Arabic Bread

Arabic bread, also called ayullos in some regions like Écija, Seville, refers to various types of bread, from pita bread to naan, as well as other flatbreads typically cooked in a pan. In today's recipe, we'll teach you how to make a version taught to me by a good friend of my father who lived in Morocco for years, allowing him to immerse himself in the beautiful country's cuisine.

This recipe is easy to prepare. Unlike other bread recipes, there is minimal kneading of ingredients. To achieve proper gluten development, we have employed the technique of short kneading and resting, which we discussed some time ago, and which you can use to prepare any bread dough with little effort.

If you have some time, we recommend making this recipe with sourdough starter, as it will result in bread with longer shelf life and superior aroma and flavor compared to using baker's yeast. On our website, we provide precise instructions for preparing your sourdough starter. Puedes buscar esta receta en el buscador de recetas de nuestra web.

Y ahora ya si... ¡Aquí tienes la receta!

How to make the recipe Arabic Bread

1. First, mix the salt with the flour in a bowl. Then add the yeast and mix again. It is important to mix these ingredients separately to prevent direct contact, as salt inhibits the action of the baker's yeast.
2. Next, pour in the water and oil and mix until the flour absorbs both ingredients.
3. Continue kneading by hand until you achieve a smooth and uniform dough texture. At this point, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough settle for 20 minutes. During this time, the flour will fully hydrate, making a second kneading cycle easier.
4. After settling, knead for 30 more seconds. Then cover the bowl again and let the dough ferment until it has doubled in volume. Fermentation time will depend on room temperature; at around 68ºF, the dough can be ready in 3 hours.
5. Once doubled in volume, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 8 equal portions. We recommend using a kitchen scale for this.
6. Next, form a ball with each portion. Cover the 8 balls with a cloth and let them settle for 20 minutes. During this time, the gluten will relax, making it easier to flatten the dough later.
7. After settling, grease a nonstick pan with some olive oil and heat it up.
8. Take one of the balls, sprinkle it with flour, and roll it out with a rolling pin or flatten it by pressing with the base of a bowl. The dough disc should be about half a centimeter thick.
9. After rolling it out, place it in the pan and cover it. Cook over low heat for approximately 2 or 3 minutes on each side. A good indicator that it's time to flip is when bubbles form on the bread's surface. Another option is to flip it several times, allowing better control of the process, especially when making this type of bread for the first time. While one bread is cooking, proceed to roll out another dough ball.
10. As you remove the bread from the pan, wrap them in a clean cloth to keep them warm and promote a tender texture.

Notes and Tips

To speed up fermentation, you can add slightly warm water, but don't overdo it, as excessive heat could kill the yeast responsible for fermenting the dough.

If you don't have baker's dry yeast, you can use fresh yeast; in that case, use 9 grams. Baking powder (used in pastry) is not suitable for this recipe.