Malawach (Flaky Flatbread)
Photo: Ayala Sender, CC BY 2.0
Malawach is a layered, flaky flatbread eaten widely in Israel, and its crisp, buttery pages are easy to make at home. The texture comes from rolling each portion paper-thin, brushing it with melted butter, then rolling it into a rope and coiling it twice, with a rest in between. Pan-fried until amber, it is traditionally served with a hard-boiled egg and tomato salsa with fresh coriander.
Instructions
Mix the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and 2 cups of the lukewarm water, then knead well. Add more water only if needed, until the dough is soft and pliable.
Cover the dough and leave it until it has doubled in size. Knead it briefly by hand, divide it into 12 portions and set them on an oiled surface. Rest them until each portion has doubled, oiling the tops from time to time.
Oil a work surface and roll each portion with a rolling pin into a very large round, almost paper-thin. Brush the round generously with melted butter and fold it in half from top to bottom.
Roll the folded dough up from the top down, like a sleeping bag, to make a rope. Coil the rope into a spiral, cover, and let it rise until doubled.
Roll each spiral out again into a thin round, brush with butter, and repeat the rolling and coiling. Cover the spirals and rest them until they have risen once more.
Heat a skillet with a little vegetable oil. Flatten each coil by hand on a greased surface.
Put a flattened portion in the skillet and cover with a lid. Cook over medium to low heat until the underside turns amber, then flip and cook the other side without the lid. Serve hot.
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