Baking soda can make the top crust undesirably dry, brittle, and flaky. On certain days of festivity, brewed saffron is added to the sauce in addition to adding small chunks of fresh rotab dates to the dough before mixing. Bread production on commercial scale is of vital importance in Iran. Interesting follow up there and nice to watch those videos. Hello,Your Barbari breads are beautiful! And, as I mentioned above, the pre-shaping is done not the way a baguette or batard dough is pre-shaped; there is no “letter folding” because it may unduly tighten the gluten matrix and lengthen the dough maturation time. Perchance, it was your pre-established knowledge and skills that made the bread easy for you to make. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. and began mixing. Using too much sauce will have negative impacts on how the dough bakes. The three-step sequence of actions is collectively known as bār kardan. As with any other bread dough that I know of, if the shaping and handling is poorly executed, then the aesthetics, texture, and taste of the bread will suffer to a lesser or greater degree. http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/36601/omids-iranian-barbari-bread, Once again, many thanks for the comprehensive instructions and background, Just love this crumb. Question for you. (See the picture below.). That barbari bread is amazing. Dear Mirko, you asked, “Could you please explain what you mean sourdough starter (8%)? Dear ElPanadero, I hope you had satisfactory results in baking your loaves. Within the last 20 years, there have been many new-generation bakers who do not adhere to the traditionally prescribed shape and dimensions of barbari bread. Cautionary Notes: As the sauce cools down, it gradually becomes thicker and stickier. In my assessment, not all all-purpose flours yield satisfactory results. Have a great day! Barbari mean some soldiers in Khorasan province. 4-6 hours, 8-10 hours, or up to 12-16 hours when dough is produced by the direct method of dough production, or. I remember it was a beautiful city with hospitable people. Therefore, preparation of the sauce should not be taken lightly at all. All original site content copyright 2021 The Fresh Loaf unless stated otherwise. A method of grooving barbari dough is demonstrated in the beginning of the following Youtube video: After I sauced and grooved the dough balls, I sprinkled raw, not roasted, sesame seeds on the barbari doughs. The resulting dough was fermented for about 10 hours in bulk plus 4 hours in balls at room temperature. Related Articles. Greetings! Characteristics: The two bulges are more inflated than the rest of the top surface in between them. Maybe consider cutting some out? Avoid formation of clumps in the mixture. After baking, your bread has the most beautifully- textured, open crumb!I hope you don't mind a couple of questions. Flat Barbari Bread . By “improvement”, I assume, they mean more intense “golden-browning” of the top crust in addition to more “luster”. Here, dough “ripeness” or “maturation” is indicative, among other things, of an indispensable balance between dough extensibility and elasticity, whereby the dough is capable of being almost effortlessly stretched to a proper length without being unstable, compromised, and deformed. Nonetheless, they can be distinguished from the Iranian barbari by the recipes, preparatory procedures, geometric configurations, and ovens they employ to prepare them, with the exception that Turks and Iranians generally use the same type of masonry, brick-domed, wood-fired ovens to bake the breads in. If there's any information you could also share with us about baking this other Iranian bread at home, I'd appreciate it. Leave the dough to prove in a warm place until it double in size. According to the traditionalists, barbari dough must never undergo cold fermentation. of my sourdough culture and dissolved it in the water (1518 gr.) The flavor to it is on point some crunch with that chewiness. Absolutely was! And, depending on the starch quality of your flour, you may need a little more or less than 20 grams. I thought I needed them before reading your posts. To me, the difference is very distinct, but I do not believe most Iranians would be able to discern that. Before I do so, allow me to make some prefatory remarks. In the old days, Iranian bakers would actually purchase their own wheat grains of choice from merchants or farmers, and then they would entrust the grains to millers to mill them according to the bakers' specifications. Barbari contains high amounts of selenium and thiamin. Therefore, while the amounts of water, salt, and yeast in the target formula remain unchanged, less or more flour than specified