Flaky Flat Bread
Yield: 10 Servings
Alison Roman / Bon Appétit
This warm, buttery, pull-apart “flaky bread” is based on Yemeni malawah. It’s easy to throw together (just five ingredients) and crazy versatile (eat it with eggs in the morning, with dip for a snack, or wrapped around grilled meat at dinner). Best of all, you can make the dough ahead of time, freeze, and when a craving strikes – boom! Just griddle and you’re good to go. One pro tip: An un-floured surface provides some traction, so it’s easy to roll the dough very thin.
- 1tsp kosher salt
- 3cups AP flour, plus more for surface
- 6TBS unsalted butter, melted, plus more, room temperature, for brushing (about 10)
- flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
- olive oil (for parchment)
Whisk Kosher salt and 3 cups flour in a large bowl. Drizzle in melted butter; mix well. Gradually mix in ¾ cup water. Knead on a lightly floured surface until dough is shiny and very soft, about 5 minutes. Wrap in plastic; let rest in a warm spot for at least 4 hours.
Divide dough into 10 pieces and, using your palm, roll it into balls. Place balls on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.
Working with 1 piece at a time, roll out balls on an un-floured surface with a rolling pin into very thin rounds or ovals about 9” across. (If dough bounces back, cover with plastic and let rest for a few minutes.)
Brush tops of rounds with room-temperature butter and sprinkle with sea salt. Roll up each round onto itself to create a long thin rope, then wind each rope around itself to create a tight coil.
Working with 1 coil at a time, roll out on an un-floured surface to 10” rounds no more than ⅛” thick. Stack as you go, separating with sheets of parchment brushed with oil.
Heat a large cast-iron griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Working 1 at a time, brush both sides of a dough round with room-temperature butter and cook until lightly blistered and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer bread to a wire rack and sprinkle with sea salt.
DO AHEAD: Coils can be rolled out 1 month ahead; wrap tightly and freeze. Cook from frozen (add 1–2 minutes to cooking time).