Tools
9”x13” baking sheet with high sides
parchment for lining baking sheet
foil for covering baking sheet
scales or measuring cups
2.5” biscuit cutters
rolling pin
seal
bowl of water and brush
toothpick, skewer, or other pin
For 8 loaves
flour 360g / 2 1/4 cups
water warm 80ml + boiling for paste
yeast 1.2g / 1/4 tsp active dry
salt 3 pinches
For 16 loaves
flour 720g / 4 1/2 cups
water warm 160ml + boiling for paste
yeast 2.4g / 1/2 tsp active dry
salt 6 pinches
Instructions
Put 1/4 of flour (90g / 2/3 cup if baking 8; 180g / 1 1/3 cup if baking 16) into a metal or ceramic bowl. Add salt. Pour in boiling water and stir, adding just enough to hydrate all the water and make a thick paste. Leave to cool.
Dissolve the yeast in some of the warm water. Add enough of the flour to make a thin paste. Leave it until foamy.
When the paste is no longer hot and the yeast is active, add both to the remaining flour along with the remaining water. Work the flour in until fully incorporated.
3 kneading options:
1 - Put the dough into a mixer fitted with a dough hook (you can let it do the mixing for you too). Run it for 10-15 minutes, or until the dough is no longer sticky.
2 - Knead by hand. This will take ~ 20 min.
3 - Leave the dough to relax ~15 minutes after mixing. Then pick it up, stretch it out, and roll it back on itself. Repeat in the other direction. Leave to relax again, then repeat. Do a total of 3-4 stretch and rolls, until the dough is smooth and stretchy.
Let the dough rise 2-3 hours in a warm place or until doubled in size. Keep it covered with plastic or foil to prevent the surface from drying out.
Flour your counter. Tip the dough out and flatten it out, deflating any large air bubbles thoroughly. Flour the dough lightly and roll out to about 1cm thick. Make sure the bottom of the dough is floured. Press the seal evenly and deeply into the dough, holding for the
length of a Jesus Prayer before lifting the seal off. Lift the dough to make sure it isn’t stuck to the counter, then cut out the sealed round. Continue until 8 (or 16) rounds have been cut out. Knead the scraps together, reflour the dough, and roll out to about 1” thick. Cut out the bottoms, rerolling the scraps as needed. Brush each bottom with water before placing on a top.
Turn oven on to 400F and let prosphora rise, uncovered, ~30 min or while oven is heating. Using a toothpick, prick in the middle and at the four corners of the cross on the seal, going all the way through the dough.
Arrange 8 prosphora on the tray. Cover the tray tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 7-10 minutes or until very lightly golden. Move onto wire rack or towel to cool.
Freeze when fully cooled.