wheat – Toidublogi

June 23 2025

Kibbeh

andrestover Lamb, National dishes lamb, Lebanon, Syria, wheat 0

Why not prepare Eastern dishes during the Estonian Midsummer holidays? Kibbeh is a historical classic Middle Eastern dish, primarily consisting of bulgur and minced lamb, seasoned with local spices. The bulgur forms a crispy coating, inside which is a filling that is seasoned and often with walnuts or pine nuts. This dish is typically eaten either cold or warm, accompanied by various yogurt-based sauces. There are many different variations of kibbeh, and there are also many different ways of preparing it. Here I offer one classic variant that I put together for reading and inspiration. In terms of shape, this type of kibbeh is egg-shaped, becoming thinner at both ends. In terms of color, it is golden brown or dark brown, depending on how long it is fried in oil. Kibbeh with this shape and seasoning is currently considered the national dish of Syria and Lebanon. Historically, its roots are believed to date back to the times of the original nomads.
Making this dish is a long process, but it is worth the effort, and the result is a surprisingly good dish to enjoy with guests and share with loved ones.

Preparation time: Approximately 3 hours total
Level: Medium
Quantity: Approximately 40 kibbeh’s

Ingredients:
Lebanese 7-spice blend:
1 tbsp allspice
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp cinnamon
0.5 tbsp coriander seeds
0.5 tbsp cumin
0.5 tbsp cayenne pepper

Other spices:
A large handful of chopped mint
A large handful of chopped oregano
A large handful of chopped parsley

Crust:
500g bulgur, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp Lebanese 7-spice blend

Filling:
500g minced lamb
4 tbsp Lebanese 7-spice blend
75g finely chopped walnuts
Mint, oregano and parsley, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1 tsp ground black pepper

Preparation:

Pour bulgur into a large bowl, and pour boiling water over it so that it is completely covered and the water reaches a few cm above the bulgur. Let it stand for at least 30 minutes.
Prepare the Lebanese 7-spice seasoning mix. Mix all the ingredients and grind finely.
Chop the fresh herbs, and chop the walnuts.
Prepare the minced lamb or use ready-made minced meat from the market. Homemade minced meat is always much better and I prefer this option.
Crush the onions for both the minced meat filling and the crust.
Fry the minced lamb with the onions, spice mix, and herbs until it changes color and the fat starts to separate slightly. Do not over-fry, which will make the minced meat tough. Add the walnuts.
Once the bulgur has soaked, run it through a meat grinder to form a thick, dry, and more uniform dough than the bulgur. Stir in the onion and spice mixture. Knead until smooth. Some people also add minced meat to the dough. You can do this, but I didn’t.
Start assembling the kibbeh. This takes a lot of time, especially if you’re a beginner like me. To do this, take a handful of bulgur dough and form it into a ball about the size of a golf ball. Take the ball in your hand and press a hole in it with your thumb, holding the ball in your hand. Use your thumb to make the hole larger so that the wall thickness of the resulting kibbeh crust is less than 0.5 cm.
Place a teaspoon of filling into the hole you made, close the hole, and shape it into an oval with sharp peaks. Form all the kibbeh in this way. It took me almost an hour.
Heat the cooking oil to 150 degrees C and fry the kibbehs. Be sure to fry in batches. If you put too many of them in the oil at once, the oil temperature will cool and the kibbehs will fall in pieces.
The finished kibbehs will be dark golden brown or dark brown, depending on the wishes of the maker and the eaters.
Serve the kibbehs with yogurt-based sauces, for example, they are ideal to eat with Tzaziki.
Ready!!

August 30 2019

Multigrain sourdough bread (III)

andrestover Bread rye, wheat 0

Multigrain sourdough bread can be made either from whole wheat flour mixed with a little rye flour or, as in Italian bread, using higher protein content wheat flour mixed with a little rye flour. Certainly, these bread contain different seeds both inside and on the crust.

Preparation time: 20 min dough preparation, 3h first dough rising. 10 min bread baking, 3h to overnight (refrigerator) baking, 40-50 min baking
Level: Medium
Quantity: one loaf

Ingredients:
Dough:
450 g wheat flour with a higher protein content (I used a mixture of Tipo 00 Italian flour and Kalew Type 550 flour (200 g Italian flour, 250 g Type 550 flour)
50 g rye flour
325 g of water
175 g of sourdough starter
10 g of sea salt
100 g mixture of pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds

For crust cover
100 g mixture of pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds to cover the bread crust.

Preparation:

