Recipe for Greek Bread Dough Starter

Written by Greek Boston in Authentic Greek Food Recipes, Greek Pastry and Greek Cake Recipes Comments Off on Recipe for Greek Bread Dough Starter

This starter dough is similar to the sourdough starters that are found in North America, except this recipe actually uses a small amount of store bought yeast to get things started. There was a time when kitchens throughout Greece would have a small jar sitting on the countertop so that bread could be made anytime. This starter gives the bread a tangy quality that is similar to sourdough bread.

Greek Bread Dough Starter (Prozymi Apo Palia Zymi) Recipe Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/4 cups cold water

How to Make Greek Bread Dough Starter:

Add the warm water and yeast to a small bowl and whisk gently with a fork. Let stand until the mixture becomes frothy. Add the flour and salt to a food processor and pulse once or twice until combined. Add the yeast mixture and cold water and pulse until a sticky dough-ball forms. Let the dough stand int he food processor for about fifteen minutes.

Remove the dough from the food processor and place in a large, oiled mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand until doubled. This should take about two hours. Once it doubles, punch it down slightly and knead it for five minutes to release the air bubbles. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and store it in a cool place until it’s time to use it.

To Make a Simple Bread:

This is optional. You can opt to keep the starter in the refrigerator to use for another recipe.

This recipe is enough to make two loaves of bread. When it’s time to make the bread, knead the dough with enough flour to make it smooth and elastic with no stickiness. Form the dough into two loaf shapes and place on two oiled baking sheets. Let stand until the loaves double in size.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake the laves in the center of the oven until they are golden brown in color. This should take 30-40 minutes. You’ll know the bread is cooked when you tap on each of the loaves and they sound hollow.

**Please Note:  Recommended cook times for GreekBoston.com Greek recipes vary depending on elevation, environmental conditions, the cookware being used, and the nature of the oven or stove. Although we have given approximations, these don’t always take into account your unique environment.

Categorized in: Authentic Greek Food Recipes, Greek Pastry and Greek Cake Recipes

This post was written by Greek Boston