Afghan bread, or Noni Afghani, is a flatbread served with almost every meal in Afghanistan. It is made with a mix of whole wheat and white flour, and can be flavored with cumin, sesame, or poppy seeds. The dough is shaped by hand and baked in a traditional oven, and is often served with yogurt or cottage cheese.
Afghan bread is a kind of flatbread, the daily bread of Afghanistan. It may be called Noni Afghani, Nan-i-Afghan or Afghani Nan. In Afghanistan this bread is served with almost every meal. Afghan bread is about 0.5 inch (1.27 cm) thick and comes in various sizes. Cumin, sesame or poppy seeds are often sprinkled on top.
Recipes often call for a mix of whole wheat flour and white flour when making bread. You can use all whole wheat or all white flour. Many recipes call for just flour, salt, yeast, and water, but yogurt, oil, and eggs are all common recipe additions.
Usually, Afghan bread dough is allowed to rise once before being shaped into pieces for baking. It is shaped into balls, which are allowed a short rest before each forms into foil for baking. A rolling pin can be used, but traditionally the pieces are shaped by hand. The ripple marks on the top, left by the pressure of the fingers flattening and shaping the piece, are one of the hallmarks of the traditional Afghan flatbread.
Afghan bread is made in different sizes, from that of a small napkin up to about 3 feet (about 1 m) in length. It is usually a narrow oval, much longer than it is wide, sometimes with small holes punched in the dough before baking. A free-standing, brick-fired, wood-fired oven is traditionally used to bake Afghan bread, while some bakeries may use deck ovens or other industrial ovens. A pizza stone can make a good surface to bake it at home. Some home recipes call for the bread to be cooked in a heavy skillet.
When baked in a traditional oven, the bread is usually placed on the inside wall of the oven to bake. One technique is to place the piece of dough on a moistened flat piece of metal, which is then used to secure the dough to the oven wall. There is no need to turn the bread, as it is baked at high enough temperatures that it is cooked through in minutes without turning. When done, the bread is tan or tan in color.
Afghan bread can be served with any Afghan meal and is considered a staple in some countries. It is also commonly served as a snack or light meal with yogurt or cottage cheese. The bread freezes well and can be reheated briefly in a hot oven.
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