arabic bread anyone?

[Martiniolive 0]

This is how it looks.

Melwi

OMG forget the mellui...I want the recipe for all of the moroccan cakes aka cookieeeeeeeees!!!!!!

[palilover 1]

Pita bread!! Thats the arabic bread I think. Because the wesetrners call it pita bread but the arabs call it arabic bread. Well, that's what my husband and my sister in law call it anyways. That's how tehy differentiate THEIR bread from american sliced bread I guess:) Got a recipe for that?

[Mrs.Bayoumi 0]

i have tried so many times to make pocket bread since i left egypt and it never turns out right...never even close ggrrrr i just buy peta bread and winn dixi

[morocco4ever 63]

Wow! That's a lot of work! I've been making the pocket bread like I had in Egypt, but Melwi looks like more work. Although, it looks darn tasty!

Perhaps you could share your recipe with us.

[Ahmed N Tina 2]

Sure

INGREDIENTS:

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/4 cups warm water (about 110 to 115 degrees)

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

oil

PREPARATION:

Put yeast in 1/4 cup of the water; add sugar and let stand for 10 minutes. Sift 2 1/2 cups of flour and the salt into a warm bowl. Form a well in the center; pour in yeast mixture and remaining warm water. Begin to mix with hand, wooden spoon, or dough hook, adding remaining flour as needed. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky.

Oil a large boil; place dough in bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place free of drafts for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Dough should be doubled in bulk. Knead for a few minutes then divide into balls about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Roll balls into circles on a lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, or flatten into circles with hand. The circles should be about 1/4-inch thick and about 7 inches in diameter. Let rise for about 1 hour in a warm place. Preheat oven to 450-475. Sprinkle cookie sheets with flour or oil. Place loaves on baking sheets and bake 5 to 7 minutes. If baking sheets are oiled, turn pita loaves to brown both sides. Remove to wire racks to cool.

When you roll them out make sure they aren't too thin or they will turn out like hockey pucks. I have not mastered being able to move them to the cookie sheet without deflating them, so I let them rise the second time on tin foil and then I just lift the tin foil to the pan. Yes, I waste a lot of foil when doing it, but my bread doesn't all turn out flat and hard that way. You have to really watch when you start baking since every oven is different. I do mine at 450 for 5 minutes and that seems about perfect. Cool part is you can see them puff up.

Let me know how they turn out!

[SimoAndYvette 0]

Okay....I was reading all the posts...but never saw the recipe. Can someone forward to me pleeeaaassseee!!

Thank You!

Yvette

[SimoAndYvette 0]

OOPSS...for the Melwi

Okay....I was reading all the posts...but never saw the recipe. Can someone forward to me pleeeaaassseee!!

Thank You!

Yvette

[palilover 1]

Sure

INGREDIENTS:

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/4 cups warm water (about 110 to 115 degrees)

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

oil

PREPARATION:

Put yeast in 1/4 cup of the water; add sugar and let stand for 10 minutes. Sift 2 1/2 cups of flour and the salt into a warm bowl. Form a well in the center; pour in yeast mixture and remaining warm water. Begin to mix with hand, wooden spoon, or dough hook, adding remaining flour as needed. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky.

Oil a large boil; place dough in bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place free of drafts for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Dough should be doubled in bulk. Knead for a few minutes then divide into balls about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Roll balls into circles on a lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, or flatten into circles with hand. The circles should be about 1/4-inch thick and about 7 inches in diameter. Let rise for about 1 hour in a warm place. Preheat oven to 450-475. Sprinkle cookie sheets with flour or oil. Place loaves on baking sheets and bake 5 to 7 minutes. If baking sheets are oiled, turn pita loaves to brown both sides. Remove to wire racks to cool.

When you roll them out make sure they aren't too thin or they will turn out like hockey pucks. I have not mastered being able to move them to the cookie sheet without deflating them, so I let them rise the second time on tin foil and then I just lift the tin foil to the pan. Yes, I waste a lot of foil when doing it, but my bread doesn't all turn out flat and hard that way. You have to really watch when you start baking since every oven is different. I do mine at 450 for 5 minutes and that seems about perfect. Cool part is you can see them puff up.

Let me know how they turn out!