1. Slightly mix the flour, water, seeds, salt and the healthy starter in the bow
2. Pour the dough mixture on a flat surface and knead. The dough is very sticky at first, but add flour only if the dough is not possible to process. Adding flour increases the density and toughness of the bread.
Make sure to knead the dough for at least 15 minutes, sometimes longer. Check the degree of readiness of the dough by taking a piece of dough, stretching it out and see if the thin ‘window’ of the dough is stretched off easily and the holes will appear easily. If yes, then it is not ready yet and needs more kneading. The finished dough is smooth and silky and resilient
4. Place the kneaded dough in a bowl, cover and put at the room temperature to rise for a 3 hours
5. After rising pour the dough on the work surface, knead out the air make it quadrangular form. Stretch the corners of the quadrangular piece of the dough to the center. Turn the dough piece around and repeat it. Repeat this procedure two or three times
6. Cut the dough in half to get two loaves of bread and start shaping the ball from these pieces. To do this, pull the dough along the work surface toward you. The bottom layer moves under the dough piece and volume of the dough reduces. Turn the batter 45 degrees and pull it back toward you. After three to four times, a dough ball is formed, the dough volume is reduced, and it is ready for second lifting.
7 Mix the pumpkin, sunflower and sesame seeds in a bowl and dip the finished dough-ball into the seeds and roll so that only one side of the dough is left uncovered.
8. Place the clean kitchen towel in a bowl as big as your bread will eventually come. The bread will be too flat if the wide bowl is used. You can use special dough baskets, baking molds, boxes or whatever to form the bread loaf. Place the dough on the towel, cover it and let the dough rise for 3 hours in the room operation or place for 12-16 hours in the refrigerator.
When you wake up early in the morning, take out the dough out of the refrigerator warme up slightly, heat the oven, and bake before work-day starts warm loaf.
9. After lifting, carefully tilt the dough into a baking sheet of about 25 cm wide. Carefully remove the kitchen towel, cut the pattern with a very sharp thin knife or better with a razor-sharp in bread for a bakery symbol and decoration.
10. There are several different options for baking. Take the oven to 230-250 degrees to heat. Place to the oven water path but do not fill it. Another option is to use a cast-iron oven pot. I made bread with the cast-iron pot. Lift the bread loaf from the edges of the baking paper, lifting the oven pot, sprinkle the water in the pot, close the lid and bake. Without cast-iron pot, slide the bread to the oven using thin wooden cutting board, pour hot water into a water bath to create plenty of steam, sprinkle more water in the oven and bake.
11. Bake in a pot for 25 minutes with a lid (lifting) and 25 minutes without a lid (crusting). If not using pot, cook for 30-35 minutes.
12. Leave the bread to cool for at least an hour before eating. A herb butter that contains a bit of garlic, sea salt, parsley and basil would work well with this multigrain bread.
Ready !!!

May 1 2019

Bread (II) Sourdough wheat flour bread

andrestover Bakes, Bread, National dishes sourdough starter, wheat, bread 0

In many European countries, it is common to eat wheat flour bread which is very good having a crispy crust. In this post, I’ll give you basic instructions on how to make sourdough wheat flour bread. Some thoughts before starting. 1. The sourdough starter should be “healthy” and work properly. 2. Selection of flour matters a lot. I made bread with two different flour and the result was quite different. The first bread is made of Molino Grassi Tipo 00 Speciale flour with a protein content of 13.8%. The result was Italian-style crispy bread. The second batch was prepared using the flour of the Tartu Mill Kalew type 550 (11.9% protein) flour and bread with a less crispy and soft, with a more delicate texture. The dough made with higher protein flour forms a strong gluten network and larger air bubbles. 3. Steam. Water vapor is important for the proper lifting of bread. Sprinkle water in a hot oven and pour water into a very hot water bath after placing the bread in the oven to generate steam, or use a closed-lid dish for the preparation of the bread (e.g. cast iron pot).

Preparation time: 20-30 min of dough preparation, 3h of first dough rise. 10 min shaping the pastry, second rising 3h to overnight (refrigerator method), 30-50 min baking
Level: Average
Quantity: Two loaves

Ingredients:
800 g of flour
450 ml of water
10 g of sea salt
300 g of starter

Preparation:
1. Slightly mix the flour, water, salt i and the healthy starter in the bow
2. Pour the dough mixture on a flat surface and knead. The dough is very sticky at first, but add flour only if the dough is not possible to process. Adding flour increases the density and toughness of the bread.
3. Make sure to knead the dough for at least 15 minutes, sometimes longer. Check the degree of readiness of the dough by taking a piece of dough, stretching it out and see if the thin ‘window’ of the dough is stretched off easily and the holes will appear easily. If yes, then it is not ready yet and needs more kneading. The finished dough is smooth and silky and resilient

4. Place the kneaded dough in a bowl, cover and put at the room temperature to rise for a 3 hours
5. After rising pour the dough on the work surface, knead out the air make it quadrangular form. Stretch the corners of the quadrangular piece of the dough to the center. Turn the dough piece around and repeat it. Repeat this procedure two or three times
6. Cut the dough in half to get two loaves of bread and start shaping the ball from these pieces. To do this, pull the dough along the work surface toward you. The bottom layer moves under the dough piece and volume of the dough reduces. Turn the batter 45 degrees and pull it back toward you. After three to four times, a dough ball is formed, the dough volume is reduced, and it is ready for second lifting.
7. Place the clean kitchen towel in a bowl as big as your bread will eventually come. The bread will be too flat if the wide bowl is used. You can use special dough baskets, baking molds, boxes or whatever to form the bread loaf. Sprinkle the kitchen towel generously with the flour, place the dough on the towel, cover it and let the dough rise for 3 hours in the room operation or place for 12-16 hours in the refrigerator. Wake up in the morning, warm up the oven, and bake fresh bread for the family or friends for the morning breakfast.
8. After lifting, carefully tilt the dough into a baking sheet of about 25 cm wide. Carefully remove the kitchen towel, cut the pattern with a very sharp thin knife or better with a razor-sharp in bread for a bakery symbol and decoration.

9. There are several different options for baking. Take the oven to 230-250 degrees to heat. Place to the oven water path but do not fill it. Another option is to use a cast iron oven pot. I made bread with the cast-iron pot. Lift the bread loaf from the edges of the baking paper, lifting the oven pot, sprinkle the water in the pot, close the lid and bake. Without cast-iron pot, slide the bread to the oven using thin wooden cutting board, pour hot water into a water bath to create plenty of steam, sprinkle more water in the oven and bake.
10. Bake in a pot for 25 minutes with a lid (lifting) and 25 minutes without a lid (crusting). If not using pot, cook for 30-35 minutes.
11. Leave the bread to cool for at least an hour before eating. Eat with fresh farm butter, pesto, avocado, poached eggs or whatever – orange jam

Ready !!!