Aish Baladi is an ancient Egyptian Flatbread made with 100% Whole Wheat flour and is Vegan flatbread.
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 and 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 form of traditional bread in the Egyptian culture. 'Baladi' means traditional and 'Aish' means life.
Most of the Arabic speaking country use the word 'Khobz' for bread, but since the Egyptians have a very special place for the bread in their life, they call it the 'Aish Baladi'.
It was very interesting to read about the history of this Egyptian Flatbread in 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 an very important roll in the Egyptian culture. They eat it at every meal and all kind of people, rich or poor eat it.
Aish Baladi was very affordable for every person in any economic status. It is available every where and you don't really need anything else to eat with it.
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.
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 flatbread
- Whole wheat flour - 2 ½ cups
- Active dry yeast - ½ TBSP
- Sugar - 2 tsp
- Salt - ½ TBSP
- Oil - ½ Tbsp 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 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
- 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.
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.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve the Aish Baladi flatbread with any spicy stew or treat it as a pita and stuff them with falafel.
A good Quinoa Tabbouleh on the side is a great refreshing idea to serve 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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Aish Baladi - Egyptian Flatbread
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups Whole wheat flour
- ½ tbsp Active dry yeast
- 2 tsp Sugar
- ½ tbsp Salt
- ½ tbsp 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 sough 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.
Diana says
These are amazing. They will be finding their way to my kitchen frequently as a family favourite 😋
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks a lot! We love them too and in fact making a batch today to eat with some chickpea salad.
Cynthia says
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.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
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.
Ranée @ Arabian Knits says
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.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks a lot! I do love to learn about different traditions and really appreciate you taking time to explain.
Carol says
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!!!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Carol, thanks so much for trying and getting back to me. I have a weakness for breads as well and completely understand your feeling.
Irina says
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.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
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.
Pavani says
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 🙂
April says
I don’t think I’ve tried this flatbread recipe before – definitely excited about it. So delicious looking and healthy!
April says
I don't think I've tried this flatbread recipe before - definitely excited about it. So delicious looking and healthy!
Sandhya Hariharan says
I am loving this Sandhya. You make such a delicious rustic bread sound so simple. I goto try this!
Mahy Elamin says
That looks soooo good! I love trying new bread recipes!
Bee says
Wonderful bread. Looks perfect for dipping in hummus!
Danielle Wolter says
i totally have to try this. you make it look so easy and homemade bread is always the best!
Emmeline says
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! 😀
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks Emmeline! This is such a rustic recipe and you are so lucky to have eaten it in Egypt!
Martin says
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
Swetha says
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
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Swetha, I used the regular Indian aata to make this. That should work fine.
preeti garg says
Looks so flavorful and love the rustic look. Awesome.
Great start of flatbread series.
Srivalli says
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!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks a lot Valli!
code2cook says
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.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks a lot Bhawana! It is amazing to read about every culture and so love these themes for that.
Mayuri Patel says
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.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Mayuri, thanks a lot! Looking forward to everyone's post 🙂
Renu says
This looks so similar to our puffed up puri's except that it is baked. They look super delicious.
Gayathri Kumar says
That is a wonderfully puffed up bread Sandhya. The wheat bran adds a nice texture to the crust. Looks absolutely yum..
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks Gayathri! Yes, loved using the wheat bran.
Vaishali says
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 .
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
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.
harini says
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.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Harini, thanks a lot! They did puff a lot and it was amazing to see it happen inside the oven.
Priya Suresh says
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.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
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.
Sowmya says
That is a fabulous beginning to the mega marathon....the pictures make me drool!! Awaiting to see the rest of your flatbreads
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks a lot Sowmya! I can't wait to see what everyone has in store as well.
Ritu Tangri says
Bread with the wheat bran on the top looks beautiful. Moreover, it being whole wheat bread, can be had guiltfree
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks a lot Ritu! I loved the texture of wheat bran and will be using it quite often now.
Padmajha Sureshbabu says
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.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks a lot PJ. The bread was pretty rustic and we loved it.