Ingredients

Method

• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup cold water, plus 5 t
• 1/3 cup boiling water, plus 1 T
• 3 t sea salt, crushed, plus extra for topping
• 2 t caster sugar
• 1 x 10 g instant dried yeast sachet
• 550 g strong white bread flour
• 3 T cumin seeds
• 1 T ground coriander
• 1 T dried mint
• 1 t dried red chilli flakes (optional)
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 t
• 4 sprigs thyme leaves picked
• 1 t nigella or onion seeds
• 1 t sumac

Method

Ingredients

Mix the sour cream with the cold and boiling water in a large bowl. Add the salt with the sugar and yeast, then blend in the flour, 2 T cumin seeds, the coriander, mint and the chilli flakes (if using) until the mixture forms a rough ball. Cover the bowl with clingwrap and leave the dough to rest somewhere warm for 10 minutes to rise.

Line a large roasting tin with nonstick baking paper and place the dough on top. Stretch out the dough to the size of your tin, then, using your fingers, poke deep holes all over it. Try not to pierce the dough, but you can be pretty tough with it. Cover the tin with clingwrap and leave the dough to rest somewhere warm for 1 hour (or longer, if you like).

Once the hour is up, preheat the oven to 200°C. Remove the clingwrap from the dough and drizzle the extra virgin olive oil over it, ensuring it covers every nook and cranny of the dough. A silicone brush will aid this process. Sprinkle the entire surface of the dough liberally with uncrushed sea salt flakes, thyme leaves, nigella seeds, the remaining cumin seeds and the sumac. Place the baking sheet on the top shelf of the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Discover more brilliant bread recipes here.