Aish Baladi | Vegan Egyptian Flatbread
Aish Baladi is an ancient Egyptian Flatbread made with 100% Whole Wheat flour and is a Vegan flatbread.
This Vegan Egyptian Flatbread looks and feels very similar to Pita, but it tastes very different. It forms a great pocket just like pita bread to stuff literally anything. All we needed was a good smear of hummus, and it was heavenly.
We are beginning our month-long Mega Blogging Marathon, and the theme for this month is very close to my heart. I am going to be blogging International FLATBREAD this whole month of September.
It is going to be in A to Z order. We had 3 different options to choose from and I chose the A to Z International Flatbread as my theme.
What does Aish Baladi mean
It literally means bread of life. That is how the Egyptians looked at bread. This is one of the very ancient forms of traditional bread in Egyptian culture. 'Baladi' means traditional, and 'Aish' means life.
Most Arabic-speaking countries use the word 'Khobz' for bread, but since the Egyptians have a very special place for bread in their life, they call it the 'Aish Baladi'.
It was very interesting to read about the history of this Egyptian Flatbread on this website. This bread was baked with ancient wheat called 'Emmer' in the olden days and was baked in a very hot oven that was built using the red mud from the Nile River.
They used wild yeast to help proof the dough. Rich or poor used the same ingredients and method of cooking when making the Aish Baladi.
Bread plays a very important role in Egyptian culture. They eat it at every meal, and all kinds of people, rich or poor, eat it.
Aish Baladi was very affordable for every person in their economic status. It is available everywhere, and you don't really need anything else to eat with it.
The wheat bran coating adds a very rustic feel and flavor to the bread. I would highly recommend using it for the bread to get that authentic feel. This is made with 100% whole wheat flour and is entirely Vegan.
Preparation time - 15 minutes plus about 2 ½ hours of rising time
Baking time - About 6 minutes plus flatbread
Difficulty level - Intermediate
Recipe adapted from - Saveur
Ingredients to make Aish Baladi - Makes 8 flatbreads
- Whole wheat flour - 2 ½ cups
- Active dry yeast - ½ TBSP
- Sugar - 2 tsp
- Salt - ½ TBSP
- Oil - ½ tablespoon plus more to grease
- Cracked wheat bran - about ¼ cup
- Warm water - about 1 ¼ cup (more or less as needed to make the dough)
Step-by-Step Process
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 cups) to 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
- 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 an 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 them on a baking sheet.
- Cover the rolled dough and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, preheat 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 flatbreads 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 it on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes and serve.
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 help in cooking the flatbread really quickly at high heat. You can use a baking tray if you don't have a pizza stone.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve the Aish Baladi flatbread with any spicy stew, or treat it as a pita and stuff it with falafel.
A good Quinoa Tabbouleh on the side is a great refreshing idea to serve with this rustic flatbread.
You could also make the Vegetarian shawarma from this Aish Baladi Wrap.
If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below.
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Recipe
Aish Baladi - Egyptian Flatbread
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
- 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.
Easy & great for dips or stuffing . I however only seem to get 6 pieces from my batches
Great recipe I love this bread
Easy to make easier to eat
Overall, this turned out really well. However, my first 5 breads were perfect and completely puffy, whereas the last 3 only puffed about 80% (i.e., there's a weird part of them that remained completely flat). Any idea why?
I used ground flax seed instead of wheat bran, since I couldn't find the latter here (I live in Rwanda).
I find that the variations in temperature could cause this. Maybe the oven was not at the right heat (since we open and close the oven).
What oil do you use in the recipe? Could I use olive oil or will it not react well in such high heat?
I love how easy, simple, and quick this flatbread recipe is. I made this and I paired it with my beef stew, so delicious!
I like the food and also the name of it. I tried this at home it is very delicious thanks for sharing this lovely recipe!!!!
I have eaten many flatbreads in my entire life and this one caught my attention. It looks inviting the color, texture and the presentation is just inviting to me, I'm convince to make this tomorrow, thank you for the recipe!
I made this bread this evening it was perfect! I used my air fryer to cook them as I didn't
want to put the oven on! I have a small pizza stone so I cooked one at a time at 360F for 3 minutes, it puffed up so well.
