Friday, June 16, 2017

Bread with handles (Kaak)!

This month's creative bread is courtesy of Karen (Baking Soda) at Bake My Day!  She asked us to bake Kaak, a Lebanese bread with sesame seeds. It also has a unique shape.



The recipe I used was slightly different than the one Karen posted.  I did use buttermilk, but I also did the initial dough mixing and rising in my bread machine, saving the final shaping to do by hand.  Also, because I created the holes with a round cutter, I had 8 little bread disks, which made for excellent testing and snacking.






My kaak was more like a flatbread.  Perhaps the second rise wasn't long enough.  But, even so, they were delicious, worthy of baking again.

Stop by and see what the other Babes did, and feel free to join in as a Buddy.  Send your information to Karen by June 29 to be included in the roundup.



The Babes are:

Bake My Day - Karen
blog from OUR kitchen - Elizabeth
Bread Experience - Cathy
Feeding my Enthusiasms - Pat/Elle 

 Karen's Kitchen Stories - Karen
My Diverse Kitchen - Aparna
My Kitchen In Half Cups - Tanna
Notitie Van Lien - Lien

A Messy Kitchen – Kelly  
Thyme for Cooking - Katie
Life's a Feast - Jamie










Kaak

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm reduced-fat milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups bread flour
1-2 tablespoons more flour for flouring and rolling
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 envelope rapid rise yeast
For topping
1 large egg
1/2 cup sesame seeds (1 tablespoon per kaak)

Directions
1. In the pan of an electric bread machine, add ingredients in the order recommended by the yeast manufacturer. Set for the dough cycle.
2. When done, remove dough from pan, cover with a clean towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
3. Divide into 8 equal parts, each weighing about 100 grams. With a floured rolling pin on a floured surface, roll each part into a large, 6-7 inch circle. Use a small, 2-inch glass to cut a small circle out, near the edge of each large circle:
4. Place rings on two greased baking sheets. Beat the egg and 1 TBS water with a fork. Brush each ring with the mixture and sprinkle with about 1 TBS sesame seeds:
5. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes, or up to an hour.
6. Heat oven to 200°C. Bake about 10 minutes, or until golden and puffed. Serve immediately. 

http://mehtapozer.blogspot.com/2013/02/kaak-street-bread-in-beirut.html

10 comments:

hobby baker Kelly said...

Love the color and shine! And I think the circle cut outs are pretty, but I love the idea of snacking on them! ;)

Karen said...

Your little mini breads are perfect for snacking!! Your "purses" are so nice too. Love a bread with a handle!

Elizabeth said...

I especially love the first photo in the sun! But how on earth did you get the sesame seeds into those perfect rows?

Our kaak was on the flat side as well. I think it's because we didn't heat the barbecue up enough, because they were quite puffy before going in to bake. But flat or not, we didn't care. This bread really is delicious, isn't it?

Elizabeth said...

I really must learn to read more carefully!

I just saw that you solved the problem about what to do with the discs created after making the handles on the purses. Those little buns look delicious! How very clever.

Lien said...

I love those little bread rounds... now I'm sorry I added them to the last Kaak, they look too cute. Love those Kaak on the pole picture!

Cathy (Bread Experience) said...

Lovely Kaak Judy! Beautiful color and shape. I think these breads work well as flatbread or more puffy breads. I've been enjoying the minis for snacking as well.

Katie Zeller said...

On my.... you have such perfect 'handles'! They're lovely with the two colors of seeds.

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

Now I see why not to worry if using the cut out method to get the handle. The left over round is a perfect sampler!
Your purse is very fashionable!

Karen Baking Soda said...

Lovely pics! THey do need some time to puff in the second rise but easily delicious when flatter. The mixed seeds add extr oomph!

Jamie said...

This is fantastic! I'm just discovering this month's bread and it is amazing! I am going to try and bake it! Fun shape and gorgeous looks! And perfect bread to accompany a light summer meal!