Ingredients

• One kg of all-purpose flour
• 25g fresh yeast (or 15g dry yeast and 1tsp of sugar)
• 15g of salt
• 650 ml of warm water
• 2 tbsp of olive oil

Preparation and Cooking

• Take the flour in a large mixing bowl or onto the bench top and create a flour well in the center, then add water and olive oil and gently mix with the flour for 10 min or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Move the final dough onto the benchtop and knead it by slamming, folding, and stretching for about 10 minutes.
• Add salt and knead the dough for another 2 minutes until the salt is absorbed, and then add the crumbled yeast and knead it until incorporate into the dough.

• Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

• Move the risen dough onto the benchtop and divide into four (for the given ingredients) equal pieces, and fold the edges inward to form balls, and cover them with a kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.

• To shape each portion into a long and narrow loaf-shape, apply following process:
• Flatten each portion into a rough oval shape, and fold the edges of the dough towards the center and press gently to seal.
• Then flip the dough over, so the seam side is facing down.
• Finally, press and stretch the dough gently with your hands to elongate it, while maintaining an oval shape.
• Inside a dough ball tray, transfer the shaped-loaves onto a proofing couche cloth or a floured or parchment-lined baking sheet, keeping adequate space between them, which should be covered and allowed to rest for about 1 hour for the loaves to rise before baking.

• Load the rested dough on a right size peel paddle (which has to be lightly floured), and spray water onto the dough and then skore the dough lengthwise with a razor at a slight angle. Note that the razor (the bread scoring knife) can be greased with butter or dip into the water to make an easy cut.

• Bake the loaves for 20-25 minutes when the wood fired oven temperature is about 200-220^oC and without any flame radiated heat until they are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
• Let the loaves cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.

Hints and Comments

Turkish loaf, also known as “Somun ekmek” and simply “Ekmek” in Turkish, is a type of bread that is commonly consumed almost in every meal in Turkish cuisine. It is similar to a French baguette or Italian ciabatta, with a slightly chewy texture and a golden-brown crust.

It is often served with a variety of toppings, such as olive spread, olive oil, butter, jam, honey, cheese or cold meats. In recent years, the half of the Turkish loaf forms the sandwich bread in popular street foods, kebabs, fish, doner and kokorec.

The dough can also be used as a base for traditional flat breads, “pide” and lahmacun”. In some versions of the bread, cooked potato is added to the dough.