Hungarian farmers bread
Delicious Hungarian farmers bread that is not too difficult to make and sprinkled with some sesame seeds it’s perfect with just a bit of butter.
Hungarian farmers bread
Bread is not something that comes to me very naturally. I had never before made any bread myself but I saw some homemade bread on the blog of Ben from What’s Cooking (which I don’t think exists anymore) and I was inspired to give it a go myself. I had previously only used one of those ready made packages. You add water and that’s all you need. But making bread from scratch I had not done before.
I did have a book about baking bread and decided I had to give it a try. It’s a Dutch book so I won’t bother you with the name. I choose a bread recipe that seemed pretty simple for Hungarian white bread. I’m not exactly sure what is Hungarian about this lovely bread but that was the name of the recipe so I stuck to it. It was my first attempt at making my own bread and I was quite pleased with the outcome.
While it is not complicated to make, it does require some time as you need to knead the dough, let it rise, knead again and rise again. And then the baking still needs to happen.
Patience
I have found that making bread requires some patience and that is not my strongest point. But let’s get at it. For making this recipe it’s best if all the ingredients are at room temperature. Since I had no idea what I was doing I used all purpose flour. It’s best to go for a quality flour or use bread flour. That’s probably even better, but I used regular grocery store variety flour.
First you start by adding flour, salt, sesame seeds and sugar into a large bowl and mix it together. Make a hole in the middle of the flour.
Now you add the yeast into a small bowl with a little bit of water and mix it together until it start to bubble a little bit. Add the rest of the water and add this to the flour mixture. You’re dough will be quick wet. Sprinkle the top with some flour, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place until it starts to rise and bubble.
Kneading
Now add the melted butter and start kneading the dough. This is easiest in a machine with a dough hook on a low speed but can of course be done by hand as well. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a bowl that is rubbed with a little olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap. Add a little oil to the plastic wrap as well so it doesn’t stick to the dough. leave to rise in a warm spot for about 45 minutes to an hour or until the volume of the dough has doubled.
Using a floured surface beat the dough back. Just punch it so it deflates. Shape it into a round loaf and place it on a baking tray that is brushed with a little butter. Cover again and leave it in that same warm place to rise again for another 35-40 minutes or it has again doubled.
Baking
Now it’s time to think about the baking process. I’ve sprinkled the bread before baking with some sesame seeds but poppy seeds would also look really good. You can first brush the top of the dough with some egg white (mixed with the salt first) (egg yolks would work as well I guess) and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the wet surface.
The oven needs to be at 220˚C. Before placing it in the oven slice across the bread with a sharp knife. That will give it a nice crack during baking.
First bake for 20 minutes at the higher temperature, then turn the heat down to 180˚C and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when you tap the bottom.
It’s a simple but delicious recipe and you can also make it into smaller buns by dividing the bread into equal pieces and shaping them into smaller buns. Let the bread cool on a wire rack.
Variations
It’s easiest to vary this bread with the toppings. Poppy seeds I already mentioned but you can also sprinkle it with sunflower seeds or caraway seeds or use a combination of different seeds. The bread is delicious served with some tasty cheese, hummus or whatever else you like!
If you love bread that’s easy try this Artisan bread or the irish soda bread. Or even better; this Hungarian langos.
Hungarian farmers bread
Ingredients
- 450 gr all purpose flour or bread flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame-seeds
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 20 gr fresh yeast I used 7 gr of instant yeast
- 2,75 dl luke warm water
- 2 tbsp melted butter
For the crust
- 1 egg white
- bit of salt
- 2 tsp sesame-seeds to spread over the top
- Place the flour and the salt in a large bowl and add the sesame seeds and sugar. Mix it all together and make a well in the middle.
- In another small bowl add the yeast and a little bit of the lukewarm water and stir it through. It should get a bit frothy. Add the rest of the water and pour this into the well you made in the flour mixture. Stir it through so it forms a wet dough. Sprinkle with a bit of flour, cover with a clean tea towel and set in a warm spot until it starts to rise and bubble.
- Now add the melted butter and mix everything together to a smooth dough. Knead the dough on a flour covered surface or use a machine with a dough hook. Knead for about 8-10 minutes until you have a smooth and elastic dough. Put it in a bowl that is rubbed with a little oil to prevent sticking, cover with greased plastic foil and leave to rise in a warm spot for 45-60 minutes until the volume has doubled.
- Beat the dough back on a flour covered surface. Make an oval or round shape out of it and put it on a baking tray brushed with a little butter or oil. Cover the dough with greased plastic foil and leave it in a warm spot for another 30-40 minutes to rise until the volume has doubled.
- Preheat the oven at 220 ° C (400.˚F) Mix the egg white and the salt and put some on top of the bread. Sprinkle with the sesame seed and cut with a sharp knife over the top of the bread. Bake the bread for 20 minutes and put the temperature down to 180 °C and bake for another 10 minutes until it sounds hollow when you tap the bottom of the bread. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Nutrition Information per portion
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
5 comments on “Hungarian farmers bread”
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The family loved it with chicken paprikas and cucumber salad.
That sounds like a wonderful combination Kate!
I was raised on Hungarian food. My great grand mother,grandmother and Mother all stuffed my faced with the most delicious food I have ever had.
Thanks Nancy! Pretty tasty indeed!
What does equally spread dough mean in step 3 of hungarian farmers bread recipe