Khubz Bahrain Recipes

KHOBZ EL DAR (ALGERIAN SEMOLINA BREAD)

Steps:

• Mix 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons semolina, 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, sugar, yeast, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk in oil, egg, and egg white. Stir in warm milk slowly until a liquid dough forms.
• Cover the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap; let stand at room temperature until frothy, about 1 hour.
• Stir in 2 3/4 cups flour with a wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms. Cover again and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour over the dough and your hands. Mix dough, adding flour as needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Shape into a round loaf and place on the prepared baking sheet. Cover loosely with a towel and let rise for 1 hour in a warm place until loaf doubles in volume.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Beat egg yolk and water in a bowl with a fork; brush over the entire surface of the loaf. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon sesame seeds on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until loaf is golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.

KHUBZ (BAHRAIN)

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast and the sugar in about a half cup of the lukewarm water. Let stand until frothy.
• Sift the flour together with the salt and add the yeast mixture. Knead by hand until the dough is soft, adding water as necessary. Add the oil and keep kneading until the dough becomes elastic and is no longer sticky, which should take about 15 minutes.
• Now form the dough into a ball and rub all over with a little bit of olive oil, to prevent it from drying out. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch down and knead for another five minutes or so. Now break the dough into tennis-ball sized portions. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll flat, until each ball is about a quarter inch thick. Dust with flour and transfer to a lightly floured surface, leaving a few inches between each one to allow for rising. Let rise for another 30 to 60 minutes.
• Oil two large baking sheets. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. About 10 minutes into the preheating, put the sheets in the oven. Leave them there for another 10 minutes.
• Now open your oven and quickly transfer the dough balls onto the baking sheets.
• Bake for 6 to 10 minutes. When the breads are lightly browned, take them out. Let cool.
• Each piece should have formed a pocket while baking.

KHUBZ ARABI (PITA OR FLAT BREAD)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, scatter the yeast over the warm water and stir until dissolved.
• Add the salt.
• While kneading constantly, gradually add 6 cups of flour and 2 tablespoons of oil until the dough is smooth and elastic. Continue to add more flour if the dough still sticks to your hands.
• Put the dough into a large, greased bowl and turn dough to grease all sides of it.
• Cover with a dry tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375-degrees F.
• Punch dough down gently.
• Divide the dough into 24 equal portions and shape them each into smooth balls.
• Place on a floured surface and dust tops lightly with flour. Cover with a dry tea towel.
• Let rest undisturbed 15 minutes more.
• Roll out each ball into a 6-inch diameter circle.
• Place on greased baking sheets.
• Bake in 375-degree F oven for 10-12 minutes or until the bread puffs. Do not leave baking unattended.
• YUM!