"Maltese" Bread

If you are a member of a Maltese family, chances are you have a strong opinion about bread. My family has been known to discuss the topic at length. If you’ve ever eaten Maltese bread you know what I mean. The bread in Malta is rustic, flavorful, has a thick crust and is perfectly designed to soak up some tasty olive oil or cradle a fragrant vine ripened tomato. The Maltese Americans I know spend a lot of time and energy searching in vain for a reasonable facsimile here in the states. Not content with what we can find in shops, many of us have taken to baking bread ourselves. We often share photos of our just baked loaves with each other and can be pretty competitive about who has baked the best loaf.

If you are ever lucky enough to visit Malta, be sure to follow your nose to the nearest bakery and sample the bread. On my last trip there, my mom and I tracked down our favorite loaf from a local baker in my dad’s home town of Zejtun. I still have fond memories of walking with my mom and tearing off warm pieces, eating almost the entire loaf before we could get it back to our hotel. Lucky for us we bought a second loaf to enjoy later with a nice glass of wine, some local cheese and olives we found earlier in the day. My idea of a perfect meal!

This recipe, passed to me from my mom, comes close to recreating the loaves we remember so fondly, found in the small bakeries on the streets of Malta. The good news is, it’s easy to prepare. All you need are a few simple ingredients and an enamel coated cast iron pot. Few things are better than the aroma of freshly baked bread. So the next time you’re expecting guests for lunch or supper, treat them and yourself to a warm crusty loaf of this easy to make bread.

My dad (far right) and three of his brothers in front of the Zejtun home where they were born.

These basic ingredients can always be found in my pantry,
making the recipe even easier to prepare.

You can tell your yeast is "live" when it begins to bubble up as you add
the water, sugar and additional ingredients.

I like to use a wooden spoon to combine my dough.

Even after baking countless loaves of bread, I'm still in awe of how a bowl of simple components
can grow into a light airy dough. I guess I'm just a bread geek:)

After turning and folding. A perfect ball of dough, ready for it's second rise.

"Maltese" Bread

Ingredients:

3 cups bread flour

2 tablespoons yeast 

3 ½ teaspoons sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ¼ teaspoons salt

1 ½ cups warm water

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. I like to use a wooden spoon, but my mom prefers to use her hands.

2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then a clean, cotton dish towel. Let the mixture rest in a warm place for at least one hour, until doubled in size.

3. Sprinkle a bit of flour on a work surface and tip the dough from the bowl. Punch it down and then turning clockwise, fold down the top and then each side of the dough, using quarter turns. I do this a few times, shaping the dough into a ball.

4. Place a piece of parchment paper into your mixing bowl and dust with flour. Return your dough ball to the parchment lined bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and then your cotton towel. Let rest for another 30 minutes. 

5. In the meantime, heat your cast iron enamel pot, with the cover on, in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for the 30 minutes while the dough is resting. 

6. After 30 minutes have passed, remove the hot pot from the oven and casrefully remove the lid. Lift the dough with the parchment from the mixing bowl and carefully place it into the hot pot. Lightly dust the top with flour. Using a razor or Xacto blade, score the top. Replace the lid. Return pot to the hot oven and bake for 30 minutes.

7. After another 30 minutes, remove the cover from the pot, return to the oven and bake for  20 minutes. The top should be browned at this point. After you bake a few loaves, you'll begin to smell when your bread is ready to be pulled from the oven and know just how dark you prefer the crust. Remove bread from the pot. I like to tap the bottom. It should sound hollow if it's properly baked. Place it on a rack to cool for at least another 20 minutes or until cool. 

Note: Many professional bread bakers recommend waiting for a bread to cool completely before slicing. Apparently this preseves the integrity of the crumb. Personally, I have a difficult time resisting the lure of a warm bread that's just emerged from a hot oven. You be the judge. Enjoy!