Moroccan Bread

Total Time: 3 hrs Preparation Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• 18 g active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 500 g unbleached flour
• 150 g whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 8 tablespoons lukewarm milk
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon anise seed (optional)
• cornmeal, for sprinkling

Recipe

• 1 soften the yeast in 1 tbsp sugared lukewarm water.
• 2 let stand a few minutes, then stir and set in a warm place until the yeast froths up.
• 3 meanwhile, mix the flours and salt together.
• 4 stir the yeast into the flour, then add the milk and enough lukewarm water to form a stiff dough.
• 5 the amount of water you need will depend on your particular flour but i need about a cup.
• 6 add no more than 1/4 cup water at a time until you can see the dough coming together.
• 7 to knead by hand, turn the dough out onto a board and knead hard, adding water if necessary.
• 8 knead for 10-15 minutes until smooth and elastic.
• 9 i prefer to use an electric beater with a dough hook and this takes 7-8 minutes at a slow speed.
• 10 towards the end, add the spices.
• 11 split into two balls and let stand 5 minutes.
• 12 meanwhile, lightly grease a mixing bowl.
• 13 transfer the first ball of dough into the greased bowl and form a cone shape by holding the dough in one hand and rotating it against the side of the bowl.
• 14 turn out onto a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with cornmeal.
• 15 flatten the cone with the palm of your hand to make a disc that is about 5-6 inches across and slightly raised in the centre.
• 16 repeat with the second dough ball.
• 17 cover with a damp towel and let rise.
• 18 paula says to let it rise 2 hours but i found mine was done in about an hour.
• 19 preheat the oven to 200 c or 400°f.
• 20 using a fork, prick the bread around the sides 3-4 times.
• 21 bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 12 minutes, then lower the heat to 150 c or 300 f and bake 30-40 minutes more.
• 22 remove and let cool.
• 23 cut into wedges when you're ready to serve.