By Sara ‘Ajour
Food Writer
Text & Photos / Expert Contributor / Family Flavours Magazine
I remember with nostalgia waking up to the comforting aroma of my grandmother’s olive oil bread. Warm, wholesome and made with love, it was more than just something to eat. It was a taste of a generation that knew how to create with its hands, imagination and whatever was at hand.
There was no YouTube to guide them, no automatic machinery and rarely a precise recipe to follow. Instead, there was instinct, experience and a willingness to trust the process. A little of this, a handful of that and somehow, it all came together.
Our grandparents have so much to teach us, not only about food, but about life: the value of hard work, resilience, resourcefulness and gratitude. And, perhaps most importantly, they remind us that there should always be room for humour in the kitchen, even when the bread does not turn out quite as planned.
These are the simple lessons, passed down through generations, that make family recipes so much more than recipes. They carry memories, values and a little piece of home.
Tetah’s Olive Oil Flatbread
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
2 cups of warm water
½ cup olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil for brushing the cooked breads
Dry Ingredients
2 cups white flour
2 cups brown flour
1 tsp yeast
2 tsp salt, not heaped
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp turmeric
1 tbsp aniseed, ground or whole
1 tbsp fennel, ground or whole
1 tbsp black nigella seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp powdered milk
Directions
1. Place all the dry ingredients, including the yeast, in a large bowl and mix well to combine
2. Add the olive oil and warm water to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly
3. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled surface and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic
4. Lightly oil the bowl and return the dough to it. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for one hour, or until doubled in size
5. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Lightly oil a couple of baking trays
6. Tip out the dough and divide it into eight pieces. Using a lightly greased bread mould, press the dough into the mould, then turn it out, decorated side up, onto the oiled baking tray
7. Continue until all the dough has been shaped
8. Leave to rise slightly for 15–20 minutes
9. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until lightly browned and the bread sounds hollow when tapped
10. Brush the hot, freshly baked breads with a little olive oil on both sides and serve warm
You can contact Sara ‘Ajour at [email protected].
