43 replies to this topic

[chefzadi]

In central Turkey, I have tasted bread made from whole ground durum wheat . Semolina, I believe, is part of durum wheat . Am I correct?

Yes.

[Catherine Iino]

Big bump.

A couple of days ago, a huge box arrived here in Connecticut from my wonderful Lebanese friends. When I opened it, I discovered a gas-fired sajj! (I had asked Nayla, "What's a sajj?" several years ago. My husband says that next time I should ask, What's a BMW?) I need to get the connector for the gas line modified, I think, and then figure out where to put the thing. I don't think I'll be using it indoors, whatever they do in Konya. But I am very excited. Anyone having adventures using one these days? I have the Alford & Daguid flatbread book, but any recipes would be great. I'm particularly interested in figuring out a semolina formula. Of course, Paula Wolfert's description of the "gossamer-thin" bread in Damascus sounds fantastic.

[melamed]

Big bump.

A couple of days ago, a huge box arrived here in Connecticut from my wonderful Lebanese friends. When I opened it, I discovered a gas-fired sajj! (I had asked Nayla, "What's a sajj?" several years ago. My husband says that next time I should ask, What's a BMW?) I need to get the connector for the gas line modified, I think, and then figure out where to put the thing. I don't think I'll be using it indoors, whatever they do in Konya. But I am very excited. Anyone having adventures using one these days? I have the Alford & Daguid flatbread book, but any recipes would be great. I'm particularly interested in figuring out a semolina formula. Of course, Paula Wolfert's description of the "gossamer-thin" bread in Damascus sounds fantastic.

I bought a saj about a year ago from an Arab merchant and I am still perfecting my technique. The kurds make it with only flour, water and salt, nothing else and make dome shaped brittle bread which they stack up in the corner of the room and use throughout the week, usually wetting it before eating. Traditionally they sit on the floor and roll out the dough into a circle on a little table, and use the rolling pin to place it on the saj. This looks very easy to do, but when I tried it the saj was either too hot and burnt the bread or was too cold and got stuck to it. Making them
into huge circles is also very tricky. Last weekend I tried digging a bigger hole under the saj which I want to stack with bricks for better heat retention and I hope this trick helps.

There are other ways of making it such as this you tube video (and is how the local druze women do it as well)

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=h_MIVv4_3l8

flipping the dough with your hands looks like alot of fun, but after my first try working with saj bread, I know that I will be practicing alot! Perhaps I should have gotten a gas saj like above!

[Catherine Iino]

Sarah--

Thank you so much for the lead on the Youtube video; I should have thought of that. I'd never heard of using a pillow in forming the dough--that's really interesting.

Are you using your saj over a wood fire? That does sound challenging. I suspect, though, that it will take a lot of finagling to get it right even over a gas flame.

Your website looks lovely, by the way (I wish I could read Hebrew). And the article on your blog about eating poison greens is fascinating.

[melamed]

Sarah--

Thank you so much for the lead on the Youtube video; I should have thought of that. I'd never heard of using a pillow in forming the dough--that's really interesting.

Are you using your saj over a wood fire? That does sound challenging. I suspect, though, that it will take a lot of finagling to get it right even over a gas flame.

Your website looks lovely, by the way (I wish I could read Hebrew). And the article on your blog about eating poison greens is fascinating.

Thanks! Yes I am trying to do it the old fashioned way, over a wood fire. Last time I did that I made tons of smoke which blew in the direction of my neighbor's freshly laundered clothes, yikes! I didn't make any of the complicated large breads
but I did make a few smaller ones my kids helped shaped. Not many know how to make the Kurdish bread anymore (they don't use the pillow), but I do have a relative who lives a few hours away who makes it for the village, I have been meaning to make a visit and learn from a pro and when I do I will post some pictures.

[ChefCrash]

Big bump.
...(I had asked Nayla, "What's a sajj?" several years ago. My husband says that next time I should ask, What's a BMW?)...

I'm with your husband, BMW's can really cook too.

This is what we make with a Sajj.

[sazji]

Here's a picture of my friend's mother making saj bread in Silopi, Turkey (about 10 km from the Iraqi border town of Zaho).

[Catherine Iino]

A wood-fired saj--of course! Makes me realize how easy it would be to rig up an upside-down wok in my fireplace, or on the Weber kettle.

Bob, the bread on the saj in your photo is folded in half. Is it filled? If so, is the filling put on after the bread is put on the saj?

Actually, I've been thinking about you, because I've been wondering whether saj and saz have the same root--possibly something to do with the dome shape? Do you know?

[melamed]

In the backyard, as far away from the neighbor's clothesline as I could get, I have a great little setup with an improvised saj table, a hammock and of course saj heated with a woodfire. I am still perfecting my skills, but the deeper hole lined with stone helps with the temperature control.

[melamed]

Here's a picture of my friend's mother making saj bread in Silopi, Turkey (about 10 km from the Iraqi border town of Zaho).

Does she flip the dough in her hands or use a rolling pin to create the bread. I have a kurdish cookbook by a women from zakho and she does it the rollling pin way using the exact same little table.

[ChefCrash]

Here's a picture of my friend's mother making saj bread in Silopi, Turkey (about 10 km from the Iraqi border town of Zaho).

Does she flip the dough in her hands or use a rolling pin to create the bread. I have a kurdish cookbook by a women from zakho and she does it the rollling pin way using the exact same little table.

A rolling pin is more useful as fuel in the fire.

Here's a short clip of how it's done.

[ChefCrash]

In the backyard, as far away from the neighbor's clothesline as I could get, I have  a great little setup with an improvised saj table, a hammock and of course saj heated with a woodfire. I am still perfecting my skills, but the deeper hole lined with stone helps with the temperature control.

Great photo of the kids helping.
By grouping the blocks so that there is a single opening would help keep the heat in.

[melamed]

A rolling pin is more useful as fuel in the fire.

Here's a short clip of how it's done.

[/quote]
I am not sure why they make their bread with a rolling pin because flipping is so much more elegant, but that's the way they do it.
thanks for the link! It looks so easy, doesn't it when a professional does it, have you tried it? My major problem is that my kids are impatient to start and the dough isn't rested enough and tends to tear.
-I can try closing some of the holes with bricks, I just don't want to smother the fire. In Sazji's picture she has the saj stacked up very high and she's doing fine, its a very nice picture with the man daydreaming in the corner.

[Hassouni]

I just got This book from the Beirut Airport Duty Free, in French. I later realized there's an English version, and my French cooking vocab is definitely not up to par. Oops. However, it looks extremely interesting, with several types of dough described as well as preparation guidelines. I'm less interested in the multitude of recipes, which seem to only vary in the toppings. I already know what toppings I like! That being said, there is a good recipe for 'Awarma (Lebanese lamb confit).