Sourdough Aish Baladi (Egyptian Flatbread)

Step 1

For my test batches, all the fermentation (bulk and final proof) was done at room temperature in a cold winter kitchen, high 60s Fahrenheit, and my process took about 8 hours from mixing to loading the dough into the oven. In a summer kitchen, the process for this bread could be much shorter, depending on your ambient temperature. It is also fine to refrigerate the dough after or during the bulk fermentation to extend the process. Note that the feeding of your sourdough starter to build 200 grams is another chunk of time: overnight or as little as 4 hours if the feeding ratio is small e.g. 1:1:

Step 2

Holding back some of the water (about 45 grams or 3 Tbsp), combine the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix for 2-3 minutes. If you're mixing by hand, try the rubaud method. If the dough wraps around the hook or if it can be lifted with one hand out of the bowl, add the reserved water to make the dough wetter. See the notes below or the photos in the gallery for info on target dough consistency.

Step 3

Continue mixing another 3-4 minutes, ideally until you can stretch the dough outward 5-6 inches before it breaks. If using emmer whole grain flour, the stretch isn't very strong.

Step 4

Transfer the dough to a straight-walled container if you have one. Cover and let the dough rise until it has expanded by about 75% .

Step 5

Mix the bran and flour for the proofing stage. Cover the bottom of a baking sheet or large baking pan, minimum 13 x 17 inches, with the mixture.

Step 6

Using a spatula, pull the fermented dough away from the side of the bowl and stir a bit to de-gas it.

Step 7

With a damp ice cream scoop, scoop up dough and transfer it to the bran on the proofing sheet. You should get 8-9 scoops, so space things out for three rows of three dough balls. If shaping by hand, watch the video -- you will need a floured hand and a damp hand. Cover the dough with a second baking sheet or pan of the same size. If using plastic wrap, make sure it doesn't touch the dough.

Step 8

The dough shouldn't need to proof much longer than the oven preheat so begin preheating your oven to 500°F with a baking stone or steel on a middle rack. My oven needs about 30 minutes to fully preheat the stone and I test it with an infrared thermometer.

Step 9

Use some of the bran-and-flour mixture to dust your peel.

Step 10

Dust the top of a dough with flour and flatten it a bit with your fingers if it is domed, then slide the fingers of both hands through the bran and under a dough. Lift and wiggle your fingers a bit to shake off some of the excess bran as you transfer it to the peel. Stretch the dough a bit so it is even. Aim for the dough to be between 1/4 and 1/2 inches thick for a fluffy pocket. Slide the dough onto the hot stone.

Step 11

Bake for about 4 minutes or until the pocket has formed. You don't need to flip it. Occasionally with the low-gluten flour emmer, the dough won't blow up into a pocket. Give these breads a couple more minutes to bake through.

Step 12

Repeat this process with all the doughs. I usually can fit four breads on the stone at once.

Step 13

Use tongs to remove the aish baladi from the oven when they are done.

Step 14

Let cool a bit on a rack or serve warm. Store in a bag or beeswax wrap for 1-2 days, freeze after.