Hleb i Lale

Passport & Plate - Bread with cheese and dried tomato

Serbia | Friday, March 14, 2014 | 5 photos

Ingredients
Around 500 g bread flour
Water
250 g sourdough starter
1 tsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt
5-6 sun dried tomatoes
150 g chedar cheese

 

How to prepare this recipe
Mix 200 ml of water with starter and leave it to rest 20 min. After that time, start adding little by little flour, sugar, salt and water. After you use all the flour, the dough should be very moist and sticky. Add cheese and sun dried tomato. Knead for 10 minutes with wet hands. Cover with clean table cloth and leave to rest 4h.
After that time, gently transfer the dough on lightly floured work surface and shape the brad. Transfer it to rising basket and leave it on room temperature 3 hours.
Put dutch oven in the cold oven and turn the heat on 275C. When oven is ready, carefully, with gloves take the pot from oven and transfer the bread. With sharp knife make cross on the surface, put the lid back and leave it oven ofr 25 minutes.
After that time, take the lid off and continuo to bake on 220C for 20 minutes.
Bread is done when crust is nice golden, light brown colour. Live it on the rack to cool down at least 45 minutes before cutting it.

 

The story behind this recipe
When I was in primary school, my family transfered to village near Novi Sad, capital of Vojvodina. We lived near Ciga the baker, an old man who was baking bread and pretzels for whole neighbourhood. It was a tough time to live in Serbia with all wars and story behind it but the first thing that cross my mind when I think about it is fresh bread from Ciga's house. For years I've been trying to make bread that marked my childhood.
With sourdough starter I finally succeeded. This is just one of breads that make our days more beautiful.