Can I freeze the dough that I didn't use?
Hello Ann, That is a wonderful idea to use the air fryer. I would make them as bread before freezing. You can freeze the dough as well. Make sure that it thaws completely before making.
Masterful
With a bit of messing around, I think I could coax my air fryer to turn these out.
Some of the Egyptian bread I've had previously had a grainy base that was rather unlike bran- the semolina, maybe?
Yes, semolina is used many times to prevent the bread from sticking. Air fryer should work to puff these up. Thanks for the remainder. I will be trying it soon as well.
After trying to get foamy yeast 3x, I realized I was using Rapid rise yeast, which doesn’t do that. I got regular Active yeast and followed the directions on the packet (1/4C 100-110 degree water, 1tsp sugar) and it worked. Then I added the additional water and sugar listed in the recipe to make sure the quantities were the same.
The bread tasted good but I had a couple of problems- once it puffed up it would not deflate. It was also quite hard. 6 minutes at 500 seems too much; my grandmother baked hers for 2-3 minutes so I’ll try that next time. I also got many loaves where only a half puffed up or only a bubble puffed. Since the yeast was fine, I’m not sure what the fix is, but I’ll keep trying.
It may need a bit of tweaking for me, but I’m glad to have found a recipe with discrete amounts, not just amounts like “some”. Thank you!
Made the Aish Balladi today with ground black emmer flour. Came out perfectly. Tasted delicious. We made them small, about 3 inches in diameter and it made 28 of them. Put about 9 to bake at a time.
That is so awesome! Thank you so much for taking time to let me know.
This looks fantastic, and I can't wait to give it a try. Let's see how it turns out. I'm going to give it a shot and then share my experience with you. Thank you for your sharing!
Thank you!
Hi
I just made these and followed the recipe exactly but when I baked them they did not rise at all. What could have gone wrong?
I am so sorry that your bread didn't turn out the way it should have. I would start with the yeast. Did the dough rise when left to proof? The next is the temperature of the oven. The oven should be really hot when we place the rolled dough in. Try to see if any of this helps.
Way too salty for me... 1.5 tablespoons is a ton.
If I try these again I'll use a teaspoon max.
Hi Rose, I think you might have misread the salt amount. I have used 1/2 TBSP salt in the recipe and not 1.5 TBSP. Sorry that it happened.
These are amazing. They will be finding their way to my kitchen frequently as a family favourite 😋
Thanks a lot! We love them too and in fact making a batch today to eat with some chickpea salad.
I had a tough time adjusting the liquid in this recipe. The WWF really took a lot of water. Probably close to. An additional 1/2 cup to make the dough pliable & stretchy... otherwise it was so dry it was cracking. When baking on the stone; not all puffed up & formed pockets. Only about 3 were completely puffed. 3 were semi-puffed & 2 did not puff at all. The taste was delicious. I will try the recipe again. I will use your ingredients but the techniques of a different chef.
Thank you for getting back w/me about my concerns.
Thanks for letting me know. The flour is different and they use different quantity of water. It is tricky to bake with whole wheat flour for sure.
This looks delicious, and I can’t wait to try it. However, baladi and Arabic means country. Like in the style of the country. Countryside.
You seem to be interested in traditional foods and their history, so I thought you would want to know that.
Thanks a lot! I do love to learn about different traditions and really appreciate you taking time to explain.
Hello, actually "Baladi" which literally does mean ,"country" but in reference to this Egyptian bread it referring to the "village bread" not country bread, so eish baladi is the correct name when purchasing this frm the baker back home. 😊 . Good job chef!!! So yummy! And one of my favorites. Will give it try soon 😊hope the flavors take me back to the mother land
Thanks a lot for your detailed explanation! We love this bread and hoping to visit the country to taste the best!
Thank you Chef!!
I'm in the process of making today!! 😁 just added 2nd batch of flour and letting it rise. Woohoo!!
Awesome! Let me know how you liked it 🙂
Just made these and they look fantastic and taste even better / only problem is I made 8 and two of us ate 6 in one lunch - they were so delicious!!!
Carol, thanks so much for trying and getting back to me. I have a weakness for breads as well and completely understand your feeling.
