Ingredients
Dough
- 600 gplain flour
- 100 gwholemeal flour
- 450 mlwarm water
- 8 ginstant yeast
- 12 gsalt
- 1 tspsugar
- 3 tbspyoghurt
- 2 tbspoil
To finish
- a little water, for brushing
- nigella or sesame seeds, optional
Equipment
- a baking stone or heavy steel
- a peel
To serve
- with kebab
- with cheese, herbs and walnuts
- with abgoosht
Directions
- Mix the two flours with the yeast, salt and sugar, keeping the salt and yeast apart until the water goes in. Add the water, yoghurt and oil and bring it to a soft dough.
- Keep it soft and slightly sticky rather than firm, since a stiff dough gives a hard dry bread. Knead 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Prove for about 1 hour 30 minutes until doubled. Now heat the oven as hot as it will go, at least 250°C (480°F), with a stone or steel inside for a full hour.
- Divide the dough into 6 pieces and roll each into a ball. Rest the balls 20 minutes covered, which lets them relax enough to be pressed out. Now flatten each into a round of about 25 cm. Press it out with your fingertips rather than rolling it, working from the centre outward. It should be about 5 mm thick, thin but not paper-thin.
- Press your fingertips into the surface all over, going most of the way through the dough. Those pressed hollows stay low while the rest of the bread puffs, which is what gives taftoon its pitted surface and stops it inflating into a hollow balloon.
- Press firmly and cover the whole round. Brush the surface with a little water and scatter seeds if you want them. Now slide it onto the hot stone.
- Put a tray of hot water in the bottom of the oven as it goes in. The steam keeps the surface supple for the first minutes so the bread stays soft rather than setting crisp. Bake it for 6 to 8 minutes only. It is done when it is lightly puffed with brown blisters and the edges are just firm.
- Take it out while it is still soft and flexible. Taftoon baked until crisp is a cracker, and it must be able to fold around a kebab. Serve them warm, torn or folded by hand.
Technique
- The four Iranian breads are sangak, barbari, taftoon and lavash, and each has its own bakery type.
- Taftoon bakeries produce them continuously through the morning and early evening.
- It freezes well and is refreshed with a sprinkle of water in a hot oven.
Substitutions
- A heavy tray preheated as long as possible in place of a stone.
- All white flour, which gives a slightly paler bread.
Variations
- With nigella or sesame seeds.
- Made thinner, closer to lavash.
- Barbari, the thicker ridged Iranian bread.
History
One of Iran’s four traditional breads with sangak, barbari and lavash, baked flat and pliable for wrapping.
Frequently asked questions
What is Taftoon?
Taftoon is a bread & pastry from Iran: thin round bread with a dimpled crust, baked against a hot oven wall. One of Iran’s four traditional breads with sangak, barbari and lavash, baked flat and pliable for wrapping.
How long does Taftoon take to make?
Taftoon takes 25 min plus 2 hr rising of preparation and 12 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 breads. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Taftoon?
Yes, within limits. A heavy tray preheated as long as possible in place of a stone. All white flour, which gives a slightly paler bread.
What is the most important thing to get right in Taftoon?
Keep it soft and slightly sticky rather than firm, since a stiff dough gives a hard dry bread. Knead 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Prove for about 1 hour 30 minutes until doubled. Now heat the oven as hot as it will go, at least 250°C (480°F), with a stone or steel inside for a full hour.
