A taste of Cyprus by Louis Hotels

The simple bread, “Psomi” has long been the main staple in the Cypriot cuisine, especially in frugal times, when the people Cyprus would survive on a thick chunk of it accompanied with cheese or a handful of olives and a tomato.

Today Louis Hotels is sharing the Cypriot Koulouri Bread recipe, a local bread found at our Local Breakfast Stations in all our hotels in Cyprus.

To make two loaves of bread you will need:

Ingredients

4 cups wheat flour

1 ½ tsp salt

1 packet instant yeast

1 ¼ cups lukewarm water

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup anise seeds

1/4 nigella seeds (optional)

Instructions

Put the flour, salt, yeast, and water in a large bowl and whisk together. Knead for 5 minutes or use the dough hook on your stand mixer for about 3 minutes. Let the dough stand in the bowl for at least 40 minutes, until almost doubled in size. Then, mix the seeds in a large bowl and dampen with warm water – this helps the seeds release their flavour and stick on the bread.

Later, line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone liner. Shape the dough into two loaves, dusting your surface with flour accordingly. Coat the loaves of dough with the seeds in the bowl. Place the loaves on the baking sheet and let rise for 20 more minutes.

Bake the bread for 25-30 minutes in a preheated oven at 180°C, until golden brown and hollow-sounding when rapped on the bottom.

Finally, transfer the loaves of bread on a wire rack to cool. And there you go, a taste of Cyprus’ finest in your kitchen!