Sangak
Iran's most ancient bread: a long whole-wheat flatbread traditionally baked on a bed of hot pebbles. Slightly tangy, deeply chewy, nutty. Eaten with feta.
Overview
A wholemeal-heavy dough (70% wholemeal, 30% white) with a long ferment, 3-4 hours room temp or overnight in the fridge. Stretches into a 40-50 cm long oval, ~5 mm thick. Pressed onto a hot baking tray scattered with small smooth pebbles (or stones from the garden, well-washed). Baked at maximum heat 6-8 minutes, the dough conforms to the pebbles, giving the dimpled bottom that defines sangak.
Ingredients
- 350 g wholemeal flour
- 150 g plain white flour
- 1 sachet (7 g) fast-action yeast (or 5 g for slower ferment)
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 380 ml warm water
- 500 g small smooth river pebbles (washed, oven-safe - see Notes)
- Cornmeal (or extra flour, for dusting)
Method
Stage 1 - Dough
- Whisk wholemeal flour, white flour, yeast, salt.
- Add olive oil and warm water; mix to a wet sticky dough.
- Knead 8 minutes in a stand mixer.
- Cover; rise 3-4 hours at room temperature (or overnight in the fridge) until doubled.
Stage 2 - Prep pebbles
- Spread pebbles on a sturdy heavy baking tray in a single layer.
- Place in the oven; heat oven to maximum (250°C+) for 30-40 minutes to thoroughly heat the pebbles.
Stage 3 - Shape
- Tip the dough onto a generously floured surface.
- Divide in half.
- Press the first half into a long oval; stretch by hand to a 40-50 cm long, 15 cm wide flat - about 5 mm thick.
- Slide carefully onto a peel (or upturned tray) dusted with cornmeal.
Stage 4 - Bake
- Open the oven; carefully slide the dough onto the hot pebble bed (the pebbles press into the dough from below, creating the signature dimpled bottom).
- Bake 6-8 minutes until deep gold.
Stage 5 - Lift
- Lift the bread off the pebbles with tongs and a metal spatula (the pebbles stay on the tray).
- Shake off any pebbles that stuck (rare if the surface is well-floured).
Stage 6 - Second loaf
- Repeat with the second half of dough. The pebbles are still hot.
Stage 7 - Serve
- Eat warm with feta, walnuts, fresh mint and basil, and a glass of black tea.
Notes
- Pebbles: Use small, smooth, oven-safe river stones - washed, dried. Pottery beads, baking weights, or coarse rock salt also work. Don't use pea gravel (too sharp).
- Don't have pebbles? Bake on a hot stone or steel - you'll get a flat (not dimpled) sangak. Still delicious; just not the traditional shape.
- Long ferment: The flavour depth comes from a long rise. Overnight in the fridge gives the best sourdough-like character.
Storage
- Best fresh, eaten warm.
- Wrapped in foil at room temperature 24 hours.
- Freeze 1 month.
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