Arkatena Omodous (Αρκατένα Ομόδους)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •clean 1 litre thermos or insulated glass jar
• •instant-read thermometer
• •two rimmed baking trays, 30 x 40cm
• •cooling rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Start the arkatis

   Put the cracked chickpeas and bay leaf into a very clean 1 litre thermos or warmed glass jar. Pour over the 650ml warm water, close the thermos or cover the jar loosely, and keep it at 35-40°C for 10-14 hours. By morning the surface should have a beige foam and the smell should be clean, beany, and a little sweet. This warmth is the whole argument of arkatena. Too cool and the chickpeas sleep.

   Use dried chickpeas, never canned. Cooked chickpeas won't make arkatis.
2. 2

   Make the sponge

   Strain the foamy chickpea liquid through a fine sieve and discard the solids and bay leaf. Measure 300ml of the strained arkatis into a bowl and stir in 300g of the flour until you have a thick batter. Cover and keep warm for 2-4 hours, until domed, bubbly, and clearly alive.

   If the arkatis has no foam after 16 hours, or smells rotten or sharp in a bad way, start again. A failed starter is cheaper than a failed tray.
3. 3

   Mix the dough

   In a large bowl, combine the remaining 600g flour, sugar, salt, and crushed aniseed or fennel seed. Add the bubbly sponge, 60ml olive oil, and 170ml warm water or remaining arkatis. Mix to a firm dough, adding the extra 20ml water only if dry flour remains at the bottom of the bowl.

4. 4

   Knead and rise

   Knead for 10-12 minutes, until the dough turns smooth and elastic but still firmer than ordinary bread dough. Rub a bowl with the remaining 10ml olive oil, set the dough inside, cover, and keep warm for 3-5 hours, until it has grown by at least half and feels airy. Chickpea leaven takes its own time. Don't bully it with packaged yeast, or you've made another rusk.

5. 5

   Shape the rings

   Line two 30 x 40cm baking trays. Divide the dough into 18 pieces, about 85g each. Roll each piece into a 22-25cm rope, join the ends into a small ring, and pinch the join well. Brush lightly with water, press the top into sesame seeds, and set the rings on the trays with space between them.

6. 6

   Proof the arkatena

   Cover the shaped rings and leave them warm for 1.5-3 hours, until puffy and lighter in the hand. They won't balloon like yeast rolls. What you want is life in the dough and a slight spring when you touch the side.

7. 7

   Bake once

   Heat the oven to 190°C, or 170°C fan. Bake the rings for 22-28 minutes, until set, pale wheat-gold, and toasted at the sesame. Cool on a rack for 20 minutes. The first bake sets the bread; it doesn't make the rusk yet.

8. 8

   Bake again

   Lower the oven to 110°C, or 90°C fan. Return the rings to the trays and dry them for 1.5-2 hours, turning once, until hard, light, and dry all the way through. If you shaped thicker rolls instead of rings, split them before this second bake. Leave them in the switched-off oven with the door ajar for 30 minutes.

9. 9

   Cool and store

   Cool completely before storing, because even a little trapped warmth softens a rusk in the tin. Keep the arkatena in an airtight container for 3-4 weeks. If they lose their snap in damp weather, put them back in a 120°C oven for 10-15 minutes.

Chef Tips

• •Use dried chickpeas that haven't been sitting in a cupboard for years. Old chickpeas may still boil into soup, but they often refuse to ferment. Λίγα και καλά: fresh chickpeas, good flour, patient warmth.
• •A closed oven with only the light on is often warm enough, but check it once. If it climbs above 40°C, prop the door open a little. The arkatis wants steady warmth, not heat.
• •Strong white bread flour is the practical choice outside Cyprus. If you can buy Cypriot village flour or another hard wheat flour, use it, but don't use soft cake flour. These rusks need structure before they can dry crisp.
• •Arkatena are nistisima when made this way, with no dairy and no eggs. On a fasting table they sit beside olives, tahini, tomato, or a dish of oil. Outside the fast, Cyprus will forgive a piece of halloumi beside them.
• •Do not store them until they are completely cold and dry. A rusk that feels even slightly warm in the middle will soften the whole tin by morning.

Advance Preparation

• •Start the arkatis the evening before you want to mix the dough; it needs 10-14 hours of steady warmth.
• •The first-baked rings can rest uncovered at room temperature for up to 12 hours before the second bake, useful if your day runs long.
• •Once twice-baked and fully cooled, arkatena keep 3-4 weeks in an airtight tin in a dry cupboard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 65g)