Samoon
Samoon is the everyday bread Iraqis buy at the bakery, hot from the oven. It has a distinctive diamond shape with pointed ends, a crisp, thin crust and a light crumb that, in a fierce bake, forms a hollow ideal for stuffing. Split open, it is filled with falafel, kebab, hard-boiled egg with amba sauce or simply cheese. The dough is simple; success depends on an oven heated to maximum and steam at the start of baking.
Your own work in that: 30 min.
- Kneading 15 min
- Rising 60 min
- Shaping 15 min
- Proving 30 min
- Baking 25 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneKnead the dough
Mix the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt, add the water and oil. Knead 10–12 minutes until smooth, elastic and barely sticky.
Ingredients: 500 g strong white bread flour · 320 ml lukewarm water · 7 g dried yeast · 1 tsp sugar · 1½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp oil
Smooth and elastic — the gluten must be strong.Leave to rise
Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave an hour somewhere warm, until doubled.
Ingredients: 500 g strong white bread flour · 320 ml lukewarm water · 7 g dried yeast · 1 tsp sugar · 1½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp oil
Divide into balls
Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces (about 105 g each) and shape into tight balls. Cover with a cloth for 5 minutes so the dough relaxes.
Ingredients: 500 g strong white bread flour · 320 ml lukewarm water · 7 g dried yeast · 1 tsp sugar · 1½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp oil
Shape the diamonds
Flatten each ball by hand into an oval 15 cm long and 1.5 cm thick. Pinch the ends and pull them out into sharp points to make a diamond. Lay them on baking paper.
Ingredients: 500 g strong white bread flour · 320 ml lukewarm water · 7 g dried yeast · 1 tsp sugar · 1½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp oil
Ends pulled into points — a diamond shape.Prove and heat the oven
Cover the breads and leave 30 minutes. Meanwhile heat the oven to 250°C with a stone or upturned tray inside and an empty tin on the oven floor for water. A stone takes about 45 minutes to heat, so if you use one, switch the oven on before dividing the dough.
Ingredients: 500 g strong white bread flour · 320 ml lukewarm water · 7 g dried yeast · 1 tsp sugar · 1½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp oil
Slash and spray
Make one shallow lengthwise slash in each bread and spray with water. The slash controls where the bread bursts, and the water gives a thin crust.
Ingredients: 500 g strong white bread flour · 320 ml lukewarm water · 7 g dried yeast · 1 tsp sugar · 1½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp oil
Bake with steam
Slide 4 breads onto the hot stone, pour a glass of boiling water into the tin below and shut the door quickly. Bake 10–12 minutes until puffed and golden. Bake the second batch the same way, with a fresh glass of boiling water — about 25 minutes in all.
Ingredients: 500 g strong white bread flour · 320 ml lukewarm water · 7 g dried yeast · 1 tsp sugar · 1½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp oil
Steam and maximum heat — the bread puffs up.Cool on a rack
Cool on a rack for a few minutes so the crust stays crisp. Split at the side and fill with falafel, kebab, egg with amba or cheese.
Ingredients: 500 g strong white bread flour · 320 ml lukewarm water · 7 g dried yeast · 1 tsp sugar · 1½ tsp salt · 1 tbsp oil
Before you start
Why it is hollow
The hollow forms when steam rapidly inflates the dough in a very hot oven. In an oven that is not hot enough the pocket may not form, so heat it thoroughly.
Amba sauce
Amba is a tangy, spicy sauce of pickled mango with fenugreek and turmeric, very popular in Iraq. Look for it in Middle Eastern shops.
Storage
Samoon is best on the day it is baked. Next day refresh it 3–4 minutes in a hot oven. Baked, it freezes well.
