INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Baking Sheets: 1 or more baking sheets, greased or Teflon.  By hand or
mixer 15 minutes: In a large mixing or mixer bowl, place 2  cups flour
and the dry ingredients. Stir well to mix. Mix the olive  oil or butter
with the hot water and pour into the flour mixture.  Beat with a wooden
spoon about 100 strokes, or with a mixer flat  beater for 3 minutes.
Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, working with the  wooden spoon and then
your hands, to form a rough ball of dough.  Turn the dough out onto the
work counter, or place under the mixer's  dough hook, and knead for 6
to 8 minutes. Add sprinkles of flour if  the dough is sticky under your
hands or sticks to the sides of the  mixer work bowl.  By processor 4
minutes: Attach the plastic blade. Add 3 cups flour  and the dry
ingredients to the work bowl. Pour the olive oil or  melted butter and
hot water through the feed tube. Mix for 10  seconds. Stop the machine
and add flour, 1/2 cup at a time,  processing after each addition.
Kneading 45 seconds: When the ball of dough forms on the blade, knead
for 45    seconds.  Rising 30 minutes: Be certain the dough is smooth
and elastic before  placing it into a greased bowl. Cover tightly with
plastic wrap and  put in a warm place (80~ ~ 100~) until the dough has
doubled in  volume, about 30 minutes.  Shaping 20 minutes: On a floured
work surface divide the ball of  dough into 6 pieces. With your hands
fashion each piece of dough into  roughly shaped rectangles. With a
rolling pin, roll out the dough to  4"x8" and about 1" thick. Use
sprinkles of flour if the dough sticks  to your hands or the rolling
pin.  To make a furrowed bread, press an oiled wooden dowel had against
the  dough (lengthwise) at 1" intervals.  For a dimpled loaf, press the
fingertips into the dough in a pattern.  Preheat oven to 375~. When the
loaves have been shaped, assemble on  the work surface and cover with
wax paper. Let rest for 20 minutes.  Baking: 375~ for 25-30 minutes.
Gently but firmly redefine the  furrows and dimples with the bowel and
your fingers before carefully  lifting the dough pieces onto the baking
sheet. Not all may go on one  sheet, so reserve other pieces under wax
paper. Brush each loaf with  milk and sprinkle with sesame or poppy
seeds. Place the loaves in the  oven and bake until a light golden
brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. (If  using a convection oven, reduce
heat 50~). Remove from the baking  sheet and cool on racks. Serve warm
or wrap cooled bread in plastic  and freeze.  Note: To toast seeds,
spread them over a baking sheet and place in a  300~ oven for 15
minutes, until lightly browned. Watch carefully so  that they don't
scorch or burn. Yield: 6 small loaves.  It is traditional for home
bakers in the Middle East to draw the edge  of the thumb down the face
of the flat loaf to form a series of  ridges and sprinkle with toasted
sesame or poppy seeds. Others dimple  the dough with fingertips just
before it goes inthe oven. A length of  1/-inch dowel pressed against
the dough in furrows or the smooth  handle of a knife will make a
better pattern. It will also allow the  finished loaf to be browken
into sticks. There is no substitute for  fingers, however, so dimple
some of the loaves traditionally and  furrow others. Source: Bernard
Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads.  Posted to MC-Recipe Digest by
"M. Hicks" <nitro_ii@email.msn.com> on  Feb 13, 1998

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