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Aish Baladi is an ancient Egyptian flatbread that translates to both “local bread’ and “the bread of life.” Many people believe Egyptian food is underrated and under-marketed. Egypt’s had over 50 centuries to perfect its recipes and this ancient flatbread is one of its perfections.
There are so many middle eastern restaurants that serve Lebanese style or even Turkish style food but you rarely see fully Egyptian style restaurants. Don’t get it wrong, they are great restaurateurs. However, could the lack of Egyptian restaurants be because the Egyptian immigrants in the US don’t typically open up restaurants or maybe it is because there aren’t many US manufacturers making Egyptian style products for restaurants and chefs to use in their kitchens.
What is Aish Baladi?
It is a simple, round, flatbread made from a combination of whole wheat flour or a mix of whole wheat and white flours, water, salt, and yeast. Aish Baladi is typically characterized by its slightly chewy texture and a mild, nutty flavor. It is often enjoyed with various dishes, used for dipping, or as a wrap for ingredients like falafel or grilled meats.
The traditional preparation methods, often involving hand-kneading and baking in a hot oven, can enhance the texture and flavor of the bread. The skill and experience of the baker can also play a role in achieving the desired taste.
Aish baladi is eaten with every meal in Egypt and has a unique taste due to the whole wheat and wheat bran used in the recipe. This staple food is so integral in society that Egypt subsidizes bread so everyone can afford it. Important to note that this bread is also fortified with essential nutrients to prevent malnutrition and deficiencies.
It’s rich with fiber and an excellent carb to add to your diet. This recipe creates a huge pocket in between so you can add meat (hawawshi) or ta’ameya inside the pita bread!
How to make Egyptian flat bread, aish baladi
Ingredients:
- 6 cups of white flour
- 2 cups of whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup of wheat bran (extra for dusting)
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of sugar (optional)
- I packet of active dry yeast
- 3 cups Lukewarm water (measure the temp, you may not use all the water)
Add dry ingredients and stir
Use lukewarm water (I only used 2 1/2-3 cups, you can use more or less depending on your flour). Knead until fully combined. May take a while and it will be very sticky
Once combined, cover it with a damp towel and set it in a warm place for 40min-1hr
Remove cover. Knead the dough, you can also use whole wheat flour to prevent stickiness
Start forming 4 inch dough balls by throwing the ball from one hand to another and tucking in the corners of the dough to create an air pocket
Next, place the dough on the tray. Cover the dough balls with a damp towel and let it rest for another 30-40 mins in a warm place. Their size will get larger
Now dust the counter with wheat bran, you can also use whole wheat flour to prevent stickiness
Lay the dough balls on the wheat bran and roll it until it forms a circle. Do not over roll the dough.
Place the dough on medium-high heat skillet pan. Once it forms small bubbles take it off and place on fired elevated metal tray
Use an elevated metal tray with holes and place it on top of the stove with HIGH heat. You don’t want the bread to be directly over heat or else it may burn the bread so you need elevation.
Add the bread on top of the elevated tray and watch the bread rise like a balloon
Once it pops, it is ready to take off. Make sure you don’t burn the bread by placing it on the stove for too long
Aish Baladi
Ingredients
- 6 cups White Flour
- 2 cups Whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cups Wheat Bran set aside extra for dusting
- 1 Packet of active dry yeast
- 3 cups Lukewarm Water measure the temperature between 98F-105F. You may not need to use all the water
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Add dry ingredients (white flour, whole wheat flour, wheat bran) and stir
- Use lukewarm water (I only used 2 1/2-3 cups, you can use more or less depending on your flour). Knead until fully combined. May take a while and it will be very sticky
- Once combined, cover it with a damp towel and set it in a warm place for 40min-1hr
- Remove cover. Knead the dough, you can also use whole wheat flour to prevent stickiness
- Start forming 4 inch dough balls by throwing the ball from one hand to another and tucking in the corners of the dough to create an air pocket
- Next, place the dough on the tray. Cover the dough balls with a damp towel and let it rest for another 30-40 mins in a warm place. Their size will get larger
- Now dust the counter with wheat bran, you can also use whole wheat flour to prevent stickiness
- Lay the dough balls on the wheat bran and roll it until it forms a circle. Do not over roll the dough.
- Place the dough on medium-high heat skillet pan. Once it forms small bubbles take it off and place on fired elevated metal tray
- Use an elevated metal tray with holes and place it on top of the stove with HIGH heat. You don’t want the bread to be directly over heat or else it may burn the bread so you need elevation.
- Add the bread on top of the elevated tray and watch the bread rise like a balloon
- Once it pops, it is ready to take off. Make sure you don’t burn the bread by placing it on the stove for too long
This is one of the most accurate aish baladi recipes out there. I visited Egypt one summer and had to try making it. Unfortunately, just finding a recipe online was difficult. Most of the recipes called for too much wheat flour. I love that you incorporated both wheat and all-purpose flour. It resulted in the perfect consistency for aish baladi. I got my wheat bran from Sprouts since they were the only place to offer it. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for trying out the recipe! Sprouts is a great place to get wheat bran! Some grocery stores have it as well in a pre-packaged bag.
-Sal
I found this recipe on your social media page! My family can never find Aish Baladi at the Arabic grocery store, so I decided to make it for them. I’ve been trying to find wheat bran for a long time, so thanks to the person in the comments for suggesting to go to Sprouts! We finally decided to make it ourselves, and yours looked so good in the video. We also have an electric stove top, and placing the rack over the stove fire was a good idea! It prevented the bread from burning too much. Some of them didn’t fluff up, but we think it was because we didn’t toast it enough in the pan first.
Turned out delicious!
Thanks for sharing! Also, make sure you don’t have any air pockets in the bread itself. If you do, just use a spoon to close it up, and the heat will expand the air pocket.
-Sal
This is the most accurate recipe out there so far. I tried other websites recipes and they added too much wheat flour and it just didn’t taste right. Last time I went to Egypt the bakeries told me they used regular white flour in aish baladi as well!