Taboon

In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly stir together the bread flour, whole wheat flour, salt, and sugar. Make a well in the middle and add the oil, yeast, and 2 cups (16 ounces, 475ml) of water. Using your fingers, gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet ones until a very soft and sticky ball of dough forms. Let stand 5 minutes, then knead until the dough comes together more smoothly, even if still sticky, about 1 minute. Repeat this resting and kneading process once or twice more until a very soft and elastic ball of dough forms; when ready, the finished dough will still be a little sticky. Serious Eats / Mai Kakish Using well-oiled hands, gently shape the dough into a smooth ball, rub all over with olive oil, then set the dough ball in the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap. Set aside at warm room temperature until dough doubles in size, about 90 minutes. In cooler months, this process may take much longer. Serious Eats / Mai Kakish Once the dough has risen, gently punch down to release the air bubbles. With well floured hands, divide into 8 equal portions, shape each into a ball, and place on a well-floured baking sheet or work surface. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until dough balls grow by roughly 50%, about 30 minutes. Serious Eats / Mai Kakish Meanwhile, if using optional river rocks (see recipe note), spread them in an even layer in a 10- or 12-inch cast iron skillet; otherwise proceed with empty skillet as directed. Adjust oven rack to middle position, set skillet on rack, and preheat to 500F° (260°C), or the highest the oven will go. Line a baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel. Serious Eats / Mai Kakish Working with one piece of dough at a time, set dough on a floured work surface, durst with more flour, then flatten slightly with your hand. Using your hands, flatten and stretch the dough out to a roughly 4-inch round. Flip it over, sprinkling with more flour if it feels sticky, and continue to flatten and stretch until you have a roughly 8-inch round. Serious Eats / Mai Kakish If using river rocks, open the oven and pull out the rack halfway. Carefully transfer dough round directly to the skillet and lay it over the pebbles, carefully stretching it out to form a more circular shape. If you are not using pebbles, place dough round directly in the cast iron skillet and use your fingers to make indentations all over the bread (this will give it a similar shape and feel to having pebbles under it and also prevent it from rising and creating a pocket). Serious Eats / Mai Kakish Bake until the bread develops a very light golden top, about 5 minutes. Using oven mitts or silicone-tipped tongs, carefully lift taboon from the pebbles and, if the bottom is not brown, flip over and return to the oven until lightly golden on the second side, about 1 minute longer. Remove taboon from the oven and place on the towel-lined sheet to cool. Allow the river rocks and/or skillet to reheat for 5 minutes as you stretch out the next piece of dough, then repeat the process until all the dough rounds are baked. Serve right away as desired or store in a zipper-lock bag for up to 1 day at room temperature or up to 1 month in the freezer. Serious Eats / Mai Kakish