This bread is made with the same dough and topping as the regular non, but the shaping is different.
MAKES TWO 8-INCH (20 CM) ROUND BREADS
INGREDIENTS
- Vegetable oil, for shaping
- 3¼ cups (390 g) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and shaping
- 1 teaspoon instant (fast-acting) yeast
- 1 teaspoon raw cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 small onion (3½ ounces/100 g), very finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon nigella seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prepare the flatbread through the first rise (step 3) and divide the dough in half, shape into balls, and let rest 15 minutes.
- Smear your work surface with oil and place one ball of dough over the oiled surface.
- Flatten the dough into a disk to about ½ inch (1 cm) thick and generously smear with oil.
- Roll the disk of dough into a cylinder and lightly squeeze it with both hands to thin it and stretch it further.
- Repeat with the other ball of dough.
- Hold the cylinder upright on your work surface and twist the bottom before you start pressing it down onto the work surface while twisting the cylinder.
- Keep twisting the cylinder of dough and pressing it down until you have a kind of multilayered pyramid.
- Repeat with the other cylinder.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
- During this time, preheat your oven to as high as you can.
- Take one of the dough pyramids and with the heel of your hand, press down the middle to flatten it in the middle.
- Then curl your fingers and with your curled fingers, keep pressing inside the slightly raised edges as you rotate the dough to flatten it further, until you have a round about 7 inches (17.5 cm) in diameter.
- Then pick up the round of dough and with your fingers raise the edge a little more as you turn it around in your hands.
- Lightly flour your work surface and place the round of dough down, raised edges up, and with your curled fingers keep flattening it inside the edges while turning it round to keep it an even round.
- Use a short rolling pin with handles or a straight glass or soda/beer bottle to flatten the round further without squashing the edges.
- As you flatten the round, keep rotating it so that it stays evenly round.
- Once you have flattened it to about 9 inches (22.5 cm), use both palms to stretch it further.
- You should end up with a round loaf that is 10 inches (25 cm) in diameter.
- If you have a chekish —an Uzbek bread stamp—stamp the bread inside the edges, starting all around the edge and finishing in the middle.
- Spread the onion and seed mixture all over the bread and bake as directed in the flatbread recipe.
