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Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cook Time: 155 Minutes |
Ready In: 180 Minutes Servings: 2 |
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This delicious bread, which has been part of Egyptian cuisine since the time of the Pharaohs, gets beautiful color and vibrant flavor from dukka, a blend of spices and nuts widely used in the Middle East. Ingredients:
2 tablespoons whole hazelnuts |
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds |
1 teaspoon cumin seeds |
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves |
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt |
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns |
3/4 cup warm water (105 - 115°f) |
1 tablespoon mild honey |
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast (from a 1/4-oz package) |
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus additional as necessary |
1/2 teaspoon salt |
1 tablespoon olive oil |
Directions:
1. Make dukka: Pulse all dukka ingredients in a food processor or an electric coffee/spice grinder until very finely ground, about 3 minutes (do not grind to a paste).
2. Make flatbread: Stir together warm water, honey, and yeast in bowl of a stand electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment (see cooks' note below if you don't have a stand mixer) and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.) Add 2 cups flour, salt, and oil and beat at medium speed until incorporated. Replace paddle with dough hook and, if necessary, add 2 to 3 teaspoons more flour, 1 teaspoon at a time, until dough begins to pull away from side of bowl and is smooth but still slightly sticky to the touch, about 5 minutes.
3. Transfer dough to a large oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
4. Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.
5. Punch down dough and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half and let stand, covered with plastic wrap, 10 minutes.
6. Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining piece covered) on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a roughly 17- by 11-inch rectangle. (Dough will be very thin.) Transfer dough to 1 of shallow baking pans. (Repair any tears in dough by pinching together.) Repeat with second piece of dough, transferring it to second baking pan. Sprinkle half of dukka over each rectangle and bake, switching position of pans and rotating them 180 degrees halfway through baking, until golden, about 20 minutes total. Cool in pans on racks 5 minutes, then transfer flatbreads to a cutting board and cut each into pieces with a sharp heavy knife. (Centers will be crisp.)
7. Cooks' notes: If you don't have a stand mixer, stir together warm water, honey, and yeast in a bowl, then add flour, salt, and oil and stir with a wooden spoon until incorporated. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 8 minutes, if necessary adding 2 to 3 teaspoons more flour, 1 teaspoon at a time. Dukka can be made 1 day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature. Dough can be made 1 day ahead and put in oiled bowl, then chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature and let rise in a warm place, covered, until doubled in bulk.
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