Kafes Peksemet (Gate-Shaped Breadsticks) and Meliz’s Kitchen

Meliz’s Kitchen: Simple Turkish-Cypriot Comfort Food and Fresh Family Feasts, written by Meliz Berg, features the beautiful flavors of Cyprus alongside inviting photography and personal memories. A few highlights include Halloumi & Black Olive Cake (Hellimli Zeytinli Kek), Cypriot-Style Pasta & Chicken, Baked White Fish in Tomato Sauce (Domatesli Balık), Meat-Filled Bulgur Cones (Bulgur Köftesi), and Nut & Syrup Pastry Swirl (Sini Gatmeri). I will also be sharing her recipe for Kafes Peksemet (Gate-Shaped Breadsticks) following the review.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Interlink Books in exchange for my honest review. All comments and opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Meliz Berg

Meliz Berg is a food writer, recipe developer, and content creator. She grew up in London in a Turkish-Cypriot household. Meliz started the food blog, Meliz Cooks, after the birth of her first child as a way to document traditional Cypriot cuisine.

Her work has been featured in Sainsburys Magazine, Co-Op Food, Asda Good Living Magazine, Good Homes, the Guardian, and more. This is her first cookbook.

Meliz’s Kitchen

Meliz begins Meliz’s Kitchen with a short introduction to her family, their lives in Cyprus, and memories surrounding food.

For those new to Cypriot cuisine, she has also put together a guide for notable ingredients and how to use them.

Chapters are divided according to the following: Breakfast (Kahvaltı); Dishes & Salads to Share (Mezze & Salata); Easy One-Pots & Slow-Cooking (Yahni); Quick Cooking for Busy Weeknights (Pratik Yemekler); Traditional Stovetop Dishes, from Meatballs to Dolma (Ocak & Kızartma); Hearty Dishes from the Oven (Fırın); Barbecue Dishes & Accompaniments (Kebap & Köfte); Homemade Breads, Doughs, and Pastries (Ekmek & Hamur Işi); and Crowd-Pleasing Sweets (Kek ve Tatlı).

Meliz also provides the photography with step-by-step photos by Dan Jones. Most of the recipes are paired with a beautifully styled, half to full-page photo of the finished dish. The step-by-step photos help demonstrate techniques such as working with filo.

Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Titles are written in English and Cypriot Turkish. Each recipe includes a headnote with background information, personal stories, yield, serving ideas, and helpful tips.

Kafes Peksemet (Gate-Shaped Breadsticks)

The Kafes Peksemet (Gate-Shaped Breadsticks) is such a fun baking activity! This homemade bread is arranged in a gate shape and covered in a combination of sesame, nigella, and aniseed.

Start by forming a basic yeast-based dough and allow to rest at room temperature until doubled in size.

Divide the dough into eight equal pieces. Two pieces will be used to form each gate.

Take the first piece and roll into a long, 3 foot (1 meter) rope. Brush with the flour-based paste, cover in the seed mix, and form into a large rectangle on the prepared baking sheet.

Use a second piece to create four ropes, cover in the seed mix, and arrange across the rectangle to make the notable gate shape. Repeat to make the remaining gates and bake until golden, about 40 minutes.

After cooling, the bread is baked a second time to get extra crunchy before serving.

I paired the Kafes Peksemet with Kokulu Çay (Spiced Cypriot Tea). Meliz also recommends hellim (halloumi cheese), olives, tomatoes, and cucumber.

I ended up making a second batch of the seed topping as I was arranging the last couple of pieces.

Other Dishes

I also made the One-Pan Cypriot Breakfast (Tepside Kıbrıs Kahvaltısı), Spiced Cypriot Tea (Kokulu Çay), Vermicelli Rice (Şehriyeli Pilav), and One-Pot Halloumi & Tomato Pasta (Hellimli Domatesli Magarına).

Meliz came up with the idea for the One-Pan Cypriot Breakfast (Tepside Kıbrıs Kahvaltısı) a few years ago and it was such a delicious start to the day. Potatoes, sausages (I used Sucuk), tomatoes, halloumi cheese, eggs, black olives, spices, and herbs are cooked all in one pan for a wonderful combination of flavors.

I made the Spiced Cypriot Tea (Kokulu Çay) to pair with the Kafes Peksemet. This spiced tea can be served with or without milk/sugar. It was so fragrant with the cinnamon, aniseed, and cloves.

The Vermicelli Rice (Şehriyeli Pilav) is such an easy side to pair with kebab, casseroles, or stews. Crushed vermicelli pieces are toasted, then simmered with long grain rice until tender.

