Thank you to Jesse Entwistle who shared his childhood recipe out of his mother’s kitchen deep in the heart of Africa. This basic bread is heart-warming as is but tastes delicious with both sweet and savory mix-ins.

Serves: 4 loaves, 12 + people.

Tools:

Mixing bowl

large wooden spoon or spatula

linen kitchen towel

baking sheets or oven stone

Ingredients:

3 cups water – warmed

3 TBSP fine granulated sugar

1 TBSP active dry yeast

2 TBSP good olive oil

1 1/2 TBSP fine salt

8-9 cups flour – sifted

Potential mix-ins: cinnamon sugar. rosemary. thyme. oregano. green z’atar. cheese.

For the bread:

Put sugar and water in a bowl, stir to combine. Add yeast to dissolve. Let set for 10 minutes or until a foamy layer forms.

Add in olive oil and salt. If adding sweet or savory spices, add now.

Add 6 cups of flour. Stir together until completely combined. Then continue to add flour, while mixing with your hands. Continue to add flour until the dough reaches a sticky yet pulls-away-from-your-hands consistency. Keep adding flour and kneeding until this is achieved.

Cover with a linen kitchen towel and let set to rise for at least one hour.

Flour your hands. Diving the dough into equal parts, form four loved on greased or split lined baking sheets. Cover again with the linen towel(s) and allow to rise for another 30 minutes to one hour.

Preheat the oven to 185 degrees Celsius // 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bake for 20 minutes or so, until the crust is golden brown on all sides.

Serve hot.