Iraqi Bread (Samoon Bread)
Soft Iraqi bread (samoon) recipe made at home. Perfect for shawarma, sandwiches, and mezze.
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Baking stone
- Precision weighing scale To the nearest 0.1g
Ingredients
- 500 g Extra strong white bread flour
- 7 g instant yeast
- 12 g Sugar
- 9 g salt
- 45 ml melted ghee
- 330 ml warm water 66% hydration level
- 30 g plain yogurt
- 8 g milk powder
For brushing
- Water
- Oil
Instructions
Bloom
- Mix warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit 5–10 min until foamy.
Mix
- Add the flour and salt and mix
- Add the ghee, yogurt, milk powder, and water
- Mix until shaggy
- Add bloomed yeast
- Knead on the stand mixer on medium speed for 20mins
After 20 minutes, perform the windowpane test by gently stretching a small piece of dough; if it stretches thin enough that you can see light through it without tearing, the dough is ready.
First rise
- Cover and let rise 1½ hours until doubled.
Divide
- Punch down gently.
- Divide and weigh into 155g balls.
Shape the classic "boat"
- To make the samoon shape:pinch both ends into pointsgently stretch lengthwiseslightly press the middle thinner than the edges
Final proof
- Cover lightly and rest 30 min.
- Meanwhile preheat oven as hot as possible:250–275°C (475–525°F)
- If you have a pizza stone or steel, use it.
- Put a tray in the bottom for steam.
- After finished resting, brush lightly with water/oil.
- Sprinkle sesame seeds
- Bake 7–11 min until:puffedgolden brownslightly blistered
- For extra bakery effect:broil/grill 60-120 seconds at the end.
Keep a close eye on it when grilling, it can quickly brown all of a sudden.
Video
Notes
- Use bread flour, not all-purpose.
- High heat is everything.
- Slightly wetter dough = more authentic air pockets.
- A baking stone/steel gives that crisp bottom.
- A little yogurt gives the subtle tang many Iraqi bakeries have.