Ksra: Moroccan Bread recipe

We’ve been baking a lot of bread lately. So much so that I’ve considered the idea of starting a separate blog dedicated to bread baking. Anyone interested in a bread blog? What started as a one time attempt to make bread has now turned into a rewarding weekly event. Lets face it, home baked bread is so much better then the store bought variety. The following recipe for Ksra evolved out of our interest in Moroccan cuisine. It develops an amazing thick crust with the addition of anise and caraway provides a lovely aroma and unique flavor. While the bread is a natural complement to Moroccan foods like chicken or lamb tagine, it is also delicious on it own or served toasted with scrambled eggs.

Ingredients:

3 cups unbleached bread flour

½ cup rye flour

2 tsp active dry yeast

1½ tsp sea salt

1 tbsp Caraway Seed

1 tbsp Anise Seed

1½ Cups lukewarm water

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Coarsely ground corn meal (for coating)

Method:

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the water, and mix until well combined. You should end up with a sticky, choppy looking dough that initially will seem quite unmanageable. At this point add the oil and begin kneading the dough in the bowl until the oil is incorporated.
2. Turn the dough out onto a clean unfloured countertop and begin kneading vigorously for 8-10 minutes to develop the gluten. The dough will stick a little to counter top. That’s okay, just scrape off any stuck dough and continue kneading. You don’t want to add any additional flour at this stage as it’ll change the water content of the bread. With continued kneading the dough will stiffen up significantly and have a glossy appearance.
3. Place the dough in a large bowl at least three times the bread volume, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let the bread ferment for about two hours, or until doubled in volume.
4. When the first rise in completed set the oven to 425º and turn the dough out onto a clean countertop. Now the dough can be shaped into a tight round in preparation for baking. To shape, flatten the dough slightly, and then fold the top down, and then the bottom up, so it is folded like a business letter. Then fold in the sides in the same way as before. Now flip the dough so the largest seam faces down and begin stretching the dough in towards the bottom seam to form a tight ball of dough.
5. Place the shaped dough seam side down onto a baking sheet sprinkled with coarsely ground corn meal and then cover the dough with a well floured tea towel. Let the dough rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
6. Remove the towel and bake in the oven 35-40 minutes until the bread reaches a rich brown color and sounds hollow when tapped with a spoon.