.
Gently transfer to an oiled or floured baking tray
Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled from its original size (about 45 min).
Bake at 230º C (or as high as it will go) for 30-40 min; check after 25 min to turn the loaf around.
Remove from oven and leave to cool uncovered on a wire rack.

Notes

Update 27 May 2020:

I have updated the recipe to align more with the original Maltese recipe by Anne & Helen Caruana Galizia. The changes are:

- More flour in Stage 1 starter (from 90 grams to 100 grams).

- More water in Stage 1 starter (from 80 grams to 100 grams). So 100% hydration.

- More water in Stage 2 Tinsila (old dough) (from 60 grams to 100 grams). This is now much wetter (100% hydration) and much harder to "knead". "Mix" is more accurate.

- Reserve the starter after Stage 2 Tinsila (Old dough) rather than Stage 1.

- More starter/Tinsila/old dough in Stage 3 bread (from 90 grams to 200 grams). This will add more flavour and also, because of the higher water content of earlier stages, increase the hydration of the end result.

- Less yeast in Stage 3 bread (from 10 grams to 3 grams).

The final loaf is 70% hydration.

Earlier Notes

(1) Whether or not you have a starter affects where you begin this recipe. Begin at :

Stage 1 - Making your dough starter - if you have no starter.

Stage 2 - Refresh your dough starter - if you've already got a dough starter. This might be from Stage 1 or because you already have a large walnut sized dough ball from a previous bread making exercise.

(2) The aim of Stage 2 - Refresh your dough starter - is to have enough starter for next time. The dough starter contains no salt because salt impedes the fermentation process. Nor is there any added yeast - this is, after all, sourdough. Once you've got the starter you can make the bread. Store the rest of the starter for future use. You can dry the spare starter, or store in the fridge or freezer.

(3) You can store the dough in the fridge until you are ready to bake (8-24 hours). The directions show when you can do this safely. The cold of the fridge will practically stop the fermentation. Place the dough in a banneton (cloth lined wicker basket), cover with another cloth, and put into the fridge. The basket provides support for the soft dough. When you are ready to bake, the cold will have made the dough easier to handle and also retarding the fermentation gives a better crust. If you want interesting patterns on your bread then, use a banneton with no cloth cover; the shape of the canes will imprint on the dough. If you are going to dust with flour, then dust the bottom of the banneton as well as the top of the dough, and put dough into the banneton top first.

Adapted from Anne & Helen Caruana Galizia’s book The Food & Cookery of Malta,