🇸🇦 Saudi Arabian Cuisine

Markook

Paper-Thin Flatbread

Prep Time 30 min
Servings 6
Difficulty Medium
Calories 183 kcal

An impossibly thin, translucent flatbread cooked on a domed griddle called a saj, yielding a bread that is simultaneously crispy and pliable. This ancient Bedouin bread accompanies nearly every Saudi meal.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 1 Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add oil and warm water gradually, mixing until a soft, elastic dough forms.
  2. 2 Knead the dough for 8 minutes until smooth and pliable. Cover with a damp cloth and rest for 20 minutes.
  3. 3 Divide the dough into 6 equal balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball as thin as possible into a large round, almost translucent.
  4. 4 Heat the saj dome or an inverted wok over medium-high heat until very hot. The surface should be dry with no oil.
  5. 5 Carefully drape the thin dough over the hot dome. Cook for 1-2 minutes until bubbles form and the bread firms up with light brown spots.
  6. 6 Peel off the cooked bread and stack on a clean cloth. Serve warm alongside stews, grilled meats, or use as a wrap for fillings.

Did You Know?

Bedouin women can stretch markook dough so thin you can read a newspaper through it, a skill passed from mother to daughter over generations.