Taboon (Palestinian Flatbread)

5 from 16 votes

Palestinian Taboon flatbread is a Levantine yeasted bread that is traditionally prepared in clay ovens or on hot stones. This recipe adapts the technique and makes it easy for home cooks to enjoy the flavors and traditions without having to build an outdoor oven.

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Rise Time1

Total Time1 25

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Brunch, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Levantine, Middle Eastern

Servings: Flatbreads

Author: Luay Ghafari

Cost: $5

Equipment

1 Cast iron skillet or pan

Ingredients

3 cups All-purpose flour - 420 grams. You can use bread flour too. See note for whole wheat.
1 tbsp Instant yeast - 9 grams
1 tbsp White sugar - 12.5 grams
1 tsp Kosher salt - 5 grams
½ cup Water, warmed - 120 grams
½ cup Milk, warmed - 120 grams
¼ cup Olive oil - 53 grams

Instructions

Mix. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the dry ingredients and stir well to combine. Add the warm water, milk and olive oil. Run the stand mixer until a ball of dough forms, about 5-7 minutes. If the dough is too sticky and doesn’t form into a ball, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until you have a soft and supple dough ball. See note below for whole wheat.
Rise. Rub the dough ball lightly with oil on all sides and let it rise, covered with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap, in the bowl of the stand mixer for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Divide and Shape. After the bread dough has risen to about double its original size, divide it into 6 equal pieces (use a scale for precision). Shape each piece of dough into a tight ball and let them rest on your kitchen counter for 5-10 minutes, covered, so that the gluten can relax.
Flatten. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough balls into a ⅛-¼ inch (0.3-0.6cm) thick (they should be about 6-8 inches, or 15-20cm, in diameter).
Dimple. Dimple all over with your fingers by pressing down to create ridges.
Cook. Place a heavy bottom cast iron skillet on the stove and heat it on medium-high for about 5 minutes. In one quick move, transfer the dough to the hot pan. Cook on one side, without disturbing for 30-45 seconds.
Flip. Check the bottom of the flatbread using tongs or a spatula. It should be lightly browned. Carefully flip the flatbread and cook for another 30-45 seconds. Don’t burn the bread. If the pan is too hot, reduce the heat, wait a few minutes for the pan to cool slightly and repeat the process.
Store. Stack flatbreads and store them in a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm.

Video

Notes

See the recipe blog post above for step by step recipe photos.

Flour: Depending on your taste and preference, you can use some whole wheat flour in this recipe. A good starting point is 2 cups of white flour plus 1 cup whole wheat. As long as you maintain the total quantity listed in the recipe, you can play around with the proportions. You may need a little more liquid if you use whole wheat flour in this recipe.

If you’re looking to save some time, you can make the dough 1 day ahead of time and let it rise in the fridge overnight. This longer, slower rise is actually beneficial in many ways and the result will be a much easier to digest bread for those with gluten sensitives. Just use half the amount of yeast if you plan to let the dough rise in the fridge overnight.

Serve this bread as a base for Musakhan (Palestinian Chicken with Sumac and onions), as a wrap with chicken shawarma or chicken shish tawook, or to dip in Mutabal or Muhammara.

Nutrition