Prosphora Recipe and Steps

Here is what you will need:

5 lbs bag of bread flour.

A good rolling pin.

oven and countertop space

small baking brush to brush water onto dough

large bowl

small bowl

yeast

tea kettle

toothpick

2 prosphora seals

Small and medium prosphora size cutters

The Preparation:

Step 1. Before starting, have a warm place ready for dough to rise.  I set my oven on warm for 10 minutes then turn it off, that way it's a comfortable temp for dough to rise.

Step 2. Fill tea kettle with water and put on stove top until boiling.

Step 3. While waiting for water to boil, pour a 5lb bag of bread flour into a large pot or bowl.  I use King Aurthur Bread flour, if you can't find it, any bread flour will work.

Step 4. When water is boiled, pour 3 cups boiling water over flour and mix it together, you can mix with large spatula or spoon.  

Step 5.  The Yeast:  Let the flour and water cool for about 10 minutes, when flour with water feels warm, (not hot to touch) get a small bowl and put 2 tablespoons of yeast in the bowl with 2 cups warm, (not hot) water.  Then Stir.

Step 6. Let yeast and water sit for 2-3 minutes then pour yeast and water into the bowl with the flour and water.

Step 7. Add a dash of salt to mixture. 

Step 8. The Kneading: Stir everything together having about 2-3 cups of warm water to the side to add in while you start kneading the dough.  Knead by hand, or with mixer until dough starts to form into a ball, add water as needed to form correct consistency.

Step 9. The First Rise: Once dough is formed, cover and put in warm spot (perhaps the oven that was prepared) to rise for 1 hour.

Step 10. The Second Rise: Take dough out after one hour and re-knead it until ball of dough is formed again.  Cover and place in the warm spot for one more hour for second rising of dough.

Step 11. Once dough is finished rising, take out of oven.  Set oven to pre-heat to 325 degrees and put a small pan of water on bottom shelf of oven under the spot you will be putting the baking sheets of prosphora.

Step 12. Put a thin layer of flour on top of counter or rolling surface so dough doesn't stick.  Take out 2 palm fulls of dough and place on floured surface.  Sprinkle extra flour on top and begin rolling with rolling pin.  

Step 13. The Cutting: Start cutting your dough with the medium circle cutter. I usually do 6-8 circles, which will be used for the base of the prosphoras.  Leave enough room in the dough to punch 6-8 small circles, which will be used for the seals. Cut those out using the small circle cutter. 

Step 14. The Seal: Put the small seal on top of the smaller circles.

Step 15. Brush water on top of medium circles. 

Step 16. The Stacking: Set the small circles now with the seal over and on top of the medium base circles, and then push the small circle cutter over top of the two circle pieces you just stacked together.  That way they will be the same size circles on the top and bottom. 

Step 17. Remove the dough prosphoras from the uncut dough. Reuse the uncut dough if needed.

Step 18: The Piercing: Place 5 (double) piercings through the dough as shown below. A standard toothpick is fine to use.

Step 19. In the Oven: Place prosphora on baking sheet and put in oven. Should cook for 12-16 minutes. Turn the baking sheet 180 degrees halfway through the baking time to make sure they are evenly baking. This helps to prevent the prosphoras from becoming “ski-slopes”, meaning that they are uneven on the top after baking.

Step 20. How to Know if the Prosphoras are Done? When done, bottom should be browned and should make a hollow sound when tapped on the bottom.  Set aside to cool. After 4 hours, put into large freezer bag and place in freezer.

Step 21. For Medium Size Prosphora, do all the same steps but use the large prosphora cutter to cut out 2-3 circles and then press medium seal on dough and cut it out with large cutter of same size.  Brush water on bottom half and put sealed circle on top.  Do the same 5 piercings and place in oven.  Will take longer to cook.  18-20 min. Turn baking sheet half way through baking.  Bottom of prosphora should be brown and should sound hollow when tapped on.  

-I do 4-5 med. prosphora per batch, the rest should be small size.