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Lebanese flatbreads

I got this recipe from my mom, I do not know where she got it from but we've been making these flatbreads for years. People can seem to get enough of them and they are incredibly easy to make.

Lepinjice

Ingredients​

  • 450g of soft wheat flour T-400
  • 300 ml of lukewarm water
  • 1 pack of instant dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • About 4 tablespoons of olive oil

Step 1: Mix the ingredients​

There's an elaborate instruction in the original recipe on how to get to the consistency of the dough that you need.

But I found that this process yields the same, even better results. It is easier and there's less to clean afterwards.

  1. Get a mixing bowl which is at least twice as big as the volume of the ingredients.
  2. Put all ingredients into a bowl and take a silicone, bendy spatula.
    info

    Save about two tablespoons of the olive oil for later.

  3. Hold the bowl with one hand. Mix the ingredients with the spatula in your other hand.
  4. Once the dough is homogenous, you are done.
    tip

    Feel free to add additional virgin olive oil. The oilier the dough, the better the consistency for baking and the taste later.

Step 2: Let the dough rise​

  1. Air-seal the bowl. You can: a. Use the plastic cooking wrap. b. Put a wet kitchen cloth over the bowl.
  2. Keep the bowl warm. Either cover it or keep it somewhere warm to help the yeast do its work.
  3. Let it rise for one hour.

Notice that I am not using two bowls - one to mix and a bigger one to let it rise. I do not knead the dough with my hands at this stage.

I just add a bit more olive oil and mix it all well. The dough ends up being oily enough so you can leave in the mixing bowl without the fear that it gets stuck.

Step 3: Form the flatbreads​

  1. Uncover the bowl and let the air escape.

  2. Put two sheets of baking paper on a flat surface.

    tip

    On my kitchen counter, I put one sheet straight on the baking tray and the second one next to it.

  3. Hold the bowl with one hand and use the spatula to spill the whole dough on the baking paper.

    info

    The dough should be both oily and airy. The consistency should allow it to spill out of the bowl, but not be runny like for pancakes.

  4. Oil up your hands a bit. The dough should have mostly flattened out by now.

  5. Form between 8 an 16 buns of dough and spread them on the baking paper.

    tip

    I use the spatula for this as well. I separate chunks and place them on the baking paper. I make sure they are about 1 cm (up to half an inch) thick.

  6. Let the buns rest for another 20 minutes like that.

    Lepinjice

Step 4: Bake​

By now, the buns should not be kind of gnarly anymore. Their surface should have become kind of smooth.

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (about 400°F).

    tip

    Use the oven program that heats from both the top and the bottom. If you think your oven is not very good, feel free to preheat it to 220°C (about 430°F).

  2. Bake for 3-4 minutes (by the original recipe).

    caution

    These flatbreads must remain pale and must not bake to golden brown. Now, I am not sure if it is my oven but I bake them for about 6-7 minutes.

    Lepinjice

  3. When their surface become tight-smooth, they are done.

Again, try to find the moment just before they are about to become golden. But if they do, you've gone too far and they will form a crust and be chewier.

As somebody who has accidentally done it many times, I can tell you that it's not the end of the world. But where these really hit the spot is when they are soft and airy, smelling of olive oil and freshly-baked goodness.

Bon apetit​

That's it. These are stupid-easy to bake, even for beginners. For years, I was dreading baking but then finally understood that letting the dough rest and the yeast rise is most of the work.

I don't have any specific "rules" on how to eat these, hell, I'm not even sure if these have anything to do with Lebanon :D

What I sometimes do, though: I prepare a rub using olive oil, rosemary, peppercorn, and sea salt. I apply it with a silicone kitchen brush while they are still hot and let them cool off.

But you can eat them with anything. My children often eat them bare and other times put nutella on them. In any case, enjoy!

Love,
Stra