Turkish flatbread (bazlama)

This moreish flatbread has a long fermentation time that gives its distinctive well-developed and slightly sour flavour. It’s perfect for dipping into and sopping up fragrant Middle Eastern stews and dips.

Turkish flatbread (bazlama) Credit: Alan Benson

• makes

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 600 g plain flour
• 1 sachet (7 g) instant dried yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1½ tsp salt
• 375 ml (1½ cups) warm water
• 130 g (½ cup) Greek-style natural yoghurt, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• honey, good-quality pan-fried or grilled haloumi and fresh oregano leaves, to serve

Serves 4-8

Proving time: 2 hours

Instructions

Combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Combine the water, yoghurt and oil, add to the flour mixture and use a wooden spoon and then your hands to mix to a soft dough (the dough will be quite sticky at this stage). Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 2-3 hours or until well risen.

Place a pizza stone in the oven on the centre and preheat to 250°C (230°C fan-forced).

Divide the dough into 4 portions. Use your hands to flatten each portion into a round on a floured bench top to about 26 cm in diameter and 6-7 mm thick. Place on a piece of baking paper on a tray and cover with a damp tea towel. Set aside in a warm, draft-free place for 15 minutes to rise slightly. Repeat with the remaining 3 dough portions.

Use the baking paper to lift a bread round onto the pizza stone in the oven and bake for 10-13 minutes or until golden and baked though. Remove from the oven and wrap in a clean tea towel to keep warm while baking the remaining flatbreads in the same way (the flatbread will be crusty on the outside to start with and then will soften as it stands wrapped in the tea towel).

Serve warm topped with honey, haloumi and oregano leaves.

Baker’s tips

• You can also bake these flatbreads on baking paper-lined oven trays for 15 minutes. 

• These flatbreads are best eaten the day they are baked.

Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Sarah O'Brien. Food preparation by Tina McLeish.

This recipe is part of our Bakeproof: Yeast-leavened flatbreads column.

View previous Bakeproof columns and recipes here.

Anneka's mission is to connect home cooks with the magic of baking, and through this, with those they love. For hands-on baking classes and baking tips, visit her at BakeClub. Don't miss what's coming out of her oven via Facebook,Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.