Barbari bread

Votes: 1

Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Complexity: easily
Servings: 8

Nutritional value per serving:

Calories 275, total fat 7 G., saturated fats 1 G., proteins 7 G., carbohydrates 45 G., fiber 2 G., cholesterol 0 mg, sodium 155 mg, sugar 1 G.

Nothing compares to the fragrant aroma of barbari, fresh from the oven! This classic Persian flatbread is common throughout Iran and is typically served for breakfast with cheese, herbs, walnuts, or jam and honey. It's crispy on the outside and incredibly fluffy on the inside. The unique flavor comes from the baking soda and flour glaze that's applied to the dough before baking. In Iranian bakeries, the bread is traditionally shaped into a large oval and baked in a wood-fired oven. At home, you can make a smaller oval to fit in a standard oven. This recipe makes one large loaf. If you prefer smaller loaves, cut the dough in half and let it rise for 20 minutes. The baking time will remain the same.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Dough

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. instant yeast
1.5 tsp granulated sugar
3.5 cups premium flour + extra for working with the dough
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tbsp nigella seeds

Glaze

1 tbsp. premium flour
0.5 tsp of soda

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Dough:

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, yeast, sugar, 1.5 teaspoons of salt, and 1.5 cups of warm water. Add the flour 1 cup at a time and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together, 5–10 minutes. The dough will be sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, place it in a warm, draft-free place, and let the dough rise for 1 hour.
Unroll the dough, place it on a well-floured surface, and sprinkle it with 1 tablespoon of flour. Turn the dough over with a bench scraper and form it into a ball with your hands. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200°C.
Glaze:

While the oven is preheating, combine the flour, baking soda, and 0.5 cups of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens to the consistency of ketchup, 3–5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature.
Transfer the dough to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spoon the glaze over the dough and use your hands to form the dough into an oval or rectangle, approximately 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 inches) and about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick. Use your fingertips to create indentations in the dough to create longitudinal lines. Sprinkle with sesame and nigella seeds.
Bake until the bread is cooked through and golden brown on top, about 25 minutes. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel for 10 minutes before serving.