I tried to make it but it did not turn out so well. I think it may be better with a rolling pin though because I dont think my hand is good to roll it out as it was not perfect circle...it was more a erctanble shape:) And kinda uneven. While I am kneading it/letting the dough rise, it seems to get dry and hard though. I've noticed this on every recipe I try. Anything I can do to prevent it from doing that?

[Ahmed N Tina 2]

Sure

INGREDIENTS:

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/4 cups warm water (about 110 to 115 degrees)

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

oil

PREPARATION:

Put yeast in 1/4 cup of the water; add sugar and let stand for 10 minutes. Sift 2 1/2 cups of flour and the salt into a warm bowl. Form a well in the center; pour in yeast mixture and remaining warm water. Begin to mix with hand, wooden spoon, or dough hook, adding remaining flour as needed. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky.

Oil a large boil; place dough in bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place free of drafts for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Dough should be doubled in bulk. Knead for a few minutes then divide into balls about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Roll balls into circles on a lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, or flatten into circles with hand. The circles should be about 1/4-inch thick and about 7 inches in diameter. Let rise for about 1 hour in a warm place. Preheat oven to 450-475. Sprinkle cookie sheets with flour or oil. Place loaves on baking sheets and bake 5 to 7 minutes. If baking sheets are oiled, turn pita loaves to brown both sides. Remove to wire racks to cool.

When you roll them out make sure they aren't too thin or they will turn out like hockey pucks. I have not mastered being able to move them to the cookie sheet without deflating them, so I let them rise the second time on tin foil and then I just lift the tin foil to the pan. Yes, I waste a lot of foil when doing it, but my bread doesn't all turn out flat and hard that way. You have to really watch when you start baking since every oven is different. I do mine at 450 for 5 minutes and that seems about perfect. Cool part is you can see them puff up.

Let me know how they turn out!

I tried to make it but it did not turn out so well. I think it may be better with a rolling pin though because I dont think my hand is good to roll it out as it was not perfect circle...it was more a erctanble shape:) And kinda uneven. While I am kneading it/letting the dough rise, it seems to get dry and hard though. I've noticed this on every recipe I try. Anything I can do to prevent it from doing that?

I use a rolling pin and it works much nicer. I don't have the patience to do it by hand. I never worry about what shape they come out in cause it'll work no matter what, especially if you're tearing it apart to dip with. Mine come out all over the shape board! Do you mean that as it's rising it gets a little dry? or before you roll it out? I guess you could try to cover it with a damp towel or papertowel? When I'm kneading it and getting ready to roll it out I roll the whole ball of dough into a long rope type thing (obviously fatter than a rope) and then I cut it into the size "balls" I want. This kind of starts it out round-ish. I plop the cut side down on the floured surface and that starts my circle. Hope that helps! If you lived closer I'd have you come over and show you

[palilover 1]

actually as I'm rolling it it gets dry. I think I will add more water next time. It was elasticy like it is supposed to be, just got dry. I will try your rope thing idea though. That sounds great:)

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

I love love love the arabic bread! Wednesday I was in an iraqi families home and the lady was making the bread and showing me how to ball it and then flatten it. It looked easy! I hope to try to make it sometime too for Adam. It tasted delicious!!! I love love loved it!!!

[palilover 1]

I love love love the arabic bread! Wednesday I was in an iraqi families home and the lady was making the bread and showing me how to ball it and then flatten it. It looked easy! I hope to try to make it sometime too for Adam. It tasted delicious!!! I love love loved it!!!

sometimes my old palestinian neighbors would make it from scratch too. I never watched them do it as I was always working but the results sure were good:) they used to put stones in the bottom of the stove. that is how they explained it to me. I don't know what the purpose of that is....but it was good anyways:)))

[Ahmed N Tina 2]

I wish I could perfect it. I have a feeling once my hubby gets here I'll be making it more. Or sneaking to the store and buying it! Tamara, did the iraqi lady have any secrets?

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

She balled it up and flattened it out so fast my eyes could hardly keep up! it was amazing to watch! I came into the kitchen abit late so I dont know all the ingredients she used. But it tasted so fresh and delicious!

[palilover 1]

Now I'm out of flour!! I used the ret of it to bake cookies after I tried to bake the bread. And my cookies sucked too:( I'm really winning tonight in the kitchen!! Good thing habibi is not here to see this! Well, I never lied to him and professed to be a chef anyways:) he knows what he got in the package!!