Palestinian Breads

Saliha

Well-known member
Zaatar Bread (Fatayer Zaatar)


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Zaatar is the Arabic word of thyme, it is a wild herb that grows throughout hills and fields of the Levant and East Mediterranean regions. Zaatar has become (along with olive tree) a symbol of the land of Palestine. It is strongly associated with the Palestinian identity that it’s being widely adopted by poets, writers and artists in their writings and songs.

Zaatar bread also known as “fatayer fallahi” which means villagers’ pie, is a typical Palestinian pastry mostly made in spring, which is the official season of collecting fresh wild thyme. It is a flat bread, oily but crunchy, stuffed with fresh zaatar leaves, onions and sumac.

Personally, I’m in a never-ending romantic relationship with zaatar bread! Smelling the scent of baking bread mixed with the aroma of roasting thyme greased with olive oil, is where the romance starts over again every time…





Ingredients

Dough Ingredients:
3 cups white flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup olive oil

Filling Ingredients:
2 to 3 cups fresh zaatar leaves (thyme), washed thoroughly
1 medium size onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sumac
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

For the Dough
: In a medium size bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil. Rub the mixture together until oil is well combined into the flour. Add one cup of warm water gradually while kneading using one hand (add more water if the dough is dry or flour if it is too sticky). Cover the bowel with a plastic bag and place it in a warm place for about 30 to 40 minutes or until doubled in size.

For the Filling:
Meanwhile, in another bowl, combine zaatar (thyme) leaves, chopped onions, sumac, salt, and olive oil. Mix all together and leave aside.





Cut off the dough to form three or four balls. Roll each of them on a soft surface which is greased with olive oil using rolling pin until you make a paper-thin sheet of dough. Another option is to use your hands to punch down the dough until it becomes very thin that you can’t punch it further (don’t worry if the dough ends up with some holes).

Add a pinch of zaatar stuffing and a pinch of olive oil to the dough sheet, fold two sides of the dough to the middle. Add another pinch of zaatar stuffing and fold the dough. Keep adding pinch of zaatar and folding the dough until you can’t fold it further. (The photos should explain the process better). Leave them for 10 minutes to rest.

Place stuffed dough pieces in an oven tray greased with olive oil. Punch dough down with your hands until flat. Place the tray
in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until they become slightly brown or golden. Flip them to the other side and leave them for another 5 minutes. It’s better to be served hot to enjoy the crunchiness of the bread. Typically served with fresh yogurt or tea.



 

Saliha

Well-known member
Palestinian kmaj/bread

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Measure and whisk together in a bowl either:

5 cups whole white wheat flour or spring wheat (the softer wheat grain traditionally used in the Middle East, which you can find sold as “organic spring flour” or “organic bread flour”; look for the “spring wheat”).

Have a bowl of wheat bran (also found in said natural food stores bulk sections) ready handy and set aside for now.

Add:

1 T. yeast
1 T. sugar
1 T. salt
3 T. Olive oil

Gradually mix in, a little bit at a time and starting with just 1 cup and adding more only if necessary:

2-3 cups warm water

Start by mixing dough by hand, then kneading with the palm of your hand or your knuckle, turning the dough over, and kneading again. Continue kneading until the dough forms a ball (i.e. does not stick to the sides of the bowl anymore). Do not over-knead. Pat top of dough with some olive oil.

Leave to rise in draft-free place for one hour or until doubled in volume. Punch dough down, knead gently for one minute and form into a ball; let rest for twenty minutes.

Form palm sized balls from the dough and pinch ends; place on well-floured surface-or a surface sprinkled with a generous layer of wheat bran*- and let rest for 10-20 minutes. Roll dough balls out to about 1/2 cm thickness. Cover and let rest for at least 20 minutes and up to overnight (this is the way they traditionally do it in Palestine-they let the flattened dough at this stage to rest overnight to allow a more complex flavor to develop).

Pre-heat conventional oven to 500 degrees or highest available setting. At the same time, preheat an electric or stove-top griddle to medium-high heat.

Prepare baking sheets (baking stones if you have them!) by sprinkling them with bran to prevent sticking.

Begin baking by placing rolled doughs on top of griddle. Wait a few minutes-or until small sore-like “craters” begin to form, then quickly remove half-baked breads and move to baking sheets. Quickly place in pre-heated oven and bake for a few minutes or until bread puffs up.