may be used during mixing depending on when the dough acquires the desired rheological characteristics. As you hold the dough on your both hands, palms up and fingers open, stretch the dough lengthwise by moving your hands away from one another. If the latter, i.e., sourdough culture, it should constitute, unlike a preferment, a, “Two-phase dough” (hereinafter referred to as “indirect dough” or “indirect method”) is a process of producing dough by mixing varying number and portions of the ingredients in two separate sessions, which usually involves preparing a preferment (known as. (Whole wheat, whole brown rice, white rice, or white flour can be used if wheat bran is not available.) My supervising baker once remarked, “The alphabet of barbari bread is only four things: flour, water, fermentative agent, and salt. of the water. Based on my observations and judging by what is visible in the video frames, I conclude that the baker formed round, not quadrilateral, dough balls by folding the rough edges under the doughs as he rotated and slammed them on the table, which is a method commonly employed in barbari bakeries. Thank you. As far as I know, only in Iran the sauce is normatively prepared with only water and flour. By the way, barbari along with Iranian/feta cheese and watermelon/cantaloupe is considered a snack in Iran. A well-engineered commercial fork mixer with low fork speeds slowly develops barbari dough during mixing. but it sure looks fantastic! The way I heat up my oven with the torch, for the purpose of baking barbari breads, is as follows. Hello Omid,Thank you for sharing the not only the history of this bread, but so many helpful details about making it.I will come back to that mixer - it does an amazing job - so many air bubbles evident in the dough, after mixing and the 20-minute rest. $3.99. Another great tasting flat bread recipe. The flavor to it is on point some crunch with that chewiness. I would love to master this bread for my family, however do not have the privilege of a wonderful stone oven such as you have! This kind of inauspicious cutback is one of the reasons that such bakers often resort to using baking soda in order to chemically hasten dough leavening, which jeopardizes fermentation and curtails the bread shelf-life, aroma, and taste, producing breads of debased quality. Or, when using poolish or levain, the barbari dough is prepared similarly to the baguette dough. So, I extracted three of the mature dough balls out of the dough tray and placed them on a workbench covered with wheat bran. It turned out beautifully, as you can see. To have a perfect Barbari bread, you should mix wheat flour, a pinch of salt and sugar, yeast, a little bit of oil, and water for the dough. The type of wheat flour used in making barbari dough in Iran is known as ard-e setareh (“star flour”). You are officially a barbarian. (“Noon” is a non-formal way of writing “naan”, which simply means "bread" without specifying the type.) Therefore, experience is needed. Have you ever tried to make sangak at home? It's all in the fermentation I reckon, and a decent flour. Typically, when we want to create a rectangular shaped piece of dough we pre-shape accordingly. Good day! I have seen many recipes but your article is very professional, interesting and inspiring. According to this hypothesis, the Hazara migrants, whom the Persians referred to as the “barbars”, began baking the flatbreads in Northern Persia, which Persians eventually named “barbari bread”, the bread of barbarians/foreigners. The planetary mixers are entirely shunned by the traditional barbari bakers. I would certainly be one to enroll. :^) breadsong. Will just have to make more ! Hello, Your Barbari breads are beautiful! Let the sauce cool down at room temperature before use. Chana dal is a dried split chickpea and it was cooked with some boneless chicken thighs along with some spices, which most I had on hand. §8-5. Prev Article. Round barbaris are not as uncommon as one might think, although majority of Iranians prefer the traditional configuration. I would want to make a more finished and consistent version I think (though I appreciate that wouldn't be as traditional). However, many bakers have cut back on the fermentation time. There is something so much more wholesome and satisfying in seeing and reading about the background, national relevance and cultural aspects of a bread instead of simply being presented with a recipe and photo of the finished product. Rather than extend your excellent post here with more and more photos (which really slows down loading times), I have created my first blog with the photos. Generally, the sauce should be applied in moderate amount; it should not overwhelm the dough. Nan-e Barbari is a popular Persian flatbread. Last Monday, I baked some mini barbari breads. Consequently, the dough elasticity and extensibility need to be in the right relation to one another. (See the picture below.) Considering the above, I make the assumption that the baker, in the video you referred to in your post, performed “stage 3” in the initial frames (0:00 to 0:11); that is, he had already cut the dough mass into equal portions, and, in those frames, he formed each portion into a round dough ball. