Koulouri – Cypriot Seeded Bread

This seeded Cypriot bread is amazing and so easy to make. Shout out to my sis in law for making sure I know all the best family-favorite recipes!

Recipe:
Makes 8 slices | Takes about 3 hours

For bread:
• 225ml lukewarm milk
• 75ml lukewarm water
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 sachet (7g) instant yeast
• 500g strong bread flour
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar

For coating:
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp water
• 1 tsp milk
• 4 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp Nigella seeds
• 1/4 tsp aniseed
• (In lieu of Nigella and aniseed, I used 1 tsp chia seeds)

Process:
1. In a small bowl, mix together the milk, water, oil, and yeast. Leave for 5 minutes.
2. In your mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, sugar, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves.
3. Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine with hands or spoon.
4. Once it starts to come together, knead by hand on your clean work surface for 12 minutes or with your mixer for 10 minutes.
5. Place dough in oiled bowl, cover with cling wrap and let rise for at least an hour in a warm place.
6. Gently punch dough down and place on parchment paper on your work surface.
7. Roll dough into a long chunky sausage shape, slightly pointed at each end.
8. Cut horizontally through the dough in 8 separate places and gently push the pieces back together.
9. Brush the dough with the flour, water and milk mixture then generously coat with seeds.
10. Place parchment and dough in a deep baking tray and cover with a tea towel, let rise for another hour.
11. Preheat oven to 450°F/ 230°C/ 210°C fan
12. When you place dough in the oven, add some water in an oven-safe cup at the bottom of the oven to create steam.
13. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until it’s deep golden brown.
14. Let it cool a little and enjoy with olive oil or hummus!