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1
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of the warm water.
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2
Add the sugar, and when it begins to froth (this will be proof that the yeast is still active), stir in the remaining water.
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3
Add 3 cups of the flour, 1 cup at a time, gradually, stirring vigorously.
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4
Let this sponge rest for 10 minutes, or until it froths.
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5
Stir in the salt and 2 tablespoons of the oil and mix well.
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6
Add the remaining flour gradually, a little at a time (you may need less), until you have a dough that holds together in a ball.
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7
Knead well by hand in the bowl, or on a floured board, for about 10 minutes, until it is smooth, shiny, and elastic and no longer sticks to your fingers, dusting with a little flour occasionally if it is too sticky.
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8
Put the remaining tablespoon of oil in the bottom of the bowl and roll the ball of dough around to grease it all over.
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9
This will prevent the surface from becoming dry and crusty.
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10
Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place free of drafts for about 2 hours, until doubled in bulk.
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11
Preheat the oven set at the maximum, 500F temperature for at least 20 minutes, and place a large baking sheet in the hottest part.
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12
Punch the dough down and knead again for a few minutes, then divide in half.
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13
Divide the first half into 8 lumps.
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14
Flatten each one on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin sprinkled with flour, into rounds between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick and about 78 inches in diameter.
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15
Dust with flour and lay the rounds on a cloth sprinkled with flour.
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16
Arrange them 1 inch apart, so that they do not touch as they grow.
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17
Cover with another lightly floured cloth, and leave to rest and rise again for about 20 minutes at room temperature.
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18
When the bread has risen again, place 2 rounds at a time on the hot baking sheets sprinkled lightly with flour, and bake for 35 minutes, or until they puff up like balloons and are slightly brown on top.
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19
Wrap the breads together in a cloth while still hot, or put them in a plastic bag to keep them soft and pliable, while you bake the remaining breads and repeat with the second half of the dough.
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20
To make eish baladi, use whole-wheat bread flour or a half-and-half mixture of unbleached white and whole-wheat bread flours.
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21
(Whole-wheat alone doesnt allow the bread to rise enough.)
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22
To make khubz sarj, which means bread cloth and is used to roll up food in, you need a convex (dome-shaped) metal plate heated over a fire (an open fire or a gas fire).
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23
With a rolling pin, roll the balls of dough as thin as you possibly can without making any holes, on a floured cloth.
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24
When the dome is hot enough, carefully place the sheet of dough on it.
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25
To do this, lift up the dough by rolling it up on the rolling pin and then gently unrolling it over the dome.
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26
When bubbles appear, in about 35 minutes, the bread is ready.
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27
For mafrooda of the Gulf States, make the same dough as for khubz, using white flour or a mix with whole-wheat.
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28
Roll out the rounds and prick them all over with a fork so as not to have a pouch.
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29
Bake quickly without letting them rise.
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30
Iranian breads called nane lavash (a very large one) and taftoon are leavened flatbreads without a pouch.
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31
They are pricked all over with a fork and pressed down on the baking sheet or griddle with a cushion to prevent the bread from puffing up.
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32
They are baked 3 minutes on one side, until the dough bubbles, then turned over and cooked on the other side for 2 minutes more.
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33
An excellent snack can be made with the above recipe by making a depression in the flattened dough and breaking an egg into it before it goes in the oven.
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34
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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35
The egg will set firm as the bread bakes.
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36
To make olive bread, work black olives, pitted and chopped, into the dough, and prick all over with a fork so as not to have a pouch.
