Greek Soup with homemade bread and homemade chicken stock

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade chicken stock ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Put the chicken, the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns and the water in a pot and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam that rises during the first 15 minutes with a spoon.

   StovePot
2. 2
   Turn down and simmer gently 2.5–3 hours.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
3. 3
   Strain the stock.

   Colander

For the homemade bread ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 4
   Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl.

   Bowl
2. 5
   Add the lukewarm water and olive oil and Knead about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, pliable and doesn't stick to your hands.

   BowlStand mixer

   💡For yeast dough, use the windowpane test: a small piece stretches into a thin, translucent sheet without tearing, and that's the sign the kneading is done. Add flour only by the tablespoon, and only if the dough is still sticky after a few minutes: too much flour makes a tough dough.
3. 6
   Cover and Let rise about an hour in a warm place, until the dough doubles in size.

   Plastic wraporKitchen towel

   💡Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot. The dough is ready when it has doubled, and a gentle finger press leaves a dent that fills back slowly; if it springs right back, wait longer.
4. 7
   Shape the dough into an oblong loaf and place it in loaf pan lined with parchment paper.

   Loaf pan

   💡Shape a tight loaf the length of the pan: it fills the pan evenly, and the bread rises tall instead of spreading sideways.
5. 8
   Cover and Let rise 30 minutes, until the loaf has risen.

   Plastic wraporKitchen towel
6. 9
   Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
7. 10
   Bake 35–40 minutes, until the loaf is browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

   OvenLoaf pan

   💡Tapping the bottom of the loaf is the test: baked bread sounds hollow; if the sound is dull, put it back in the oven for a few more minutes.

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
8. 11
   Turn the loaf out of the pan and let cool on a rack before slicing.

   Cooling rack

   💡Bread left in the hot pan sweats, and its crust softens: turn it out right away and cool it on a rack.

To assemble

1. 12
   Put the goose and some of the olive oil in a cold pot.

   Pot
2. 13
   Layer the onion, carrot, potatoes, leek and zucchini, cut into large cubes, over the goose, and top them with the coriander seeds, a little of the garlic and the tomatoes.

   KnifeCutting board
3. 14
   Fry for a long time. Stir all the vegetables together, add salt and the stock up to the level of the vegetables, and cover.

   Stove
4. 15
   Once it boils, lift the lid and keep cooking so the soup thickens.

   Stove
5. 16
   Grind together the parsley, a little salt and the rest of the garlic.

   Food processor
6. 17
   Add the rest of the olive oil, the thyme and the slice of bread, and grind well.

   Food processor
7. 18
   Turn off the heat, add a drop of the vinegar and serve with a dollop of the parsley mixture.