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Markook is a Middle Eastern yeast bread similar to pita bread, traditionally baked on a saj. Made with all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and warm water, it’s kneaded, allowed to rise, and rolled into small balls before being cooked briefly on a saj.
Markook is a thin Middle Eastern yeast bread, which is traditionally baked on a saj, or type of convex metal plate. Also called Saj bread or markouk, markook is similar to pita bread. Served commercially, particularly in Lebanon, this bread can be eaten on its own or as a wrap for meats or vegetables.
Made in the Levantine region for centuries, Markook uses active dry yeast for its leavening agent. All-purpose flour, sugar, and salt are included in this bread. Warm water is used to activate the yeast and vegetable or olive oil is used for the leavening process.
Like most yeast breads, markook is made by placing yeast, and usually sugar, in warm water. The flour, salt and sugar, if not included with the baking powder, are mixed separately. The blended dry ingredients are then added to the yeast mixture after it becomes bubbly.
Some recipes, however, may call for the yeast mixture to be poured into the dry mix. When this occurs, the dry mix is formed into a mound, then an indentation, often referred to as a pit, is created in the middle of the mound. The liquid is poured into the well and the wet and dry ingredients are mixed gently. Additional water can be added at this time as well.
Once the ingredients are combined, the dough needs to be kneaded. The dough can be made by hand or with a special dough hook on a mixer. If kneading by hand, the work surface should be floured to prevent the dough from sticking. When the dough is no longer sticky, the dough is complete.
The kneaded dough is then placed in an oiled bowl and turned in the bowl so that all parts of the dough are coated with oil. Subsequently, it is allowed to rise in a warm place, covered with a damp cloth, for about two hours. Once the dough has doubled in size, it’s ready to be kneaded again.
After this second kneading, the Markook dough is broken up and rolled into small balls. Each ball is pressed thin with the cook’s hand or, more often, rolled with a rolling pin. Once rolled, the pieces can be placed on the saj, where they are cooked very briefly on each side. The cooking process typically takes less than two minutes for each markook.
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