Today I am making Crusty Sourdough Greek Horiatiko psomi for National #MediterraneanDietMonth. And this is our challenge to you: “Choose a Mediterranean country, search the internet for their sourdough recipes, try them, and tell us about your experience on our Facebook page.”
Today I will try to adapt this Crusty Sourdough Greek Horiatiko Psomi using the whole grain wheat and Ezekiel flour suggests, but with several additions taken from Greek villages where this classic bread is still baked in outdoor wood-burning ovens. This is a strange flour mix, but if you use 60% White Whole Wheat Flour, 8% Barley, 8% Beans (I used Garbanzo and Fava Bean flour), 8% milled Lintels, 8% Millet flour, and 8% Spelt, I think you will have a very workable sourdough too.
Please note this recipe calls for 2 Tablespoons each milk, olive oil, and honey and is adapted from Nancy Gaifyllia‘s “Horiatiko Psomi: Greek Country Bread” at the Spruce Eats. Also her recipe calls for 1 ounce fresh yeast, or 2 tablespoons dry active yeast or 1/2 pound of sourdough starter, which is slightly less than one cup.
She wrote: “In villages around Greece, this classic bread is still baked in outdoor wood-burning ovens, but a conventional oven will still yield a perfect loaf. This bread is denser than other types of bread and can be made with a variety of flours or a combination of more than one,” which is why I used my Ezekiel flour blend listed in the recipe below.
Crusty Sourdough Greek Horiatiko Psomi
Ingredients
- 1 cup/ 226g 100% hydration sourdough starter
- 8 cups/1000g of flour made from Real Wheat, barley, beans (fava beans, chickpeas), lentils, millet, and spelt;
(I used 5 cups/600g whole wheat flour, and a half heaping cup/80g each of Barley flour, finely ground Beans (I used Garbanzo and Fava Bean flour), milled Lintels, Millet flour, and freshly ground Spelt.). - 1 Tbls/20g Real Salt
- 2½ cups/600g Real Water
- 2 Tbls/30g milk
- 2 Tbls/27g olive oil
- 2 Tbls/42g honey
Directions
- Feed your starter with equal weights or half a cup of water and half a cup of flour so that you will have a full cup (226g) of starter to begin this recipe
- In your stand mixer or a large bowl, add all the flour and work in the oil, honey, milk, sourdough starter and 2 cups of the water until you have a shaggy mass.
- Then turn the dough out onto a floured surface or with your mixer continue kneading until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky.
- Place the dough in a lightly oiled mixing bowl. Roll to coat all sides lightly and cover for a long ferment for 8 or more hours.
- Then dump the dough out onto an oiled surface and divide it into the number of loaves you want to bake (3-4 loaves)
- Shape each into round boules or oblong bâtard shaped loaves.
- Cover the loaves and allow them to rise for another hour in a warm place.
- Preheat your oven to 430°F/220°C.
- Score the tops of the loaves in 3 or 4 places and bake just below the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes until browned OR the internal temperature reaches 200°F/93°C. (When tapped on the bottom, the bread will sound hollow.)
- Cool the bread several hours before slicing.
During the last week, we have already shared these recipes on our Facebook page.:
- Sourdough Ciabatta, an Italian favorite, can be made with olives and sun-dried tomatoes or other vegetables.
- Sourdough pitas, which are common throughout the region—(see Andrea Bemis offers this Mediterranean Veggie Pita Sandwich).
- Sourdough Focaccia is the easiest sourdough bread from the region and is found in France, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Turkey.
- Sourdough French Toast can be very Mediterranean if you cover it with nuts and fresh berries and is served for breakfast in many Mediterranean countries.
- In Italy Baguettes and Bâtards are sliced thin and dipped in vinegar and olive oil or toasted and covered with fresh tomato bruschetta
Remember for #MediterraneanDietMonth to choose a Mediterranean country bread recipe from the internet. Then try baking it, and tell us about your experience on our Facebook page. I promise to keep you posted on how my sourdough greek horiatiko psomi using Ezekiel grains turned out.
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