Turkish Flat Bread (Bazlama)

Turkish Flat Bread (Bazlama)

This delicious, pillowy soft Turkish Flatbread is an easy, one-bowl-no-mixer recipe. It's perfect with hummus, tabouli, for wraps and so much more!

If you think you have to have a bit of Middle Eastern heritage to make great Turkish Flatbread, think again! This recipe comes together quickly, without a mixer and minimal kneading and rising. These delicious, tender, pita-type flatbreads are cooked in a pan on the stovetop in minutes.

What is flatbread?

Flatbread has become popular restaurant and grocery store fare in recent years, but it's definitely not a new invention. Rather, it has a long history, originating in ancient Egypt. Over the years, many other cultures, including India, Armenia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Afganistan, and Turkey have come up with their own version of flatbread, each one having slightly different characteristics. What's really fascinating, is that some countries, like Turkey, have numerous types of flatbread, each region of the country having its own distinct version.

In Turkey, flatbread is a staple and there are shops that exclusively sell this simple, delicious type of bread. The variety is staggering. I've read about Pide, Lahmacun, Gözleme, Yufka, Lahmacun, and Bazlama, to name a few. The main differences are in the shape, toppings and cooking methods.

The Turkish flatbread recipe I'm sharing today is Bazlama. Bazlama is similar to naan and, in Turkey, is often baked over an outdoor, wood fire. Bazlama is also known as "village bread" as it's often sold in stands at Turkish markets. One of the distinctions of Bazlama is that it's made with Greek yogurt, making the bread super tender and giving it a tasty tang.

The ingredient list for this Bazlama is, like most flatbreads, super simple: yeast, sugar, water, flour, yogurt, and salt. The dough is stirred up by hand in a bowl, then turned out onto the counter for a short kneading time. It's then covered and allowed to rest for 15 minutes and then it's ready to roll into circles. A short stint in a hot pan and you'll find these fragrant, tender flatbreads difficult to not devour, all by themselves. (Don't ask me how I know!)

Ways to use this Turkish Flatbread

1.Eat it plain or with a spread of peanut butter and a drizzle of honey for a delicious snack.

2.Divide the dough into 14 or 16 portions and make the flatbreads smaller. Serve them warm in a bread basket as a dinner bread.

3.Spread a spoonful of hummus down the center of a flatbread. Top with grilled (or rotisserie) chicken, diced tomatoes, cilantro, Kalamata olives, crumbled Feta and a drizzle of Zoe's Copycat Dressing. Serve it as a wrap - delish!

4.Make flatbread pizza. Just add toppings and bake for 5-8 minutes in a 450˚F oven.

5.Stuff with scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast flatbreads.

6.Use them in place of bread for your favorite sandwich.

7.Heat a medium non-stick sauté pan over medium heat until hot. Add a small drizzle of olive oil and swirl pan to coat. Add a Turkish flatbread and cook until underside is golden. Flip to opposite side and continue cooking till also golden. Cut in wedges and serve as a delicious accompaniment to salads, soups or as an appetizer with hummus or spreads.

8.Serve it with Grilled Chicken Swarama and Turkish Cucumber Tomato Salad - recipes coming!!

Tips for making this Greek Yogurt Turkish Flatbread

1.You can make these flatbreads thicker or thinner by rolling the dough rounds bigger or smaller. I like a medium thickness and roll mine approximately 7 inches in diameter.

2.Since every stove is different, you might have to experiment a little bit with the first flatbread. You want the heat high enough that bubbles appear on the top surface and the underside is getting a few golden spots after about 45 seconds to 1 minute. If you're not seeing the bubbles, increase the heat. If the underside is getting brown too fast, decrease the heat a bit. On my stove a heat setting slightly below medium is perfect.

3.Brush the dough rounds lightly with olive oil. You want to cover the surface but you don't want greasy flatbread.

4.I use whole milk Greek yogurt, but I think any variety of plain Greek yogurt will work fine.

5.A tablespoon of kosher salt sounds like a lot, but it's divided between 10 large flatbreads. I tried it with less and the results tasted somewhat bland. However, if you use regular iodized salt instead of kosher salt.

6.If you're not used to working with yeast, don't worry! The only trick with yeast is to use the right water (or other liquid) temperature. You want it to be right between 105-110˚F. If you test it with a finger, that's fairly hot, but not so hot that you'd pull your finger back. If you're not sure, use a thermometer to test the temp before adding the yeast and you'll be just fine.

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups warm water, 105-110˚F
• 4.5 teaspoons active dried yeast, 1 packet
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 1.5 cup Greek-style yogurt
• 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 7.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 0.5 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Instructions

1.Combine the yeast, sugar, and water into a medium-large bowl and stir well. Allow to sit in a warm place for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast. The mixture will be foamy and bubbly when activated.

2.Whisk in the Greek yogurt olive oil and salt.

3.Add flour and parsley and stir with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula and until the dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a well-floured counter and turn to coat. Knead for 3-4 minutes or until dough is no longer sticky and springs back when lightly pressed. Sprinkle more flour onto the counter if the dough is sticky during kneading.

4.Divide dough into 10 equal pieces, sprinkle lightly with flour, then cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.

5.Preheat a medium saute pan to a medium-low heat. While pan is heating, roll one of the dough portions into an approximately 7-inch circle. Brush the top surface lightly with extra virgin olive oil. When the pan is hot, pick up the first circle with your hand and place in pan, oiled side down. Lightly brush the top surface with oil. Allow to the flatbread to cook for about 1 to 1 ½ minutes, until top surface is covered with bubbles and underside is golden around the edges and in spots. 

6.Flip to opposite side and cook for another 60-90 seconds until a few small golden spots appear. Don't overcook on the second side. Repeat rolling, oiling and cooking with remaining portions of dough.

7.Sprinkle flatbreads with a bit more chopped parxsley when finished, if desired. Stack flatbreads in a clean kitchen towel after cooking to steam a bit and retain softness.

8.When cool, store in a ziplock bag. Reheat in a pan without oil for a minute or two on each side OR wrap flatbreads in paper toweling and heat in the microwave on low power until warm.