As I was deep in my research for more Palestinian dishes, I came across this fascinating flatbread. I saw artisans rolling out dough onto a huge cushion and slapping the dough onto a large dome (which happens to be an oven). Isn't that fascinating? You can search on YouTube for better visuals, I mean a video can paint a thousand words.
Taboon is a very underrated flatbread as compared to the more popular Pita. And I think it deserves more recognition. Anyway, this flatbread is usually served as a base for a very iconic Palestinian dish called, Chicken Musakhan. Please stay tuned for that recipe. In the meantime, let's get started with this flatbread.
Ingredients:
(Make 4 flatbread)
Starter:
Bread Flour, 60g
Active Instant Dry Yeast, 1 TSP
Demerara Sugar, 1 TSP
Lukewarm Water, 118g
Bread:
Wholemeal Flour, 30g
Bread Flour, 90g
Sea Salt, 1 TSP
Dried Basil, Pinch
Dried Parsley, Pinch
Dried Thyme, Pinch
Dried Oregano, Pinch
Chili Flakes, Pinch
Sumac Powder Preferably Hexa, Pinch
High Quality Olive Oil, 1 TBSP + More For Greasing
Equipment:
Cast Iron Skillet / Taboon Oven
Directions:
Prepare the starter.
In a large bowl, combine bread flour, yeast and sugar together.
While mixing, gradually add in the water.
Continue mixing until it becomes smooth.
Cover with cling film and set aside for 1 hr.
Prepare the bread.
In a large bowl, add all the ingredients, except olive oil.
Mix until well combined and transfer onto the starter.
Combine until everything is well incorporated.
Add in the olive oil and continue mixing until it comes into a dough.
Once it becomes a dough, knead the dough inside the bowl until all the nooks and crannies of flour are kneaded into the dough, about 5 mins.
The dough should be smooth and not sticky.
If the dough is too dry, add in water, 1 TBSP at a time. If the dough is too sticky, add in flour, 1 TBSP at a time.
Lightly grease the bowl with some olive oil.
Transfer the dough back to the greased bowl.
Cover with cling film and let rise for 90 mins.
It should almost double in size.
Punch down the dough and fold the top, sides and bottom to the center.
Flip, form into a ball, cover and ferment in the fridge overnight.
The next day, sit the dough at room temperature for 2 hrs.
Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
Divide into 4 equal pieces. Shape and form each piece into a ball.
Cover and let rest for 15 mins.
Heat a skillet over medium heat.
On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough ball into a round disc to about 1/8 inch thick.
*I do not have a taboon cushion, so I am just gonna use a metal bowl.*
Grease the bottom of a metal bowl lightly, olive oil.
Transfer the rolled dough onto the metal bowl.
Gently pull and stretch to thin out the dough.
*If you feel like the dough is getting too thin, stop.*
Carefully transfer the dough onto the heated skillet.
*If you happened to have a taboon over, use it.*
Brush the dough with olive oil.
You should see bubbles start to form.
Once the bottom is lightly browned, flip and cook for another 2 mins.
Remove from heat and repeat the process for the remaining dough balls.
*Keep the rest of the dough balls covered while working on one.*
Transfer the cooked taboon to a plate and cover it with another plate.
*This is to keep the flatbread warm while waiting for the rest to be cooked.*
Serve it with some Chicken Musakhan (stay tuned).
Stretching and pulling the dough on the bottom of a greased metal bowl.