Lebanese Meat Fatayer sit firmly on our list of favorite comfort foods. They show up in Lebanon and the Middle East on gatherings, wedding buffet lines and every special occasion, they have a delicate, soft pastry shell surrounding a flavorful stewed meat, onion and tomato filling and are seasoned with a hint of spiciness. Jawad notes that pita bread is especially integral in Lebanese-style breakfasts. “For breakfast, we tend to have more savory meals. For example, we don’t do pancakes and waffles. We’ll usually eat a savory breakfast that includes beans, eggs, cheese, vegetables, and of course, pita bread,” Jawad says. Stove top method: When making the pita bread on the stove top, take the pan off the heat after you make one pita. Roll the next pita and then heat the pan for 20-30 seconds before making the next.

Markouk bread is the king of Middle Eastern unleavened flatbreads (though often uses yeast in homemade versions – as I’ve done) and comes under several names: markook, shrak, mashrooh, khubz ruqaq, and more. Fun ways to eat pita include eating them as toasted pita triangles (pita chips), as a unique base for pizza and as crispy croutons on a salad. Nutrition Take the dough balls out of the freezer and place them on a greased pan. Cover them with either plastic wrap or a towel. Let the dough thaw for about 30 minutes then remove the plastic wrap.

Traditional Lebanese Bread

Stovetop (best for 1-2 pitas): Heat a skillet on medium-high heat. Transfer the the pita bread to the skillet. Sprinkle with a little water so that the steam moistens and freshens the bread. Learn how to prepare the perfect Lebanese bread at home in just 10 minutes. Made with simple ingredients, it’s soft, fluffy and delicious! In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and salt. Make sure the rest of the water and milk are at room temperature or slightly warm. Slowly add the water, milk and yeast mixture to the flour either kneading it together with your hands, or using a KitchenAid mixer to bring it all together.

Al-Dmoor, Hanee M. “Flat Bread: Ingredients and Fortification.” ResearchGate, Mar. 2012, www.researchgate.net/publication/264357508_Flat_bread_Ingredients_and_fortification. Let it thaw completely for another hour or so at room temperature. Roll out into the size of pita loaves. You want and let it rise in a warm place for 30-45 minutes before baking. What are the ingredients for homemade pita bread? As part of a breakfast spread alongside dishes like labneh, makdous, olives, tomatoes, preserves/jams, butter, cheese, etc. Make sure the pita bread dough does not dry out - It is important to brush the dough balls with oil and cover the dough balls and dough circle with a wet kitchen towel while waiting to prep or bake.Active dry yeast. Makes the bread rise.Avoid using old yeast as it can affect the leavening of the bread. Lebanese pita is a basic Arabic bread recipe. It is used in all sorts of Arabic and Lebanese cooking, from baking it as pita bread, to using it in meat pies, and even using this as a type of Mediterranean dumpling in soups and other dishes. Dip your hands in water before shaping each dough piece into a ball – folding the edges underneath and pinching them together. Then roll/sprinkle each ball with cornmeal and place them into a large flour-dusted bowl. Once all the dough balls are in the bowl, cover it with a clean, damp cloth/kitchen towel and leave it to rest for at least five hours – or overnight. Step 3: Shape the Lebanese Flatbread

I use a KitchenAid mixer with the bread dough attachment and let it mix and knead the bread dough for about 5 minutes or so. It should be a very elastic mixture when it all comes together. Time to let the Lebanese dough recipe rise! In your serving plate, add the bread first. Then layer 1/3 of the yogurt sauce. Top it with the aubergine and peppers, then add 1/2 the remaining yogurt sauce. I am unable to make traditional Lebanese bread at home, because I do not have the proper equipment. I am blessed to live in a place with a large Lebanese population, so I know someone who makes traditional Lebanese bread fresh out of her home bakery.Freeze: Freeze in an airtight bag/container for up to 6 months (possibly longer, but I’ve never tried). Allow the bread to thaw in the fridge or at room temperature before using. How to Serve? Start by adding all the ingredients of stage 1 (yeast, flour, water, and sugar) in a bowl and mix it well,creating the 'wet base'; set this aside for about 60 minutes and allow the yeast to start reacting and 'bubble'. Pita bread is normally baked in a pizza oven or something of the sort. But you can do it at home WITHOUT a pizza oven. Oven method: When making the pitas in the oven, be sure to give the pan about a minute to re-heat between pitas.

Perfect texture and flavor. The texture of this bread is flat, pliable, and airy in the middle. It’s savory and mild tasting, making it the perfect vehicle for anything. Warm up ½ cup of the water until warm to the touch. You don't want it to be too hot, otherwise the yeast will not activate correctly. Note: If you are using coarse salt, make sure to melt it in warm water before mixing it with the other ingredients in the dough or you can add table salt to the dough after it has been formed. Minimum life based on 'use-by' date of product. Average life based on last week's deliveries. Life guarantee shown based on delivery tomorrow with the Life guarantee starting the following day. To store. Leftovers will remain fresh at room temperature in an airtight container or plastic bag for up to 3 days. To keep it longer, store it in the fridge for up to one week.

More Delicious Mediterranean Recipes

Biting into warm, freshly baked saj bread, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by its authentic and delicious taste and overlook its rich history and numerous benefits. Saj is a bread grill. Imagine flipping a wok and setting a fire underneath it. That’s what most saj grills look like. Some of them come as a flat rounded metal piece. Note: It is a grill and not an oven like for pita. Form dough balls: Dust a clean surface with flour, divide the dough into portions, and cover and rest for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into (around) 40 even pieces. For perfectly even pieces, weigh each one out. If you aren’t too bothered about uniformity, you can do this by eye. Easy to make. Just five ingredients and 10 minutes is all you need to make your own homemade bread.