Malatya Bilik Bread Description and Distinctive Features of Malatya Bilik Bread: Malatya Bilik Bread is a type of bread produced by baking a dough prepared with bread wheat flour, yeast, sunflower oil, butter, water, milk, salt, cumin, sesame, egg, and mulberry molasses in a tandır (traditional clay oven). The use of leftover dough from the previous day's bread production is also possible in the preparation. It has a round shape with a diameter of 55-60 cm and a hole in the center. The weight of the unbaked bread is approximately 125 g. Malatya Bilik Bread has a long history and holds significance in the culinary culture of the Malatya province, creating a connection with its geographical boundaries. Production Method: The production of Malatya Bilik Bread involves the use of wheat flour obtained from the geographical region. The components for Malatya Bilik Bread include: - 25 kg bread wheat flour - 125 g dough starter from the previous day's bread production or 15 g dry yeast - 500 g butter - 500 ml sunflower oil - 50 g salt - 2.5 liters of water - 2.5 liters of milk Ingredients for coating the bread: - 250 g cumin - 500 g sesame - 10 eggs - 500 g mulberry molasses - 500 ml water Preparation of Malatya Bilik Bread: In the dough kneading trough, flour is sifted, and warm water (at 25-35°C), salt, butter, sunflower oil, milk, and dough starter or dry yeast are added. The mixture is kneaded for 30 minutes. During the fermentation process, it is left to rest for 2 hours in the summer and 5-6 hours in the winter. The dough is then divided into 125 g pieces, rolled by hand, and shaped into circular forms with a diameter of 55-60 cm using a ridged rolling pin. The center of the formed circle is pierced with the index finger. Baking of Malatya Bilik Bread: The tandır oven is lit 1-2 hours before baking the bread. Once the coals are formed, a small amount of water is sprinkled to reduce the temperature. The circular bread dough with a pierced center is placed on the tandır's hot inner walls. A mixture of cumin, sesame, mulberry molasses, egg, and water is spread on the top. The dough is manually attached to the hot inner walls using a glove called "ellik."Malatya Bilik Bread is baked for approximately 15 minutes until the top is golden brown. It is recommended to consume the bread while it is still warm.