Aish Baladi (Egyptian Whole Wheat Pita) | العيش البلدي
Learn how to make authentic Egyptian Aish Baladi at home—soft, smoky, and fiber-rich whole wheat pita bread with a wide steamy pocket for your favorite fillings.
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Ingredients
For the Biga (Starter)
- ¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ½ cup warm water
- 3 ½ cups unbleached bread flour
- 1 ¼ cups cold water
Aish Baladi Dough
- Biga (starter), recipe above
- ½ -1 cup water, heated to 105º
- 1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tbsp. Himalayan salt
- 3 tablespoons honey or white sugar, see notes
- 1 ½ cup finely ground bran for proofing, optional
Instructions
Biga/Starter
- Place the warm water in a small bowl, and sprinkle the yeast. Stir to combine. Let stand until yeast is foamy, about 15 minutes.
- Measure flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the center, and pour in the yeast mixture and cold water. Use a sturdy spoon to mix it together until sticky and difficult to stir, but nevertheless thoroughly combined. Cover and allow to ferment for 24 hours in the refrigerator before using.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. To use, bring to room temperature and proceed with the Aish Baladi Recipe.
Aish Baladi Dough
- Dilute the honey into the warm water. Add the salt to the whole wheat flour. In a large sizable container mix the Biga (at room temperature), the whole wheat flour and start adding the warm water mixed with honey gradually. Knead with her hands no less than 10-25 minutes until a soft sticky dough forms. See notes. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.
- Place a baking stone on a rack in the oven and heat the oven to 500° for 30 minutes, or preheat the baking sheets inverted on their faces in the preheating oven.
- Sprinkle a generous later of finely ground bran mixed with flour . Transfer the dough to a your work station and divide into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Let it rest covered with a towel for 10 minutes, and then flatten into a 5-inch circle or smaller. Lightly sprinkle the cracked wheat bran, if using, or more whole-wheat flour. Let the break disks rest fo about 20 minutes.
- Working in batches, place the dough circles on the hot baking stone or the inverted baking sheets, spaced 2 inches apart, and bake until puffed and lightly charred in spots, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the breads to a rack and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Nermine's Notes
- We add honey of white sugar to the Aish Baladi dough not only to activate the yeast and achieve the rise of the dough but also to offset the bitterness of whole wheat bread.
- We knead the dough for no less than 1-15 minutes, to develops gluten giving the dough elasticity and structure. In short: kneading is what transforms sticky flour and water into a dough that can rise, stretch, and puff into Aish Baladi.