Turkish Flatbread Found in Germany- Fladenbrot With Nigella Seeds

My husband LOVES bread and soup. I always liked baking too, so I decided to refresh our memories of a trip to Turkey that we took last year and make this wonderful bread. It turned out really good. And it for sure brought some memories of the breeze from Bosporus and beautiful nights in Istanbul.

This bread takes 2 days to make, 10 minutes the first day and 3 hours the second (hands on time about 25 minutes). But don't worry, its not as hard as it seems. 

Makes 4, 6 ounce or 2, 12 ounce breads.

Ingredients:

***Sponge - Day 1***

• 1/2 c. warm water
• 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. sugar

***Dough - Day 2***

• 1 1/4 c. warm water (300 ml)
• 1 tsp. active dry yeast (4 grams)
• 3 T. extra-virgin olive oil (30 grams)
• 3 1/4 c. bread flour (375 grams)
• 1 T. salt (20 grams)
• Extra flour for adjustments and dusting
• Cornmeal, for dusting
• 1-2 T. nigella (black caraway) or sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Preparation:

Make the sponge: In a medium bowl, mix the water with the yeast and a 1/4 teaspoon sugar and let stand about 10 minutes. There may or may not be foam. Stir in the flour. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand overnight.

Make the dough: Add the yeast mixture (the sponge), the remaining 1 1/4 cup of water, yeast and the olive oil to a bowl. Stir in the flour and salt until a wet dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth. It will be very sticky, use dough scraper if you have one and expect your hands to be covered with dough. Don't incorporate too much flour, this dough will be 75% - 80% hydration, which will help create the larger crumb.

Place the dough in a large, floured bowl, flour the top and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

To bake: Place a baking stone in the middle of the oven on a rack and heat the oven to 450°F for about one hour. While the oven is heating, remove the dough from its bowl onto a floured surface and divide it into 2 or 4 pieces.

Flatten (coax) each piece into a round or oblong with minimum degassing. Place them on parchment sprinkled with cornmeal or flour, on top of an overturned cookie sheet. Cover them with plastic and let rise until puffy, about 30 minutes.

Spray the breads lightly with water, sprinkle the ovals with the nigella seeds. Slide the ovals onto the hot stone in the oven (still on the parchment). Bake until crisp on the bottom, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Bread is Ready! Enjoy it!