Date Bread
I have not used date for baking bread and have not eaten any date bread earlier. This bread tastes like rasin breads I bought from farmers markets.
I baked this bread for the Turkish food blogs event, which subject was date this month.
Ingredients:
Starter;
1 cup warm water
1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 cups of flour
Bread dough;
1.5 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup of warm water
2.5 cups of fine semolina
1 cup of chopped date
Topping;
Sesame
Milk
1. Dissolve the yeast in a large bowl.
2.Sprinkle the first cup of flour on top of the water and mix it.
3.Add the second cup and knead the dough. If the bread is too soft sprinkle a little more flour, and keep kneading.
If you are going to use a mixer instead, add all the flour and run mixer for 3 minutes at low level.
4. Put the dough at a clean bowl and cover it with plastic film.
You can store the starter dough upto 2 days. Keep the dough in a cool place at least 8 hours before using it.
5. Dissolve the yeast in warm water.
6. Separate the starter dough to 4-5 slices, and put them over the dissolved yeast.
7. Add semolina, salt, and dates. Knead all of them. Dates will dissolve and give color to the dough. Dough will be brownish and sticky.
8. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, and cover it with plastic film. Keep it at room temperature for 3 hours.
9. Transfer the dough on floured surface and separate in two pieces. Shape the pieces, and cover them with a wet cloth. Keep them at room temperature for half an hour.
10. Preheat the oven to 425F-220C and heat the baking sheet you are going to use.
Don't worry, the dough can spread a little.
11. Sprinkle a little semolina to the sheet you are going to use and put the first dough on top of it.
12. Wet your finger, and press the dough to make dimples.
13. Follow the same steps for the second dough.
14. Brush the top with milk and sprinkle sesame.
15. Reduce the oven temperature to 400F-200C, and bake the breads for 25-30 minutes, untill the tops return to light brown. They will sound hollow when you hit the bottom of the bread when they cooked.
16. Put them over a rack to cool them down.
I like to eat them with cream cheese and honey.
Dates are tend to stick together when you cut them, so sprinkle a little flour on top of them before cutting. Flour prevents the stickiness.
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