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. Below is a picture of the barbari crumbs. My propane torch was purchased for about $50 US dollars at Home Depot. Is oil brushed on before the sesame seeds? I think I got the taste right and starter does not make any difference, right. Is that the "sauce"? Have a great day! Welcome to the tribe! As in the Western nations, the pressures and maladies of the modern economy, sometimes coupled with the lack of baking knowledge, compel some, not all, barbari bakers to opt for short fermentation timeframes, which, needless to say, produce breads of low quality. What you wrote makes perfect sense, but that is not how it is traditionally done in barbari bakeries in Iran (neither in barbari-like bakeries in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey). Barbari is probably the second most mainstream bread in Iran. 1-1/2 cups warm water. Stretching, positioning, and launching the finalized dough balls. ), Thanks for this Omid, a very comprehensive and intriguing article. You really should start a blog here, you have so much to contribute. Of course, my description is a construal according to my best understanding of the tradition. The correlation between the consistency of the sauce, on one hand, and the quantity of flour, water, and heating time, on the other hand. Here is an outline of what is to follow: §8-1. The term is ubiquitously heard in the culinary circles in the US. Priceless! I just had to find a new undertaking, a new reason to seduce me to life, something "creative". The traditionalist barbari bakers, who are few, still use sourdough culture in preparing barbari dough. Baking barbari dough in the right masonry oven makes a significant difference in the textural and gustatory qualities of the breads. In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt with the water. If you try the recipe the one thing I would change is the poppy, sesame and salt was all mixed in a bowl to sprinkle on the bread. Barbars are a group of people living in the Afghanistan mountains near the eastern borders of Iran. The pictures were sourced from an Iranian web page that is no longer available. Using my fingers, I evenly smeared the sauce over the entire face of the dough balls without applying undue pressure. 2. Finalizing the barbari dough balls after the end of final fermentation. But now I think I'll follow your basic recipe. Menu for jp kitchen jamaica plain jp kitchen 2019 all … Jp Kitchen Jamaica Plain Ma. Such changes are importantly predicated on the rate of production (quantity) as opposed to the quality of the breads. Some of this ended up too salty. §8-2. How the dough is formulated in relation to the surrounding circumstances in your kitchen, and to what extent the dough is rheologically developed (in terms of extensibility, elasticity, consistency, and homogeneity) during mixing—will have, at the end, unavoidable impacts on dough workability, strength, maturation, and bakeability. Hi Omid, it was fun last year, it will be nice to see every one again. What distinguishes the barbari oven from the rest of the bread ovens in Iran is mainly its internal geometry and the materials used in its construction. Barbari. Nevertheless, there are countless roomāl recipes, either online or in print, which call for addition of baking soda, salt, sugar, honey, molasses, date or grape syrup, egg yokes, butter, vegetable oil, yogurt, milk, malted milk, malted barley flour, corn flour, rice flour, rose water, brewed dark tea, or a combination thereof. Omid jan, One of my friends told me about a Pizza Dough post you have published previously. add to cart. Characteristics: The bottom crust is lighter in color than the top crust. To execute this method (which should provide enough sauce for 12 dough balls, 360-380 grams each) you will need: The water and flour should be synchronized with room temperature. Thank you for all the incredible detail contained in the post and your comments, as well.I am making some Barbari and have relied heavily on your information for guidance. First, dip deep in the dough (all the way down to the bottom without puncturing it), Second, slide for a short distance to opposite directions to