Festive Kıbrıs Çöreği Wreath
Festive Kıbrıs Çöreği Wreath
By Meliz Cooks
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For the Garlic & Herb Oil:
100ml extra virgin olive oil
1 whole garlic bulb, all cloves removed and peeled then finely grated
25g rosemary or thyme leaves or a mix of both,
finely chopped
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For the bread:
225 ml (8 fl oz) lukewarm milk
100 ml (3½ fl oz) lukewarm water
7 g (¼ oz) fast-action dried yeast
530 g strong white bread flour
1½ tsp salt
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For brushing:
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp milk
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For coating:
4 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp nigella seeds
¼ tsp aniseed
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For the Camembert:
1 x round 250g Camembert
1 tbsp of the garlic & herb oil (above)
1 tbsp runny honey
1/4 tsp pul biber
Place a small frying pan on the hob over a low-medium heat, pour in the olive oil, and once hot, soften the garlic and finely chopped herbs for a couple of minutes until they release their aroma. Leave to one side to cool.
In a jug, mix together the milk and water, add the yeast, give it a gentle stir and leave to one side for 5–10 minutes until it’s activated. The liquid will rise and turn frothy when ready.
Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, make a well in the centre and pour in the activated yeast mixture and most of the herb and garlic oil, reserving around 1 tbsp for later, the honey and the salt. Start mixing everything together with a fork, then go in with clean hands to form a dough. Turn the dough out on to a clean surface and start to knead. You shouldn’t need any more flour at this point - it is quite a high hydration dough with a high oil content too, so it might feel a little sticky to start with, but once you start kneading it will all come together beautifully. Keep kneading by hand for 10–12 minutes until a nice smooth, elastic dough is formed, tucking the sides under as you finish. Alternatively, place everything into a stand mixer and knead with the dough hook attachment for 10 minutes.
Spread a little olive oil over the dough, place it back into the bowl and cover the bowl with plastic film and a clean tea towel. Leave the bowl somewhere warm and cosy to prove for around hour until it doubles in size. Don’t let it over proof otherwise the dough will just collapse.
Mix all the seeds together on a large tray. The dough will be coated in this seeded mixture once shaped.
Line a large shallow baking tray with baking paper and leave to one side.
Once the dough has risen, take it out of the bowl, turn in smooth side down, and gently flatten it down for a few seconds.
Roll the slightly flattened dough into a long 60-cm (24-inch) smooth, chunky sausage shape, smoothing over the top with your hands, then tucking any creases underneath. Mix the flour, water and milk together in a small bowl to create a smooth paste and brush it all over the top and sides of the dough sausage. Carefully lift the shaped dough and transfer it to the tray of seeds, coated side down, so that all of the seeds stick evenly to the dough. Lift the seeded dough sausage onto the lined baking tray, seeded side up, and connect the two ends by pressing the dough together to form a circular ring.
Using a dough cutter (or a saucer, like my mum has always done) cut horizontally all the way through the dough, roughly at 3cm intervals and gently push each piece back to the ring each time you cut a segment, in order to reform the original circular shape while maintaining the shapes of each distinct segment. Once you have gone all the way round, cover the segmented, circular shaped dough with another large, deep tray, or with some clingfilm / large plastic bag, and leave somewhere warm to proof again for another 30 minutes.
While the dough is proofing, preheat your Steam Crisp oven to 220°C/200°C fan/450°F/gas mark 8 and ensure the water drawer is topped up with water.*
Once the dough has finished proving for the second time, place the baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven. Quickly close the oven door and bake the dough for around 20 minutes until beautifully golden brown. Using the baking paper as leverage, gently lift the baked wreath onto a cooling rack.
Place the Camembert into an oven-proof ramekin and score a light cross-cross pattern across the top of the rind. Place the ramekin on a small baking tray and pop it in the oven on the middle shelf for 10 minutes. Carefully take it out of the oven, brush the reserved herb and garlic oil over the top of the Camembert, drizzle over the honey with, sprinkle over the pul biber then pop back in the oven for another 8-10 minutes until caramelised on top and molten and oozy in the middle. Serve immediately.
*If you are not using the AEG Steam Crisp oven, then pour 100 ml (3½ fl oz) water into a glass. Once the dough has finished proving for the second time, place the baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven, and throw the water (not the glass) into the bottom of the oven to create steam. Bake and continue as per the method above.