When Homer Rogue Taverna first thrust open its doors in Cronulla earlier this month, it was all the RUSSH Editors could talk about. Greek food is one thing we're very passionate about in the office – and news of another spot to feast in The Shire was a revelation.
Luckily for us, we were invited to head along to try the menu out and to say we were wowed is an understatement. There were plenty of interpretive takes on traditional dishes – spanakopita pies as char-grilled pizzas, pulled rooster meat rolled into spring rolls with Big Mac-esque dipping sauces.
But what caught our eye came early on in the sitting – a Greek bagel, or koulouri – paired with whipped feta and broad bean dips. Similar to the Turkish Simit, and with roots in ancient Greece, the circular bread is a popular street food – particularly Thessaloniki, where it is often called "Koulouri Thessalonikis". It was sweet from the sugar, and savoury from the sesame seeds at once – and of course, entirely delicious.
Ingredients
(Makes 12)
- 1kg Baker's flour
- 600g Filtered water
- 50g Sugar
- 20g Maldon sea salt
- 20g Vegetable oil
- 10g Improver
- 10g Yeast
Method
- Combine the ingredients in a bowl and mix with a bench-top mixer on slow for two minutes.
- Mix with a bench-top mixer on fast for five minutes.
- Rest the mixture for eight minutes.
- Push down and rest for another eight minutes.
- Divide the batch into 100g pieces.
- Shape each piece into a donut-like shape and bake on a hot stone until golden brown.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds to finish.
