Moroccan Country Bread

Growing up, my Dad always made various forms of delicious breads (my favorite being his special fresh blueberry loaf). Sometimes when I was younger, I would try to help, but never seemed to be too interested in mastering his talent. Boy have times changed! This is the first time I’ve made bread from scratch on my very own. It was a good recipe to start with, as it was pretty simple. It actually turned out really well too! We served it with our Filet Mignon Bruschetta Salad. Even on the second day, we zapped it in the microwave for about 20 seconds, spread on a bit of butter & mmm good! I want to keep experimenting with bread recipes – I especially love the ones filled with delicious seeds. I might just have to get a lesson next time I go home : )

The recipe below makes 3 loaves. I just wanted to make one, so I’ve listed the amounts of each ingredient to make 1 loaf after the first recipe. I know it’s hard to measure 0.8 of a cup, but I guesstimated and it worked out perfectly! Feel free to make all three though and freeze any leftovers for later. Do thaw it, just throw it in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Ingredients

THREE LOAVES:

• 1.5 packages dry yeast (about 1 tbsp)
• 2.5 cups warm water
• 7 cups all-purpose flour, plus some for sprinkling
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil

ONE LOAF:

• 1 tsp dry yeast
• 0.85 cup warm water
• 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1 tsp olive oil

Directions

1. Put the warm water in a mixing bowl and add yeast to dissolve (let sit about 5 minutes). Stir salt into bowl.
2. Gradually stir in the flour, one cup at a time. After all the flour is added to the bowl, beat with a mixer at medium speed until dough forms a ball. If it is still very stick after a minute or two, sprinkle in a bit more flour.
3. Place dough on lightly floured surface and divide into 3 loafs (unless making one, of course). Shape each into a dome-shape. Lightly cover a baking sheet with flour and place loafs on top. Dust loafs lightly with flour. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour – or until doubled in size.
4. Place rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 350F. Brush each loaf with 1 tsp olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, or until sounds hallow when tapped. The bread will not turn brown. Remove and serve!