Bidda / Bazlama (Fluffy Flatbreads)
Recipe
125ml lukewarm water
100ml lukewarm milk
1 tsp caster sugar
1 sachet instant dry yeast (7g)
500g strong white bread flour
1 tsp salt
100g thick set natural / Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp olive oil
METHOD
Put the water and milk in a jug, stir in the sugar to dissolve, then add the yeast. Leave, covered for 5-10 mins until it activates and bubbles. *Even though it’s instant dry yeast, bread making always works so much better for me when I use dry active yeast this way rather than stirring in with the flour.
Sift the flour into a large bowl, stir in the salt, plonk in the yoghurt, drizzle in the olive oil then gently pour in the activated liquid/yeast mixture and, if kneading by hand, bring everything together with your hands and place on a surface (add a little extra flour for dusting if necessary) and knead for a around 10 mins until nice and smooth (or in a stand mixer / a hand mixer with dough hooks for 8-10 mins). Once kneaded and smooth, tuck the dough under to form a nice ball, smooth over with a tiny bit of olive oil then place in an large bowl (greased with a little olive oil), cover the bowl with cling film and a tea towel and leave somewhere warm and cosy to prove for around an 1hr to 1 1/2 hrs until doubled in size - it should look light and even with a few bubbles appearing on the top when risen, as this is what will give the bazlama its fluffy, flexible texture.
Once the dough has substantially risen, take it out of the bowl and gently punch it down slightly (this is called knocking back - taking out the air bubbles which will again form after the shorter second proof) and then divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, roughly 140g each in weight. Drizzle each one with a little olive oil, and on a work surface and using the palm of your hand, roll each piece into a smooth ball. Leave all of the the dough balls on the work surface, cover with cling film and a clean tea towel and leave to prove for another 20-30 mins or so until they have almost doubled in size again. *if your work surface is cold, place each ball on a large lightly oiled tray, cover with clingfilm and a tea towel and take them somewhere warm and cosy to proof again.
Place a medium sized non-stick frying pan to heat up on a medium heat and start to roll out the bazlama. They will not need coating with flour to roll as the olive oil will keep them smooth and prevent them from sticking to the surface too much as you roll. The olive oil that is already on the dough will also mean that you won’t need to add anymore oil to the pan.
Using a rolling pin, roll out each of the balls into a circular disk, roughly 22cm in diameter (I roll one and while it’s cooking, I roll out another, but if you have the space, feel free to roll them all out before cooking but you’ll need to work quickly so that they don’t dry out too much). To get them circular and uniform in shape, turn the dough at a 45 degree angle each time you roll.
Once the pan is medium hot, place the rolled dough in the pan and cook for around 1-2 minutes until bubbles form on the top and the underside is ever so slightly golden (watch the reel here), flip it over then cook the other side for another 30-60 seconds until bubbly and golden brown. Keep the cooked bazlama covered under tea towels to ensure they remain soft, warm and fluffy while you cook up the remaining dough.
Serve them brushed with butter (brush them while they’re still hot so that the butter melts) and beyaz peynir (white cheese or feta) or hellim, and if you fancy, a drizzle of honey for sweetness, or serve as flatbreads along side grilled meats, köfte, meze and salad.
*I wrap them up tightly in foil and reheat in a preheated oven, 150c fan for around 5-10 mins until warmed through. They can also be frozen and reheated in the oven in the same way.
