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4.86 from 28 votes

Aish Baladi - Egyptian Flatbread

Aish Baladi is an ancient Egyptian Flatbread made with 100% Whole Wheat flour and is Vegan. If you are looking for a rustic flatbread to use a wrap, this is the perfect recipe for you.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time7 minutes
Resting time3 hours
Total Time3 hours 22 minutes
Course: Baking, Breakfast, Flatbread
Cuisine: African, Egyptian
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 8
Calories: 144kcal

Equipment

  • Oven

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups Whole wheat flour
  • ½ tablespoon Active dry yeast
  • 2 teaspoon Sugar
  • ½ tablespoon Salt
  • ½ tablespoon Oil
  • ¼ cup Cracked wheat bran
  • 1 ¼ cup Warm water more or less as needed to make the dough

Instructions

To Make the Dough -

  • In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of the stand mixer, add about 1 cup of warm water along with the sugar and yeast and mix well. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let it sit for about 10 minutes or until it is frothy and bubbly. If the yeast mixture does not bubble up after 15 minutes, it means that the yeast is inactive and start with a new batch.
  • Once the yeast mixture has foamed up, add half the flour (about 1 ¼ cup) to the the bowl and mix with a spoon. Cover the bowl again with the kitchen towel and let it proof in a warm place for 30 minutes.
  • After 30 minutes, the dough would be bubbly and frothy. Now add the remaining flour, salt and oil to the bowl and knead the dough for at least 10 minutes or until the dough is very soft and not sticky.
  • Again cover the bowl with a towel and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in volume. It took me about 1 hour for the dough to double.

To Shape and Bake Aish Baladi -

  • Once the dough has doubled in volume, divide it into 8 equal balls.
  • Cut out 8 parchment papers to fit the rolled dough. I cut mine into 10 inch wide sheets.
  • Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of cracked wheat bran on the parchment and place a ball of dough on it.
  • Roll the dough out to a even circle less than a ¼ inch thick. I also sprinkled some wheat bran on the top and rolled. The dough did not need any flour to dust when rolling. .
  • Place the rolled dough with the parchment on a baking sheet.
  • Repeat the same with the rest of the dough balls and place the on a baking sheet.
  • Cover the rolled dough and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
  • In the meantime, pre-heat the oven to 500 F with a pizza stone inside. If you don't have a pizza stone, you could bake them on a tray, but the pizza stone gives it a beautiful texture.
  • Slowly place one of the rolled flatbread with the parchment on the pizza stone using a pizza peel or a ladle with a long handle. Be careful when placing the dough inside the really hot oven.
  • Let the flatbread cook for about 6 to 7 minutes. You will notice that they fluff up really well.
  • Carefully remove the cooked flatbread and place in a cooling rack for about 5 minutes and serve.

Notes

Expert tips and FAQ's 
  • If the yeast does not bubble up when activating, discard that yeast and use a new batch. 
  • Using wheat bran gives the flatbread a very rustic flavor. If wheat bran is not available, use semolina or more wheat flour to dust the dough.
  • Pizza stones helps in cooking the flatbread really quickly in high heat. You can use a baking tray if you don't have a pizza stone.

Nutrition

Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 439mg | Potassium: 158mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 2mg