Christmas Pull Apart Koulouri Wreath
INGREDIENTS
500g strong bread flour
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons (7g) dried yeast
1/8 teaspoon ground fennel
1/8 teaspoon ground aniseed
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon powdered mastic
1/2 teaspoon powdered mehlapi
200ml tepid milk
125ml tepid water
3 tablespoons white sesame seeds
1 teaspoon black sesame seeds
1 teaspoon aniseed
METHOD
Add the sugar and yeast to the milk and let it activate. Meanwhile, sift the flour into a large bowl and create a well in the centre. Pour in the extra virgin olive oil and rub with your hands to create a breadcrumb-like texture; this part is called “ρυζιάζετε” (rizazete), which means to rub, a common technique in traditional bread-making, where gluten development is encouraged for a chewy and elastic texture.
Next, add the salt, ground fennel, aniseed, mastic, mehlapi and mix.
Pour the milk and yeast mixture, combine with your fingers or a spoon and gradually pour in the water as you may not need to use all of it, or you may need more depending on your flour. Continue adding water and combine until you’ve picked up all of the flour from the sides of the bowl.
Transfer the dough onto a surface, if your dough is sticky, dust it with a little flour and knead well for around 10-15 minutes until you’ve formed a soft, smooth and elasticated dough.
Rub about half a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil around your dough and sit in the same bowl you used. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean tea towel and let it rest and proof in a warm area for at least an hour until it’s doubled.
After your first proof, knock the air out, remove the dough from the bowl onto a surface and divide into 25g pieces. You should have 34 pieces, shape into smooth balls.
Place a bowl 14.5cm in diameter into the centre of your baking tray lined with baking paper. Arrange 14 of the dough balls around the bowl, then the rest of the dough balls on top and around.
Brush your dough with milk, and sprinkle with the seeds - I like to push them in a little around and on top.
Cover your loaf with a clean tea towel and let it proof for another 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, add a deep oven-proof dish at the bottom of the oven and preheat your oven to 200C, fan-forced.
Before you add your loaf into the oven, pour a quarter cup of water into the oven-proof dish to create some gentle steam, this will help the bread to rise during baking. Bake for 30-35 minutes until gorgeously tanned and aromatic. Leave to cool for about 10 minutes before tearing into (I know, sorry.) By letting the baked loaf rest, you’re allowing it to emit steam at its natural pace, giving you a less dense loaf.
