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First chapter dedicated to cooking with “Non”, an Uzbek bread that, thanks to its flavors and shapes, has won us over. Recipe from Anissa Helou‘s “Feast”, which we thank once again for the opportunity.

Ingredients:

• 390 g of flour, plus more flour for the dough and for making bread
• 1 cucchiaino di lievito istantaneo
• 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of fine salt
• 2 teaspoons (30 g) of unsalted butter at room temperature

For the garnish:

• 1 small onion (about 100 g) finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Preparation:

1. Put flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl and mix well. Slowly add 310 ml of water, adding it to the flour as you go along. Mix until you have a first dough.
2. Move it on a lightly floured work surface and knead for 3 minutes. Put the bowl on top of the dough and let it sit for 15 minutes, then continue to work it for 3 minutes or until you have a soft and regular dough. Form a ball.
3. Grease a clean bowl with soft butter and use a little to spread the dough. Put the ball in the buttered bowl. Cover it with plastic and leave it in a warm place without electricity for an hour and a half, or until it has doubled its size.
4. Divide the dough in two. Turn each piece into a ball and leave the rest of your work to rest for 15 minutes. At this point transform each of them into a cylinder of about 20 cm in diameter and 1 cm thick, be sure to raise the margins for good cornices. Brush with water. Cover everything with a damp kitchen towel and let it sit for 30 minutes.

5. In the meantime, start heating the oven as if you were cooking a pizza.

6. Discover the “cylinders” made before. Brush again with cold water and make a deep incision in the middle with your fingertips. At this point, using a fork or chekish, the traditional Uzbek “bread press”, prick the bread all the way inside the edges. Transfer everything to non-stick kitchen paper.

7. For the garnish: mix the fine onion, sesame seeds and cumin seeds in a bowl. With your own hands, spread the mix on all the loaves.

8. Cook them for 12/15 minutes, or until they turn golden brown and rise along the edges. Check the sandwiches after about 12 minutes to see if it isn’t cooking too fast. Transfer them to a grill to cool them. Bread is always better if left to cool, as if it were constantly in transformation. You can always heat it to serve it hot.

If you liked the recipe you can buy the book on Amazon, tomorrow we will take you to Syria with the “Kabab Karaz”, do not miss it.