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1
Mix and Knead the Dough
15 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Put the 400g wholemeal flour, 100g white bread flour, 7g instant yeast and 5g sugar in a large bowl and whisk for 30 seconds. Add the 8g salt, the 10ml sunflower oil and the 350ml warm water, and stir with a wooden spoon until a wet, sticky dough forms. Turn it onto a lightly oiled surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, wetting your hands when it sticks.
Resist adding flour — the wet dough is what makes the steam that puffs the bread. Oil your hands and the work surface instead.
Done when: The dough is smooth, springs back when poked, and feels wet and tacky rather than dry.
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2
First Rise Until Doubled
60 Mins
Warm place, about 25°C (77°F)
Shape the dough into a ball, put it in a lightly oiled bowl, turn it once to coat, and cover the bowl with cling film or a damp cloth. Leave in a warm, draught-free place for about 1 hour until doubled in size.
An oven with only the light on is a good warm spot. If the kitchen is cold, the rise may take 20 minutes longer.
Done when: The dough has doubled in size and a fingertip pressed in leaves a dent that fills back slowly.
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3
Shape the Rounds and Coat With Bran
10 Mins
Room temperature, about 20°C (68°F)
Punch the dough down gently and divide it into 8 equal pieces, about 114g each. Roll each piece into a smooth ball, then flatten it with your palm into a round about 18 cm across and 5 mm thick. Press each round into the 30g wheat bran on both sides so the bran sticks, and set the rounds on a bran-dusted tray.
Keep the rounds even in thickness — thin spots burn and thick spots will not puff.
Done when: Eight even rounds, about 18 cm across, coated with bran on both sides and holding their shape.
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4
Second Rise Until Puffy
25 Mins
Warm place, about 25°C (77°F); oven 260°C (500°F)
Cover the rounds loosely with a clean tea towel and rest for 25 minutes until they look puffy and feel light when lifted. Meanwhile, heat the oven to its hottest setting, 260°C (500°F), with a baking stone or an upturned baking tray inside.
Do not skip this rest — a round that has not risen enough will stay flat in the oven and never form a pocket.
Done when: The rounds are visibly puffed and feel light and airy when lifted.
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5
Bake the First Batches
10 Mins
260°C (500°F)
Slide 2 rounds directly onto the hot stone or tray and bake for 2–3 minutes until they balloon up and are lightly blistered and golden in spots. Lift them out with tongs and wrap them in a clean tea towel so they stay soft, then bake the next batch the same way. Bake all 8 rounds in 4 batches.
Work fast and keep the oven door shut between batches — the heat is what makes the steam, and every open door costs you a puff.
Done when: The rounds have ballooned into pockets, are lightly blistered and golden in spots, and feel light for their size.
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6
Bake the Remaining Batches and Serve
5 Mins
260°C (500°F)
Bake the remaining rounds in the same way, 2 at a time for 2–3 minutes each, wrapping each batch in the tea towel as it comes out. Serve the bread warm from the towel, torn by hand.
If a round refuses to puff, the stone has cooled — let the oven recover for 2 minutes before the next batch, and check the round rested long enough.
Done when: All 8 rounds are puffed, blistered and golden in spots, soft inside, and hollow when torn open.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the baladi bread the moment it leaves the oven, still puffed and warm. A good round is speckled with bran, blistered in spots, and hollow inside — tear it open and it should steam.
Egypt
1h 15m