Hi Sandhya,
Lovely recipe and pictures, can’t wait to try and make it. I was wondering if it’s possible to use all purpose flour and would the measurement be the same? Thank you in advance.
Hi Irina, Thanks a lot! Sorry for the delayed reply. You can use All Purpose flour, but remember the texture might not be the same and as rustic this one. The wheat and wheat bran gives it the earthy flavor. The fluid measurement might be a little different if using APF. You might have to use less liquid than used here. Let me know when you get a chance to try it.
Such perfectly round and puffed up flat bread Sandhya. Like you said, a good smear of hummus and some roasted veggies would make this just yummy. Love the name - Aish Baladi - has a nice ring to it 🙂
I don’t think I’ve tried this flatbread recipe before – definitely excited about it. So delicious looking and healthy!
I don't think I've tried this flatbread recipe before - definitely excited about it. So delicious looking and healthy!
I am loving this Sandhya. You make such a delicious rustic bread sound so simple. I goto try this!
That looks soooo good! I love trying new bread recipes!
Wonderful bread. Looks perfect for dipping in hummus!
i totally have to try this. you make it look so easy and homemade bread is always the best!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I had this in Egypt and loved it - but never made it myself. Now I'm gonna try it! 😀
Thanks Emmeline! This is such a rustic recipe and you are so lucky to have eaten it in Egypt!
Hi this looks amazing , just would like to know if it could be made with white flour?
I have colitis and whole wheat flour is a no no .
Thanks
Martin
I intend to bake this but please help me out. Should I use Indian whole wheat flour or regular Bob's red Mill or anything particular
Swetha, I used the regular Indian aata to make this. That should work fine.
Looks so flavorful and love the rustic look. Awesome.
Great start of flatbread series.
Excellent choice Sandhya, those bread are so nicely puffed up and I am sure it tasted great!..You have written so much on the recipe too..great job!
Thanks a lot Valli!
That's amazing, really every place has something interesting about their cuisine. Loved reading your write-up about this aish baladi flatbread. All came out so puffed up and so attractive. fabulous start with a bang.
Thanks a lot Bhawana! It is amazing to read about every culture and so love these themes for that.
Sandhya, I couldn't stop staring at the beautiful clicks of aish baladi. Lovely way to kick off the marathon with a super tempting flatbread.
Mayuri, thanks a lot! Looking forward to everyone's post 🙂
This looks so similar to our puffed up puri's except that it is baked. They look super delicious.
That is a wonderfully puffed up bread Sandhya. The wheat bran adds a nice texture to the crust. Looks absolutely yum..
Thanks Gayathri! Yes, loved using the wheat bran.
Interesting theme where I will have a complete bookmarked series and the beginning is awesome . I am loving this rustic bread , it has such an earthy texture and I bet it must have tasted heavenly with hummus ! Wow ! I feel like making it right away .
Vaishali, thanks a lot. I agree that this BM is going to fill up our bookmark folder. I loved the rustic feel of the bread. Do give it a try sometime.
Looks like a popular international bread choice. Looks so good, Sandhya. Puffed out like a puri, I am sure it tasted just as good. A great start to the mega bm.
Harini, thanks a lot! They did puff a lot and it was amazing to see it happen inside the oven.
Same pinch Sandhya, and yours looks more rustic and pretty than mine. And i simply loved this simple yet a fabulous flatbread. Wonderful to see you picked this bread to kick start this marathon as much as like me.
Priya, thanks a lot. You are my recipe guru and I often come to your site for many recipe suggestions. Loved your beautiful color of your Aish Baladi.
That is a fabulous beginning to the mega marathon....the pictures make me drool!! Awaiting to see the rest of your flatbreads
Thanks a lot Sowmya! I can't wait to see what everyone has in store as well.
Bread with the wheat bran on the top looks beautiful. Moreover, it being whole wheat bread, can be had guiltfree
Thanks a lot Ritu! I loved the texture of wheat bran and will be using it quite often now.
I like the name and the meaning of this flatbread!! The puffed up pic of the flatbread had me looking at it for a long time! Nice dish to start off the marathon Sandhya.
Thanks a lot PJ. The bread was pretty rustic and we loved it.