Take bread out and cover with a towel or sheet to prevent the moisture from building up. Tip: nothing like warm kmaj with olive oil and zaatar!

Source: http://www.gazamom.com/2009/08/ramadan-recipe-1-palestinian-kmajbread/
 

Saliha

Well-known member
Taboon bread

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this is for 3 large ones so double if you want.

2 cups of all purpose white flour.
1/2 cup of whole wheat flour.
2 Tbsp of dry yeast.
1 Tbs of granulated sugar
Enough warm water to make it a sticky dough- mine took 1.5 c.

If you have an electric mixer with a dough hook would be better otherwise you knead it with hands.

First mix the dry ingredients well together then add the water a start mixing and kneading until you get a sticky dough like this in the picture. Let it rise in a warm place for almost an hour or until doubled.

Sprinkle a clean surface with some whole wheat flour and divide the dough into three balls.

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Flatten one ball at a time to make it a circle- does not have to be perfect- then tap it with your finger tips to form this desirable shape as this makes it look more like the original one.

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In the mean time stick your mini taboon – the baking sheet with pebbles- in the oven and turn it on to the maximum, mine was 550℉. The pebbles have to be very very hot before baking the bread.

Gently take your fist circle and place it carefully- be aware that the pebbles are very hot- on the mini taboon and watch it. It will huff and it will puff and it will blow your mind but not down don’t you worry
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It takes about 3 minutes for each one to be ready you can turn the broiler on but I didn’t need to do that as the oven was so so hot.

Source: http://arabianmama.com/2013/03/31/palestinian-taboon-bread/
 

Saliha

Well-known member
Pita Stuffed with Meat (Arayes)

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Arayes are pita bread sandwiches stuffed with minced lamb meat, tomato, onion and different spices. Although it’s a popular market and restaurant food in the Levant region, Arayes are ideal choice for barbecue and cookouts. And also can be easily prepared in house. Baked, grilled or even toasted, it doesn’t matter as long as they are crispy outside and juicy inside. Arayes are preferably eaten fresh from the oven/grill with fresh yogurt and pickled green olives.

The word Arous (singular of Arayes) was commonly used in the region to refer to all kind of sandwiches, nowadays it precisely refers to this kind of sandwiches. Oddly enough, it means “bride”, I don’t know whats the history or the logic behind it. “Because it is as beautiful.” my brother tried to explain!



Ingredients

500 grams minced lamb
500 grams tomatoes, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (optional)
7 to 8 thick loaves pita bread


Directions:

Place meat, tomatoes (with their juice unless you use thin pita bread), onion, parsley, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, cinnamon, red pepper, pomegranate molasses, all spice, black pepper and salt into a medium bowl. Mix all ingredients very well.

Spread 2 to 3 tablespoon of the mixture into each pita loaf (right before baking to get crispy Arayes). Grease both sides of each loaf with about 1 to 2 tablespoon of olive oil. And then cut it into quarters.

Arrange Arayes in oven tray and bake them in a preheated oven on a low temperature (160c) until they become slightly brown or golden. Flip them to the other side for more crispness. Serve hot with fresh Greek yogurt and green olives.





Source: http://www.kitchenofpalestine.com/arayes/
 

Yone1958

New member
I want to buy Waring Pro WMK600 Double Belgian-Waffle Maker for myself as I am very much fond of food and baked items.. Please help me in finding the best one. I have heared some good reviews about this waffle machine ..Is that worthy enough to buy ? As it is a lil bit costly too..

Thanking in advance..!!
 

chilefarmer

New member
Yone, I have a single waffle maker. I really like the looks of that one. If just cooking for ones self would you need the double. Amazon has the Waring Pro WMK600 double for $85.00 and free freight. CF Link:
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Waring-WMK600-Double-Belgian-Waffle-Maker/dp/B0034JU9T6[/ame]
 

Yone1958

New member
Chef's Choice M 850 Taste-Texture Select Waffle Pro Belgian Waffle Maker is the latest and best waffle maker brand known to me so far.. It is easy-to-clean overflow channel; sleep mode; cord storage; recipes included.. It makes great waffles and is easy to use. We finally settled on the Chef's Choice M 850 model from Edge craft and are very happy with it
 
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