Salwa Moubarak’s Lebanese flatbread

MAKES ABOUT 15 // PREP TIME 25 MINS // COOK 15 MINS (PLUS PROVING)

500gm stone-ground wholemeal flour (see note) ½ tsp caster sugar ¼ tsp dried yeast Fine semolina, for dusting

1 Combine flour, sugar, yeast, ½ tsp salt and 400ml room-temperature water in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Knead on medium speed until dough comes together, looks smooth and feels elastic and resistant when pinched (5 minutes; dough will still be quite wet). Cover with a damp tea towel and rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

2 Divide dough into 65gm balls and keep under a damp tea towel. Heat a saj (see note) to medium-high heat. On a lightly floured surface and with floured hands, flatten one ball, then roll it out into a circle with a rolling pin. Pick up the bread and turn it from one hand to the other, gently stretching it out, until 1-2mm thick and about 30cm in diameter. Working quickly, lay the flatbread across the centre of the saj and cook until golden on the base and bubbles are forming on the surface (30 seconds), then turn to cook the other side (30 seconds). Transfer to a plate and cover with a tea towel while you roll out and cook the remaining breads. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note Stone-ground wholemeal flour is available from select grocers and health-food shops. Moubarak uses a saj, a domed cast-iron pan, to cook her flatbread. If you don’t have a saj, she recommends an upturned wok heated over gas, a cast-iron pan, or a crêpe pan, but the bread may take longer to cook and have less char.