Psomi Spitiko ~ Easy Homemade Greek Bread

Easy Homemade Greek Bread ~ Psomi SitikoIn Greek: ψωμί σπιτικό, pronounced psoh-MEE spee-tee-KOH

This is the bread that I made the other day in my post aboutGreek-Style ribs  (and here.)  I've made it a total of four times in the pastfew weeks ~ it's the kind of bread usually found at the GreekFestivals I have attended.  It's a very good plain bread (not sweet)and the texture is agreeably soft, good plain at room temperature,it's delicious warmed or toasted too.

For breakfast or a snack with tea a little jam or honey is delightful
I like the recipe because it makes 2 smallish loaves, each weighing about a pound, and the dough doesn't require two risingsso you can have delicious fresh bread in a little over an hour.Because of the unique method of making this bread using an electric bread maker would be problematic.But it is really easy to make ~you can do the entire recipe by hand, or use a stand mixer.
  

The technique is a little different than most traditionalbread recipes in that you mix about one-half the total amountof flour with warm water, yeast, olive oil and salt ina bowl, then cover the bowl tightly withplastic film and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Then mix in the remaining flour (I use the dough hook) onthe stand mixer, then just knead in a bit more flour so thedough is not overly sticky, dividing the dough into two pieces andform each into any shape you like. 
After making it a couple of times I found that I prefer thedough a bit stickier than most bread doughs for the best texture(you'll need to flour your hands and work surface well.)
Place on parchment lined baking sheet  -- at this point you mayslash top of dough for a little higher rise, or brush with waterand sprinkle or apply sesame seeds with your fingertips.


And the most unique aspect of the recipe is that the shaped dough is immediately placed into a cold oven. The oven is turned on to 425º(F) / 220º(C), the dough actually makes it's second rise IN the oven, as it is heating up.  Bake time is about 30 minutes. My ovens run a little hot so I begin checking at 20 minutes.
If you give this one a try, I hope you like it as much as we do.
Recipe and instructions can be found here.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
xo ~mari

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