Ingredients
Dough
- 700 gplain flour, or half wholemeal
- 450 mlwarm water
- 8 ginstant yeast
- 12 gsalt
- 1 tspsugar
- 3 tbspolive oil
Equipment
- a bed of clean smooth pebbles on a heavy tray
- or a baking stone
- a very hot oven
To serve
- under musakhan
- with olive oil and za’atar
- torn, with everything
Directions
- Use only clean, smooth, non-porous river pebbles, washed and completely dry. Never use porous or damp stones.
- Mix the flour, yeast, salt and sugar, then add the water and olive oil. Knead 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Prove for about 1 hour 30 minutes until doubled. Now prepare the stones, which takes a long time.
- Spread the pebbles in a single layer on a heavy tray and oil them lightly. Oiling them stops the dough welding itself to the stones, which it otherwise will.
- Heat the oven as hot as it goes, at least 250°C (480°F), with the stones inside for a full hour. An hour of preheating, not ten minutes. Divide the dough into 6 and shape each into a ball. Rest the balls 20 minutes covered. Now flatten each into a round of about 22 cm with your hands.
- Press it out with your fingertips rather than rolling it, which drives out the gas you have just made. It should be about 8 mm thick, thicker than a pita and thinner than a focaccia.
- Press it down gently onto the pebbles with a cloth or the back of a spoon. Bake it for 6 to 10 minutes on the stones. It is done when it is puffed, patched with brown, and firm at the edges. Take it out while it is still soft and pliable rather than crisp, since it has to fold and soak up sauce.
- Lift it off with a peel or long tongs and shake it to dislodge any pebbles. Shake it and then check it by hand, because a stone stuck in the bread will break a tooth. Stack the finished breads under a cloth to keep them soft. Serve them warm, torn by hand.
Technique
- The taboon oven is a clay dome with a floor of pebbles and is still used in Palestinian villages.
- Iranian sangak uses the same pebble-bed technique.
- Musakhan is the national Palestinian dish and is built on this bread.
Substitutions
- A baking stone in place of pebbles, giving no dimples.
- A very heavy tray preheated for as long as possible.
Variations
- Made with wholemeal flour throughout.
- Made thinner, as an everyday flatbread.
- With za’atar pressed into the surface before baking.
History
Baked on hot pebbles inside a clay taboon oven, which gives its dimpled underside; the base of musakhan.
Frequently asked questions
What is Taboon bread?
Taboon bread is a bread & pastry from Palestine: dimpled flatbread baked on hot stones in clay taboon. Baked on hot pebbles inside a clay taboon oven, which gives its dimpled underside; the base of musakhan.
How long does Taboon bread take to make?
Taboon bread takes 30 min plus 2 hr rising of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 breads. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Taboon bread?
Yes, within limits. A baking stone in place of pebbles, giving no dimples. A very heavy tray preheated for as long as possible.
What is the most important thing to get right in Taboon bread?
Use only clean, smooth, non-porous river pebbles, washed and completely dry. Never use porous or damp stones.
