Week 41 - Persian Kuku with sharing bread

A herby, Persian frittata with goji berries served with a sharing sesame seed bread and grilled halloumi.

BASIC INGREDIENTS (4 PEOPLE)

8 free range eggs

5 spring onions

30g parsley

30g coriander

20g dill

2 medium vine tomatoes (get nice ones)

Block of feta

Block of halloumi (or 2 if you love it!)

Handful of goji berries/dried cranberries

Handful of walnuts

325g white flour

1 sachet fast action yeast

50g sesame seeds

Spices: fenugreek, smokey paprika, turmeric, chillies (fresh/dried)

LUXURY INGREDIENTS (OPTIONAL)

Sesame oil

Garlic granules

50g nigella seeds

Baking powder

Cucumber for serving

Butter for the bread

Selection of kukus and twisty breads prepared by the foodies this week

PREP

Into a big mixing bowl add:

• 5 sliced spring onions

• All your finely chopped herbs (30g coriander, 30g parsley, 20g dill)

• Toasted walnuts (handful)

• Big handful of goji berries

• Chillies (optional: powder, flakes, to taste)

Mix then add your spices:

• 1tsp fenugreek (be careful not to spill as the smell pervades for days)

• 1tsp smokey paprika

• 1tsp baking powder

• 1/2tsp turmeric

• 1/2tsp garlic granules

• Lots of pepper

Finally, crack your 8 eggs into a separate bowl and gently mix to combine the white and yellow, then pour on top of your herb, spice and nut mixture.

We're not adding salt because the feta is salty. Dice your feta and gently fold into the egg and herb mixture.

Pour into an oven proof dish a few inches deep and around 20cm x 20cm. Set aside to infuse while we prep the bread.

Turn on your oven to 180°.

Sharing bread

Into a mixing bowl add your dry ingredients

• 325g plain flour

• 1tsp fast action yeast

• Squeeze of honey or 1tsp sugar

• 1tsp of salt (on the other side to the yeast)

Now measure out 175ml of warm water (around 100°F if you have a thermometer).

Gently mix the water into the dry ingredients with a spoon. You may not need all the water to bring the flour together into a dough.

Kneed for 10 mins. You're looking for a soft dough that shouldn't be grainy and shouldn't stick too much to your fingers or the surface.

Add extra drops of water or sprinkles of flour as needed.

Rolling the dough

If you have time, you can cover and rest the dough for 10-15 mins but for a quick dinner in under an hour, you need to try and roll it now. It will spring back as the gluten is not relaxed so don't worry if it takes 10 rolls to get a rectangle about 1/2cm thick.

When you've finally got the rectangle, add sesame oil to the top of the dough and sprinkle on sesame seeds and nigella seeds (optional).

Put your kuku in the oven now and time 15 mins.

Cut lengthways the dough into 3-4 strips.

Twist each strip into a long twisty length by taking one end and twisting the dough in one direction.

You have two options once you've twisted all your strips: grab all 3 of them and make one big twist and squeeze the ends together into a circle:

Or you can plait/braid the 3 strands like Chef @pollyevanss:

Either way, splash some milk on the bread so it doesn't dry out, cover with cling film and leave somewhere warm while the kuku finishes cooking.

Finishing

The kuku takes 15-20 minutes depending on your oven. Your looking for a knife to go into the middle and come out clean but REMEMBER that the egg will continue cooking even after you take it out so don't dry it out.

Once the kuku comes out, pop in your bread and time another 15 mins - you may need a few minutes more to get a nice brown crust.

Serve with slices of fried halloumi, sliced fresh tomato and cucumber.

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