Ħobż biż-Żejt

Hobz biz zejt (which translates to "bread with oil") is a basic Maltese gastronomic tradition. What makes the beautiful Maltese bread (known as hobz tal Malti) so remarkable and unique is its simplicity and intricacy at the same time.

It's quite difficult to replicate Maltese bread, particularly the enormous circular crusty loafed bread known simply as hobz. It's a sourdough, like ftira (another popular Maltese bread), but its thick crust and soft center full of air holes have never been replicated outside of Malta. Hobz have a particular flavor and appearance that you won't find in other cakes.

To begin, a portion of dough (or starter) from the previous day's baking is used to make the bread. It's referred to as it-tinsila. Some bakeries have been carrying this dough from day to day for many years, and I've heard some starters are at least 100 years old. The bread will have a distinct flavor as a result of this. Bread will have a particular flavour due to factors such as the wheat and water used, as well as changes in air pressure. Another reason for the bread's uniqueness is that the ovens are extremely ancient huge wood-burning, stone-and-metal ovens that are difficult to duplicate. Finally, the bread is baked at 275°C in these ovens, then removed and allowed to cool.