Turkish Bread (Turk Ekmegi)

Turkish Bread (Turk Ekmegi)

1 ½ cups lukewarm water
2 tsp dry yeast/17 gr fresh yeast
3 ¾ cups bread flour/all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
Glaze:1 tbsp yogurt

1 tbsp water

Nigella seeds or sesame seeds

Place the lukewarm water, sugar and the yeast into a bowl. Stir well to dissolve the sugar and the yeast. Add the salt and flour; knead for 10 minutes, till dough becomes elastic. The more you knead the better your bread will be. Cover the dough with a plastic wrap or a clean cloth  and let it rest for 2 hours in a warm place, till it rises up to double its volume .Place dough on the counter and punch to release air. Cut the dough into two pieces, then make a loaf shape with each of them. Grease a square Pyrex or baking dish and place both of the dough pieces. Or you can use a loaf pan to bake two loaves of bread. Cover it with a clean cloth and leave it for ½-1 hours to rise in a warm place (If you have time let it rest for 2 hours).
Mix 1 tbsp yogurt and 1 tbsp water in a small bowl, then brush the surface of the bread with this glaze. Make a scratch lengthwise through the middle. Finally, sprinkle nigella seeds or sesame seeds on top. Preheat the oven to 425F (220C). Place the bread on the middle rack. Bake for 25-30 minutes, till it becomes golden brown. After taking it out of the oven cover with a clean cloth or towel to keep the bread soft.
Turkish Bread is good to go with butter, honey-butter dip or spicy olive oil dip when warm.