Celebrity chef Loulla Astin was born in Avgorou, Cyprus but has lived most of her life in Manchester where she owns Kosmos Taverna.
Loulla appeared regularly on ITV, Carlton and Sky and was a Resident Chef on Granada TV’s The Afternoon Show. She even recorded her own 52-part TV series titled Simply Greek.
This week, Loulla shares her recipe for Cypriot Sesame Bread Δαχτυλιά, Κουλούρι
Loulla’s recipes
A popular and very aromatic Cypriot sesame tear-apart bread, segmented for pulling into fingers when eaten.
Similar to Koulourakia (seeded bread rings) this type of bread is called Thaktila or Koulouri (Fingers) because the loaves are long and slashed on topped, resembling fat fingers. In Kyrenia Cyprus they used to call them Koulouroboulia or Koumoulia. The loaves are flavoured with Greek μπαχαρικά,(aromatic spices) mastic gum, mahlepi and aniseed and I also add honey as it keeps the bread soft.
The bread is topped with a mixture of seeds (sesame, nigella and aniseed).
When making Thaktyla while fasting, the milk is replaced with water.
Makes 3
For The Topping
175g (6oz) sesame seeds
1 tbsp. aniseed seeds (glykaniso) γλυκάνισο
1 tbsp.Nigella seeds ( mavrokokos)μαυροκοκκος
For The Bread
500g strong flour
500g plain flour
50g fine semolina
2 x 7g sachet of fast action dried
Yeast
1 tbsp. caster sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground mastic
1/2 tsp ground mahlepi
1/2 tsp ground aniseed
6-8 tbsp. light olive oil
250 ml lukewarm milk
250 ml lukewarm water
Method
First boil the seeds for the topping for 4-5 minutes, then place in a sieve and let them drain for 30 minutes. Spread them on a kitchen towel.
Sift the yeast and sugar in the warm water, mix and leave it for 10min.
Place flour and semolina into a large warm bowl with all the aromatic spices. Make a well in the centre stir in the yeast, milk ,salt, and olive oil. Gradually incorporate the flour from the sides of the bowl into the liquid, you may need more water. Knead the dough until soft and elastic and easy to handle (you could use an electric mixer with a dough hook to do this) Place dough in a bowl and cover with a warm cloth or cling film and leave in a warm place until double in size approx. 2 hour.
Knead the dough again and divide into 3 equal pieces. Roll each one into a thick oblong approx.20cm(8inch) then roll the bread in the sesame mixture, place on baking sheets/trays lined with baking paper or dusted with semolina, cover and allow them to prove once again for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 180c/350f/Gas 4. With a sharp knife, slash on top of each bread in diagonal in 5- 6 places, at 4cm (1.1/2 inch) intervals making sure you don’t cut all the way through, push them back together.
Place breads in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, turning the tray once or twice so they brown evenly. Bake until the Thaktilia are lightly golden brown and sound hollow when turned upside down and tapped.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack, covered with a clean tea towel.
Delicious hot or cold
Loulla’s recipes
