Barbari

Ingredients

Dough

• 600 gstrong white flour
• 10 gdried yeast
• 1 tbspsugar
• 2 tspsalt
• 400 mlwarm water
• 2 tbspoil

Roomal glaze

• 1 tbspplain flour
• 200 mlwater
• ½ tspbicarbonate of soda
• 1 tspsugar

To finish

• 3 tbspsesame seeds
• 1 tbspnigella seeds, optional

To serve

• hot from the bakery, with feta, butter, honey and walnuts
• with sweet tea at breakfast

Directions

1. Whisk the flour into cold water, then cook it gently, stirring, until it thickens into a thin translucent paste. It should be about the consistency of single cream, thin enough to brush on easily.
2. Add the bicarbonate and sugar and let it cool before use. Make it before the dough so it has time to cool. Now the dough itself, which is wet. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt, then add the warm water and oil. The dough should be quite wet and slack, wetter than a standard bread dough.
3. Knead for eight to ten minutes until smooth and elastic, or use a series of stretches and folds if it is too wet to handle. Resist adding much extra flour, and oil your hands instead if it sticks.
4. Let it rise, covered, until doubled, which takes an hour and a half to two hours. Divide the dough in two and shape each into a long oval, about forty centimetres by fifteen. Let the shaped loaves rest for thirty to forty minutes. Brush the loaf generously with the cooled roomal glaze.
5. Press right down to the tray so the channels are genuinely deep rather than surface marks. Those ridges are not only decorative: they stop the loaf ballooning into a hollow pocket and give the varied texture of crisp ridge and soft valley.
6. Press a border around the edge too. Scatter sesame seeds generously over, and nigella seeds if you are using them. The glaze holds them in place, so put them on while it is still wet. Preheat the oven as hot as it goes, at least 250°C, with a baking stone or heavy tray inside. Preheat the stone for a full forty-five minutes, since a cold surface gives a pale flat bread.
7. Put a tray of boiling water in the bottom of the oven, or throw a splash of water in as you load the bread. Steam in the first minutes keeps the crust soft so the bread can expand fully before it sets. Now bake it for twelve to eighteen minutes.

Technique

• The roomal flour glaze gives the colour, shine and crust.
• The ridges stop the loaf ballooning and give varied texture.
• The dough is wetter than a standard bread dough.

Substitutions

• A heavy baking tray in place of a stone, preheated thoroughly.
• Nigella seeds alongside or instead of sesame.

Variations

• Made with a sourdough starter, for more flavour.
• With nigella seeds as well as sesame.
• Made smaller, as individual breads.

History

Thick ridged breakfast bread named after the Barbari people of eastern Iran, eaten with cheese and cream.

Frequently asked questions

What is Barbari?

Barbari is a bread & pastry from Iran: thick ridged breakfast flatbread topped with sesame. Thick ridged breakfast bread named after the Barbari people of eastern Iran, eaten with cheese and cream.

How long does Barbari take to make?

Barbari takes 30 min plus 3 hr rising of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 large loaves. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Barbari?

Yes, within limits. A heavy baking tray in place of a stone, preheated thoroughly. Nigella seeds alongside or instead of sesame.

What is the most important thing to get right in Barbari?

Press right down to the tray so the channels are genuinely deep rather than surface marks. Those ridges are not only decorative: they stop the loaf ballooning into a hollow pocket and give the varied texture of crisp ridge and soft valley.