What is it about Greek Bread?

Many times I have sung the glories of Greek bread as it has such a marvelous thick crust and yet has such a delicate taste and texture within. Herewith, the secret to Crusty Greek Country Bread! (From Horiatiko Psomi: Crusty Country Bread)

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce of fresh yeast or 2 tablespoons of dry yeast 
• 1/2 cup (4 fl.oz) of lukewarm water 
• 1/2 cup (62g) of flour (whatever type used for bread) 
• 2 1/5 pounds (1 kilo / 8 cups) of bread flour (whole wheat, barley, white, corn, or other) 
• 1 tablespoon of salt 
• 2 1/2 cups (20 fl.oz) of lukewarm water 
• 2 tablespoons of milk 
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil 
• 2 tablespoons of honey 

There's nothing surprising in the list of ingredients until you get to the last two and you know those are a huge part of the taste. But how do you get that texture!

What I had suspected is that the bread is baked fairly quickly to give a thick crust with a delicate texture inside but I'm not a baker so I don't know if the recipe I've quoted specifies a fast or a slow baking time. What it does give you is very specific instructions on how to do it so, oh yes, do try this at home!

Note: Horiatiko Psomi is not the name of the author of the recipe but a description of it in Greeklish. Bread, in Greek, is ψωμί (psomi).

I told Cat she could have the chocolate, I just want the bread and when you taste it you will know why!