There are so many wonderful pasta dishes I can’t wait to try in the book and started with this One-Pot Halloumi & Tomato Pasta (Hellimli Domatesli Magarına). The pasta turned out perfectly with so much flavor! Penne pasta is simmered in spiced tomato caramelized onion mixture until tender and finished with grated hellim (halloumi) before serving.

Meliz’s Kitchen is a great pick for those interested in Cypriot cuisine. There is such a fantastic variety of recipes from breakfast and salads to meat/vegetable options, homemade breads, and desserts. Some come together in as little as 15 minutes while others require a bit more prep.

Many of the ingredients are readily available in larger American grocery stores. A few items that may require further searching include Cypriot sausages, Turkish sweet red pepper paste, sumac, pul biber, carob molasses, nigella seeds, bulgur, filo, grape vine leaves, specialty cheese, lamb caul fat, and rose water.

Kafes Peksemet (Gate-Shaped Breadsticks) Recipe

Excerpt from Meliz’s Kitchen

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Kafes Peksemet (Cypriot Gate-Shaped Breadsticks)

A recipe for Kafes Peksemet (Cypriot Gate-Shaped Breadsticks) from the cookbook, Meliz's Kitchen! This homemade bread is arranged in a gate shape and covered in a combination of sesame, nigella, and aniseed.

Course Bread

Cuisine Cypriot

Keyword bread, breadstick, Cypriot, Cyprus, nigella seeds, sesame seed

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4 Breadsticks

Ingredients

Bread:

• 1 1/4 cups (300 milliliters) lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 ounce (7 grams) active-dry yeast
• 4 cups (500 grams) all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

For Brushing:

• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 teaspoon milk

For Coating:

• 4 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon nigella seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon aniseed

Instructions

• Pour the warm water into a jug and dissolve the sugar in the liquid.
• Add the yeast, give it a gently stir, and set aside for 5-10 minutes until it is activated. It will rise and look frothy when it is ready.
• Meanwhile, sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and stir in the salt. Make a well in the center.
• Once the yeast has activated, gradually pour the mixture into the well and start to bring the wet and dry ingredients together using clean hands.
• Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and start to knead the dough. You shouldn't need any more flour at this point. Keep kneading by hand for 10-12 minutes until a nice smooth dough is formed, tucking the sides under as you finish. Alternatively, place everything into a stand mixer and knead with a dough hook attachment for 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle a little flour over the bottom and sides of the bowl and return the dough to the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then a clean tea towel, and leave it somewhere warm and cozy to rise for an hour until it doubles in size.
• To prepare the coating, mix all the seeds together on a large tray.
• Mix the flour, water, and milk to a smooth paste in a small bowl and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Once the dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and gently punch it down for a few seconds.
• On a clean work surface, roll the slightly flattened dough into a long chunky sausage and divide it into eight equal pieces (each weighing roughly 3 1/2 ounces, 100 grams).
• Take one piece and roll it out using your hands until you have a very long piece of dough, roughly 3 feet (1 meter) in length and 1/4 inch (5 millimeters) thick.
• Brush the reserved flour paste over the dough and transfer to the tray of seeds to coat all over.
• Place the dough on one of the baking sheets and form it into a large rectangular frame.
• Roll out a second piece of dough to the same length as the first and then cut the piece into four lengths to make the two short pieces that will go horizontally across the shortest edge of the rectangle, and two slightly longer pieces that will run across the longest edges of the rectangle to create a gate-like grid.
• Brush each of the four pieces of dough with the paste, coat them in the seeds, then lay the two short pieces at equal distances across the rectangular frame widthways, and the two long pieces across the frame lengthways to form a grid or "gate."
• Set aside and repeat the process with the next two pieces of dough on the second baking sheet.
• Place the two baking sheets in the oven and cook for 40-45 minutes until golden brown. Remove them from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
• Make two more Peksemet "gates" with the four remaining pieces of dough, constructing them on the lined baking sheets, then putting them in the oven to cook for 40-45 minutes, while the first batch of the cooked peksemet cool down.
• After 40-45 minutes, remove them from the oven, and transfer to the wire rack to cool.
• Return the now cooled first batch of peksemet to the baking sheets and put them back in the oven for another 25-30 minutes to get really crunchy.
• After 25-30 minutes, remove them from the oven and transfer to the wire rack to cool fully.
• Return the now cooled second batch of peksemet to the baking sheets and put them back in the oven for another 25-30 minutes.
• After this time, remove the second batch from the oven and transfer to the wire rack to cool fully.
• Serve with hot Kokulu Çay (Spiced Cypriot Tea), hellim (halloumi cheese), olives, tomatoes, and cucumber.