AI-generated image
Biberli ekmek
Pepper paste flatbread
Hatay biberli ekmek: Antakya flatbread topped with red pepper paste, onion, cumin and sesame
Antakya's neighbourhood bakeries take trays of topping from customers each morning and bake biberli ekmek in the wood oven to order: soft flatbreads smeared with a spiced paste of red pepper, onion, parsley, cumin and sesame. It is breakfast, a school snack and a picnic bread all in one, often eaten with a glass of tea and a few olives. Some families add a little crumbled cheese, but the classic is meat-free and dairy-free. Spread the topping thin; a thick layer stays raw and wet in the middle. Chef's tip: bake on the hottest preheated tray you have so the base blisters before the topping dries out.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the topping
- 3 tbsp Turkish hot red pepper paste
- 1 oniongrated and squeezed dry
- 1 red peppervery finely chopped
- ⅔ oz flat-leaf parsleyfinely chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 4 tbsp olive oil
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water and 2 tbsp olive oil into a soft dough and knead for 8 minutes, until smooth.
8 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled.
60 minStep 3: Meanwhile, stir together 3 tbsp Turkish hot red pepper paste, 1 onion, 1 red pepper, ⅔ oz flat-leaf parsley, 1 tsp ground cumin, 2 tbsp sesame seeds, 4 tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp pul biber (Aleppo chilli flakes) into a spreadable paste.
Step 4: Heat the oven to 475°F (425°F fan) with two baking trays inside for at least 15 minutes.
Step 5: Divide the dough into 6 and press each into a round about 20 cm across, leaving the rim a little thicker.
Step 6: Spread 2 heaped tablespoons of topping thinly over each, right to the rim.
Step 7: Slide onto the hot trays (on baking paper) and bake for 8–10 minutes, until the edges are puffed and freckled brown and the base sounds hollow. Bake in batches.
20 minStep 8: Eat warm, folded in half, or stack and wrap in a cloth to keep soft.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 400 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 63 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does biberli ekmek take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
SalufPuffy flatbread
Saluf is the everyday bread of Yemenite Israelis, slapped onto a hot pan or taboon in Rosh HaAyin and Sha'arayim in Rehovot and eaten with marak temani, hilbe and zhug. It is soft and blistered, thicker than pita and with no pocket, made to tear and dunk. Home cooks often roll it too thin, which gives a cracker; it should be about 1 cm thick so it stays pillowy. Chef's tip: cook it under a lid on a very hot dry pan for the first minute, which traps steam and puffs it the way a taboon does.
Israeli
ChipaCheese bread rings
In Paraguay you hear 'chipa, chipa!' called by vendors with big baskets on buses and street corners, and every family bakes it for Holy Week, when chipa is the food of Good Friday. Cassava starch, a little cornmeal, butter, eggs and a lot of hard cheese are kneaded into a dough scented with aniseed, shaped into rings or small rolls and baked in a hot oven, traditionally a domed clay tatakua. It's chewy, crisp outside and best warm with cocido (toasted yerba tea). Chef's tip: the dough should feel soft and slightly greasy; add milk a spoon at a time, as too much makes the chipa spread flat.
Paraguayan
Firik pilavıSmoky green wheat pilaf
Each June farmers around Gaziantep cut wheat while it is still green and burn off the husks in the field, which gives firik its gentle campfire smell. Cooked as a pilaf with onion, pepper paste and a handful of chickpeas, it has a chewy, nutty bite that sits well beside grilled kebabs or simply a bowl of ayran and a tomato salad. It is the everyday grain of the region's home kitchens, cheaper than rice and more filling. Rinse the grains well: grit and bits of chaff are common in firik. Chef's tip: let it rest under a tea towel for ten minutes after cooking; the steam finishes the grains and they separate beautifully.