Hi everyone!

Today’s post is about one of the many wonderful breads I grew up eating. This bread is so popular people make long queues for it every morning in Iran! It’s so quick & easy to make it yourself at home, you just have to try it!

This bread is best eaten within to days of making it. If you rather keep it for longer, you can make it ahead of time and put it in freezer. Then, just defrost and toast it as you need. I loved how the wheat bran layer at the bottom of the bread gave an incredible biscuity aroma and taste to it and made the bread last longer. Anything goes with this bread: cheese, jam, honey, or even as a sandwich bread for lunch! I ate mine with homemade sour cherry jam!  😀

What will also make this a true Persian breakfast, would be some Persian music of course, and one of my favourite oldies is the one by famous Persian singer, Andy, called “Persian Girl”.

   ♫♫♫♫♫♫   “Dokhtar Irooni (Persian Girl)” (Andy)    ♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫♫

The translation of lyrics to English is this:

دختر ایرونی  Persian girl

Look at her body, what a beautiful body she has!
Look at her eyes, what gorgeous eyes she has!
Look at her gesture, what a charming gesture she has!
Look at her lips, what attractive lips she has!
You are the most attractive one
You are the kindest one
In love, you are the loyal one
Say Bravo for her
Ask her where is she from
She is the most beautiful one, nothing left to say
Persian girl is like a flower, what a scent and color she has!
Don’t say which one is better, each one has its own grace
I would die for the girl from *Tehran
With her familiar stare, she would capture my heart
Look at the girl from *Gilan, her lips burn like fire
She is the symbol of love and loyalty
She is the mistress and the coquettish, she must be from *Shiraz
She is the most beautiful girl in *Khouzestan, she is from *Abadan
She is chatty and friendly, she is from *Esfehan
She is the loyal one, she is from *Tabriz
You are the prince of my dreams, hey Persian boy
You are the one who cares for my heart and appreciates me
You are the best for me, your love has haunted me
You, my Persian lover, who was born in my motherland —————————-

*They are some provinces or cities in Iran.

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Now back to baking! Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

-3 1/3 cups plain flour
-1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
-1 teaspoon salt
-Wheat Bran Sesame and poppy seeds, as required

Method:

1. Add the yeast to 1 1/4 cup warm water, stir and set aside. 2. Combine the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. 3. Now add the yeast mixture and combine to form a rough dough. 4. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for a few minutes until you have smooth dough. 5. Put the dough in an oiled bowl and let rise for an hour or until it is doubled in size. 6. Meanwhile, combine 3 tablespoons of warm water with 1 tablespoon of flour in a bowl.

7. Preheat the oven to 168 C.

8. Transfer the dough back to the floured surface, punch back to let the air out and then divide to two equal portions.

9. Form each part of the dough to a flat oval shape, approximately 25-30 cm in length.

10. Line the baking tray with baking paper and cover it with the wheat bran.

11. Transfer the doughs to the baking tray. 12. Brush the surface of the doughs with water, then sprinkle either sesame or poppy seeds on top. 13. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden.

Enjoy!!~~~~ 🙂