From Greece to Germany: Global breads for World Baking Day

Boston Globe

13-05-2025

Makes a 1½-pound loaf
This hearty loaf is our take on eliopsomo, a traditional Greek olive bread. Bolstered by whole-wheat flour and honey, the dough is soft and subtly sweet—a nice contrast to the savoriness of Kalamata olives.
Advertisement
Kneading chopped olives directly into the dough interferes with gluten development, resulting in a weaker crumb structure, so instead we flatten the dough into a rectangle, sprinkle on a filling of chopped Kalamatas mixed with rosemary and garlic, then roll it up into a log. After baking, slicing the loaf reveals a salty, herbaceous spiral running through it. For making this dough, we also employ a brief autolyse, or resting time after combining the flours and liquids. This step allows the whole-wheat flour to hydrate and jump-starts gluten development.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Don't be tempted to add extra flour when mixing the dough; it may look quite sticky, but will firm up as it rises. Unlike many bread doughs, this one will be wet enough to cling to the bowl when kneading is complete.
Advertisement
1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
4 teaspoons honey, divided
260 grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
70 grams (½ cup) whole-wheat flour
1¾ teaspoons instant yeast
¾ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon table salt
138 grams (1 cup) pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
1½ teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, stir together 1 cup warm water (100 degrees), the oil, and 2 teaspoons honey.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix both flours, the yeast, dried oregano, and pepper on low speed until combined, about 5 seconds. With the mixer running, add the water mixture and mix until a soft, slightly lumpy dough forms, about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl once or twice. Feel the dough; it should be sticky. If not, add water 1 teaspoon at a time, mixing after each addition, until the dough feels sticky but not wet. Let rest in the mixer bowl for 5 minutes.
Add the salt and knead on medium speed until the dough is smooth and forms a mass around the hook, but still adheres to the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl and gather the dough in the center. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled, 1 to 1½ hours. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the olives, garlic, rosemary, and fresh oregano; set aside.
Advertisement
Line a rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment. Lightly flour the counter. Turn the dough out onto the counter and, using your hands, gently press and stretch it into a 10-by-7-inch rectangle with a short side facing you. Distribute the olive mixture in an even layer over the dough, spreading it to the edges. Starting from the side nearest you, roll the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam to seal and transfer seam side down to the prepared baking sheet. Pinch the open ends to seal, then tuck the pinched seams under; the loaf should measure about 10 inches long by 3½ inches wide. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour.
About 40 minutes into rising, heat the oven to 375 degrees with a rack in the lower-middle position. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons water and the remaining 2 teaspoons honey.
When the loaf has doubled, brush it with the honey-water (you might not use it all). Using a paring knife, make 3 diagonal slashes, each about 3 inches long, in the loaf, spacing them evenly along the length of the loaf; the slashes should cut through the outermost layer of dough to reveal the olive filling just underneath. Bake until the loaf is golden brown and the center reaches 200 degrees, 40 to 45 minutes.
Cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Transfer the loaf directly to the rack and cool completely, about 2 hours.
Cinnamon-Sugared Chocolate and Orange Mandelbrot
Joe Murphy
Cinnamon-Sugared Chocolate and Orange Mandelbrot
Makes about 4 dozen cookies
Mandelbrot, which means 'almond bread' in both Yiddish and German, is a Jewish cookie similar to biscotti. It is baked as a loaf that is sliced, then the cookies are returned to the oven to crisp and dry. But because of the fat in the dough, mandlebrot has a richer flavor and more tender texture than biscotti.
Advertisement
Orange zest, along with vanilla and almond extract, adds fragrance, and chopped chocolate brings bittersweet notes. The final flourish is a coating of cinnamon sugar. Stored in an airtight container, these keep well for at least a week.
1 large egg, plus 2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
214 grams (1 cup) white sugar, divided
130 grams (1 cup) slivered almonds, divided
55 grams (¼ cup) packed light brown sugar
390 grams (3 cups) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
170 grams (12 tablespoons) cold salted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
113 grams (4 ounces) bittersweet chocolate, chopped into bits no larger than ¼ inch
Heat the oven to 350 degrees with racks in the upper- and lower-middle positions. Line 2 baking sheets with kitchen parchment. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the whole egg, yolks, vanilla, almond extract (if using), and orange zest, then set aside.
In a food processor, combine 160 grams (¾ cup) white sugar, 65 grams (½ cup) almonds, and the brown sugar; process until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add the flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; process until well combined, about 10 seconds. Scatter in the butter, then pulse until it is in pea-sized bits, about 20 pulses. With the machine running, drizzle in the egg mixture and process until it forms large clumps (it will not come together into a single mass), 30 to 45 seconds.
Advertisement
Transfer the dough to a large bowl. Add the remaining 65 grams (½ cup) almonds and the chocolate. Using your hands, gently knead in the bowl just until the dough comes together and the nuts and chocolate are evenly distributed. Turn the dough out onto the counter and form it into a ball, then divide in half. Using your hands, roll each portion into a 14-inch log, pressing in any bits that come loose. Place the logs, about 4 inches apart, on one of the prepared baking sheets. With your hands, flatten the logs until 1 inch thick and 2 inches wide.
Bake on the lower rack until the dough has spread into flat, fissured loaves that are firm on the surface and appear dry in the cracks, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 20 minutes; leave the oven on. Meanwhile, in a wide, shallow bowl or on a medium plate, stir together the remaining 54 grams (¼ cup) white sugar and the remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
Using a wide metal spatula, carefully transfer the still-warm loaves to a cutting board; reserve the baking sheet and its parchment. Using a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, cut each loaf on the diagonal into ½-inch slices. Dredge the cut sides of each cookie in the cinnamon sugar, pressing so the sugar adheres (the cinnamon sugar will adhere better if the cookies are warm), then place them sugared side up on the baking sheets, dividing them between both baking sheets.
Advertisement
Place both baking sheets in the oven and bake until the cookies are firm and dry, about 15 minutes, flipping each cookie and also rotating the baking sheets and switching their positions halfway through. Let cool on the baking sheets on wire racks for about 10 minutes. Transfer the mandelbrot directly to the racks and cool completely.
Christopher Kimball is the founder of Milk Street, home to a magazine, school, and radio and television shows. Globe readers get 12 weeks of complete digital access, plus two issues of Milk Street print magazine, for just $1. Go to 177milkstreet.com/globe. Send comments to