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Home » Baking » Flatbreads » Aish Baladi | Vegan Egyptian Flatbread

Published: Sep 2, 2018 · Modified: Feb 15, 2021 by Sandhya Ramakrishnan · This post may contain affiliate links

Aish Baladi | Vegan Egyptian Flatbread

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aish baladi

Aish Baladi is an ancient Egyptian Flatbread made with 100% Whole Wheat flour and is Vegan flatbread.

Aish baladi flatbread stacked in a plate

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'.

Aish Baladi | Egyptian Flatbread | Vegan Flatbread from Egypt

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)
Rustic flatbread coated with wheat bran

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.
active dry yeast bubbling
  • 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.
adding flour to the yeast
  • 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.
making dough for flatbread

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. .
shaping the dough to make aish baladi
  • 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.
shaped dough on parchment paper
  • 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.
aish baladi flatbread puffing up inside the oven on a pizza stone
  • 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.
5 aish baladi arranged in a bowl lined with blue towel

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.

  • Black-Eyed Peas And Potato Stew | Lobia And Aloo Subzi
  • Homemade Vegetarian Falafel Recipe
  • Quinoa Tabbouleh | Tabouli Salad
  • Chickpea Shawarma Wrap | Vegetarian Shawarma Sandwich

 If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below.
You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan.
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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.
4.95 from 17 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Baking, Breakfast, Flatbread
Cuisine: African, Egyptian
Diet: Vegan
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Resting time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 22 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 144kcal
Author: Sandhya Ramakrishnan

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 439mg | Potassium: 158mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @Sandhya.Ramakrishnan or tag #MyCookingJourney!
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Previous Post: « Jeera Cookies | Roasted Cumin Shortbread Cookies
Next Post: Boulanee Katchalu | Afghani Bolani | Stuffed Flatbread »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Diana says

    March 23, 2021 at 8:52 am

    5 stars
    These are amazing. They will be finding their way to my kitchen frequently as a family favourite 😋

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      March 23, 2021 at 12:20 pm

      Thanks a lot! We love them too and in fact making a batch today to eat with some chickpea salad.

      Reply
  2. Cynthia says

    March 17, 2021 at 10:10 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      March 18, 2021 at 11:34 am

      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.

      Reply
  3. Ranée @ Arabian Knits says

    February 23, 2021 at 4:55 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      February 24, 2021 at 11:11 am

      Thanks a lot! I do love to learn about different traditions and really appreciate you taking time to explain.

      Reply
  4. Carol says

    June 25, 2020 at 8:07 am

    5 stars
    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!!!

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      June 26, 2020 at 6:59 pm

      Carol, thanks so much for trying and getting back to me. I have a weakness for breads as well and completely understand your feeling.

      Reply
  5. Irina says

    December 12, 2019 at 8:16 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      December 19, 2019 at 9:11 am

      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.

      Reply
  6. Pavani says

    November 23, 2019 at 9:16 am

    5 stars
    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 🙂

    Reply
  7. April says

    April 12, 2019 at 6:13 am

    5 stars
    I don’t think I’ve tried this flatbread recipe before – definitely excited about it. So delicious looking and healthy!

    Reply
  8. April says

    April 12, 2019 at 6:12 am

    I don't think I've tried this flatbread recipe before - definitely excited about it. So delicious looking and healthy!

    Reply
  9. Sandhya Hariharan says

    April 12, 2019 at 5:35 am

    5 stars
    I am loving this Sandhya. You make such a delicious rustic bread sound so simple. I goto try this!

    Reply
  10. Mahy Elamin says

    April 11, 2019 at 2:26 am

    5 stars
    That looks soooo good! I love trying new bread recipes!

    Reply
  11. Bee says

    April 11, 2019 at 2:23 am

    5 stars
    Wonderful bread. Looks perfect for dipping in hummus!

    Reply
  12. Danielle Wolter says

    April 10, 2019 at 8:30 pm

    5 stars
    i totally have to try this. you make it look so easy and homemade bread is always the best!

    Reply
  13. Emmeline says

    April 10, 2019 at 11:28 am

    5 stars
    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! 😀

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      April 10, 2019 at 12:05 pm

      Thanks Emmeline! This is such a rustic recipe and you are so lucky to have eaten it in Egypt!

      Reply
  14. Martin says

    November 27, 2018 at 1:42 pm

    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

    Reply
  15. Swetha says

    September 14, 2018 at 7:06 am

    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

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      September 15, 2018 at 8:51 am

      Swetha, I used the regular Indian aata to make this. That should work fine.

      Reply
  16. preeti garg says

    September 06, 2018 at 6:08 am

    Looks so flavorful and love the rustic look. Awesome.
    Great start of flatbread series.

    Reply
  17. Srivalli says

    September 05, 2018 at 6:29 am

    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!

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      September 05, 2018 at 8:44 am

      Thanks a lot Valli!

      Reply
  18. code2cook says

    September 03, 2018 at 5:45 pm

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      September 03, 2018 at 11:44 pm

      Thanks a lot Bhawana! It is amazing to read about every culture and so love these themes for that.

      Reply
  19. Mayuri Patel says

    September 03, 2018 at 4:19 pm

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      September 03, 2018 at 4:56 pm

      Mayuri, thanks a lot! Looking forward to everyone's post 🙂

      Reply
  20. Renu says

    September 03, 2018 at 10:38 am

    5 stars
    This looks so similar to our puffed up puri's except that it is baked. They look super delicious.

    Reply
  21. Gayathri Kumar says

    September 02, 2018 at 8:49 pm

    That is a wonderfully puffed up bread Sandhya. The wheat bran adds a nice texture to the crust. Looks absolutely yum..

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      September 03, 2018 at 9:17 am

      Thanks Gayathri! Yes, loved using the wheat bran.

      Reply
  22. Vaishali says

    September 02, 2018 at 7:01 pm

    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 .

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      September 02, 2018 at 7:32 pm

      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.

      Reply
  23. harini says

    September 02, 2018 at 11:58 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      September 02, 2018 at 12:04 pm

      Harini, thanks a lot! They did puff a lot and it was amazing to see it happen inside the oven.

      Reply
  24. Priya Suresh says

    September 02, 2018 at 10:44 am

    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.

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      September 02, 2018 at 12:03 pm

      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.

      Reply
  25. Sowmya says

    September 02, 2018 at 10:24 am

    5 stars
    That is a fabulous beginning to the mega marathon....the pictures make me drool!! Awaiting to see the rest of your flatbreads

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      September 02, 2018 at 10:32 am

      Thanks a lot Sowmya! I can't wait to see what everyone has in store as well.

      Reply
  26. Ritu Tangri says

    September 02, 2018 at 9:04 am

    4 stars
    Bread with the wheat bran on the top looks beautiful. Moreover, it being whole wheat bread, can be had guiltfree

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      September 02, 2018 at 10:32 am

      Thanks a lot Ritu! I loved the texture of wheat bran and will be using it quite often now.

      Reply
  27. Padmajha Sureshbabu says

    September 02, 2018 at 8:59 am

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply
    • Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      September 02, 2018 at 9:03 am

      Thanks a lot PJ. The bread was pretty rustic and we loved it.

      Reply

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I am Sandhya Ramakrishnan, author, recipe developer and photographer in this journey! 'My Cooking Journey' is all about family friendly Vegetarian and Vegan recipes from around the World with focus on Indian cuisine.

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