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A person with polka-dot nail art holds a round, grilled bazlama topped with chopped herbs, showing a large bite taken out of it.
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Bazlama Recipe

Soft, puffy, blister-spotted Turkish flatbread cooked entirely on your stovetop, no oven required. Watching these babies inflate in the pan is basically dinner and a show, and their fresh steamy aroma? Best 2 minutes of your day.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Rise Time:1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 10 minutes
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Turkish
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 429kcal
Author: Adam Sobel
Cost: $4

Equipment

Ingredients

Optional Toppings:

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast, brown sugar, and plant-based milk or water. Stir until the yeast and sugar are dissolved. Let stand for 7-8 minutes, until the mixture is foamy and active looking.
  • Add the semolina flour, bread flour, salt, and olive oil. Stir until a shaggy dough forms, then knead by hand or with a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook for 8-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, soft, and slightly tacky.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes.
  • Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rest for 20 minutes.
  • Roll each dough ball into a circle ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.
  • Heat a large dry cast-iron skillet or heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook 1 round at a time. After 2 minutes, when bubbles have formed and the underside is golden brown in spots, flip and cook the second side for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown with additional browned spots and the bread is cooked through. Adjust the heat as needed to prevent excessive browning before the center is fully cooked.
  • Transfer the cooked flatbread to a clean kitchen towel and cover to keep warm and soft while repeating with the remaining dough. Directly before serving, brush both sides of each bazlama with extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle with coarse salt, and parsley.

Notes

🌡️ Beauty and the Yeast
Keep your liquid just barely warmer than room temperature, not hot. Overheated liquid kills the yeast instantly, while cold liquid just leaves it sluggish and unresponsive. If it is not foamy after 8 minutes, the yeast is dead, so toss it and start over.
😴 A Little R&R
Do not skip the 20-minute rest after shaping the dough balls. It relaxes the gluten so the dough rolls out smoothly instead of shrinking back every time you try to stretch it.
🔥 Turn Down for What
Watch your pan closely and adjust the heat as you cook. Too hot scorches the outside before the middle finishes, too low leaves the bread pale and tough. Pans tend to heat up as you go, so lower it partway through the batch if needed.

Nutrition

Calories: 429kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 604mg | Potassium: 162mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 196IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 1mg