Circassian Chicken with homemade white bread

👨‍🍳 Method

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

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

   Bowl
2. 2
   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. 3
   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. 4
   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. 5
   Cover and Let rise 30 minutes, until the loaf has risen.

   Plastic wraporKitchen towel
6. 6
   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. 7
   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. 8
   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.

For the Chicken in Walnut Sauce

1. 9
   Cook the chicken with the onion, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt in the water for about 60 minutes, until the chicken is tender. Reserve the cooking broth.

   StovePot
2. 10
   Remove the chicken, let cool and pull into coarse pieces, without bones.
3. 11
   Soak the bread in half a cup of the chicken broth, until it softens.

   Bowl
4. 12
   Process the walnuts in a food processor into fine crumbs. Add the squeezed bread and the garlic, paprika, cumin and salt.

   Food processor
5. 13
   Gradually add the rest of the chicken broth while processing, until you have a thick, smooth sauce.

   Food processor
6. 14
   Transfer the chicken pieces to a serving plate and cover them with the sauce made from the walnuts.

   Plate
7. 15
   Fry the smoked paprika in the olive oil and drizzle over the top. Serve at room temperature.

   StoveFrying pan