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Dodi, Dodi, Dough!
Dodi Dodi Dough.
English translation?
My beloved, my beloved dough!
No, it’s not an ancient prayer, but it is fun to say when you’re rolling dough for Shabbat. Speaking of Shabbat and the high holy days,
Shavuot will be here soon!
To commemorate the two leavened loaves offered at Shavuot, I thought I’d share a recipe for barbari, traditional Persian bread. What makes it special (other than the wonderful, chewy texture) is that Persian Jews sometimes form the loaves into twin “tablets” to celebrate the Ten Commandments. It’s a very easy dough to work with, and it won’t rise (or fall) like traditional braided challah.
Have you ever “taken challah” while you’re baking? (Nu 15:21)
Just pinch off a portion of your dough a little smaller than an olive, wrap it in foil, and throw it in the oven while you’re preparing your loaves and say:
- “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to separate challah from the dough.”
- Baruch Ata Hashem Elokeinu melech haolam asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav v'tzivanu l'hafrish Challah min ha'isa.
You can also throw it in the trash or somewhere it won’t be eaten. Remove the burnt portion from the oven and discard it before baking your loaves. Because it is holy, it shouldn’t be used for anything else.
Barbari Recipe:
Yeast Mixture
1/2 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
Dough Mixture
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 cup warm water
3 1/4 cup white flour, divided
canola oil spray
Glaze Mixture
1 t. flour
1 t. baking soda
2/3 cup water
1/4 cup black sesame seed (or ziadune or onion seed)
And I can’t help it…everything tastes better with a dash of za’atar. Even pizza.
1. In a medium bowl, combine the water and yeast mixture. Cover and set aside to proof the yeast for five minutes or so. Line two 17” x 12” baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix baking powder, salt, warm water, and two cups of flour with the dough hook until smooth. Add yeast mixture and remaining flour, and knead for about five minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Add a tablespoon of flour if too sticky.
3. Spray the dough with oil, cover with plastic wrap, and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size.
4. Make the glaze: combine one teaspoon flour, baking powder, and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Set aside to cool.
5. Preheat oven to 350 F.
6. Punch down the dough and divide into two equal parts. Shape each into a ball and put each one on a baking sheet. Flatten and roll out the balls with a rolling pin, flattening the bottom edge with your fingers to form the tablet shape.
7. Using a small knife or your fingertips, score vertical lines in the dough. GENTLY pull the dough from the short sides, creating trenches without separating the dough. Look at the photo above for an idea of how it should look. Stretch until you’ve created a 17” x 12” x 1/2” tablet with the vertical grooves.
8. Brush the bread with the glaze and sprinkle it with seeds. Dash a bit of za'atar over it if you like a little more Middle Eastern soul. Let it stand five minutes before placing it in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
This morning I tried using some leftover dough to cut out smaller loaves with a Torah tablet cookie cutter, and it came out great. This would be fun for kids if the tablets were brushed with honey in the last few minutes of baking. It might also be fun to score the small tablets horizontally, creating five lines on each one to represent the Ten Words.
Traditionally, barbari is served warm with goat cheese, walnuts, scrambled eggs, honeydew melon, and hot sweet chai. It will go great with any meal, but particularly Shabbat breakfast.
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