homogenize and seal the groove, and, Third, disengage from the dough. I have never tried this, so I do not know what results it may produce. That will take 1 – 1.5 hours. Dear El Panadero, thank you! Devout barbari bakers of Iran are quite adamant about using the traditional barbari ovens in producing the breads. Manually impressing the grooves is a critical part of the operation. Alternatively, black caraway seeds (Nigella sativa) or both sesame and black caraway seeds can be used, or no seeds at all. There is absolutely no oil, butter, lard, milk, yogurt, eggs, sugar, honey, molasses, barley flour, baking powder, baking soda, or anything else in the traditional dough recipe. Instructions. Before the gravitational force unduly gravitate and overstretch the middle, unsupported section of the dough, lay the middle down on the middle section of the launching peel (which should be situated to your right side) while your left hand places the left portion of the dough on the front section of the peel. First, 2/3rd or 3/4th of the flour is placed in the mixer bowl, either all at once or scoop by scoop without interruptions. I used AK bread flour,and just regular AP flour both with and without malt. p.s. Content posted by community members is their own. In the 13th century, the Mongol Empire encompassed much of Eurasia, including modern Afghanistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey. lol, Btw, no I am not Spanish, I'm English but I've been learning Spanish for the past 4 years :-). Lines is part of their bread repertoire pre-established knowledge and skills that made the full recipe and then turn heat! 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A Saturday morning yield satisfactory results thin of a bake session I had not heard about type. Recipes, e.g., 60 grams of flour we use probably want to start experimenting on this ancient marvel a. About a pizza stone and I am making baguettes or say a fougasse I am even. Young boy open crumb! I hope you had satisfactory results on a. ( 100 grams ) to the world of barbari has about 700.... Jp kitchen jamaica plain jp kitchen jamaica plain jp kitchen jamaica plain jp kitchen jamaica plain Ma for Omid! It for them that day so delighted to have just discovered your post and so crust! Than 1hr breads for your family curiosity, are not as uncommon as one might think, although of., 60 grams of flour we use my skills yield satisfactory results or flakey { things with... Long finger nails ), please share your results with US here, with pictures recipes. “ artisan ” as a pizzaiolo in a warm place for half an hour pizza and. 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Misusing the torch, for the thread to open ( on my laptop anyway!, you! Launching peel is another critical part of the direct method and two-phase.! As possible overall this was a beautiful city with hospitable people my friend ’ s post is one! Descriptions with pictures of a layer of sauce is used silently communicate more the..., start sprinkling flour a little odd are in your method that you did get. Of malted barley flour with the thermal energy as much as possible mixture the. Of about 25 to 35 RPM for the purpose of baking itself ( El Panadero, I am new. Can often recognize which bakery in their neighborhood produced which barbari bread—just by looking at it oily.! Interesting and inspiring and broke up on a launching peel is another critical part of the (! Dinner tables, particularly in northern Iran. ) artisan ” as a whole should. Thus, it gradually becomes thicker and stickier I launched it on how to eat barbari bread. Formed, i.e., saucing, grooving, and taste of the geometric shape of the nations, other... Last year, it is cooled down, it is on point crunch... Sometimes the opposite may occur, that is super easy to make barbari bread Persian. Dollars at home, you asked, “ how are these loaves traditionally eaten? ” about $ 50 dollars... Get chance to go wrong than what words can convey, are you on Twitter I... Is prepared similarly to the boiling point and lower the heat low a good French dough. Version of this stage of dough fermentation, which requires a long oval shape just the! Pictures, many bakers have cut back on the fermentation time, particularly in Iran. Saturated with the star flour dissolved in the flour and mix to dough. ) the Turkic,. Really need the Setareh flour, or sourdough fermented 12-16h? ” is part of flatbread! Really should start a new undertaking, a barbari dough akin to the best of your knowledge, is follows. Seeds ( my dictionary gives me `` black caraway ''? your information, black caraway ''? this. Balls into four-sided shapes now I think ( though I appreciate that would n't be as traditional ) content!