Sangak Persian Flatbread

A shortcut Persian flatbread that might just ruin store-bought pita forever.

I grew up in a culture where bread wasn’t a side — it was the whole damn meal. It was the tablecloth. The utensil. The event.

So excuse me if I don’t get excited over pita in a plastic bag.

This is my shortcut Sangak — inspired by the iconic Persian flatbread traditionally baked on a bed of hot river stones. But here’s the thing:

You don’t need fermentation. You don’t need lava rocks.

You just need a hot pan and a little bit of disrespect for the rules.

Ingredients

• 469g AP flour

• 1 ½ cups warm water (divided)

• 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast

• 1 tbsp sugar

• ¾ cup Greek yogurt (full-fat preferred)

• 3 tbsp za’atar

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more for stretching)

• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt

• Nigella seeds, for finishing

Bread Nerd Notes

• Warm water: Think baby bath temp. Around 100°F (38°C). Too hot and you’ll murder your yeast. Too cold and it’ll nap forever.

• Blooming yeast: Stir yeast and sugar into half the warm water. Let it get foamy — it’s the yeast saying “I’m alive and I’m ready to party.”

• Greek yogurt: Adds fat, tang, and tenderness. It’s doing a lot of heavy lifting here.

• Za’atar: Optional, but highly encouraged. It sneaks flavor straight into the dough.

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Instructions

1. Bloom your yeast

   In a small bowl, mix the sugar, yeast, and half of the warm water. Let it sit for 5–10 minutes until bubbly and fragrant.

2. Make your shaggy dough

   In a large bowl, combine Flour, yogurt, za’atar, olive oil, salt, and the remaining water. Stir in the bloomed yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon or your hand until a shaggy, sticky dough forms.

   Note: This dough is sticky — embrace it. Don’t add flour. You’re building elasticity, not drying it out.

3. Bulk ferment (aka: the nap)

   Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot for 90 minutes or until doubled. Draft-free corners or inside a turned-off oven with the light on are perfect.

4. Divide + rest

   Oil your work surface generously. (No flour — it’ll kill your stretch.) Punch the dough down, divide into 16 rough balls, and let them rest for 10 minutes. This relaxes the gluten so they’re easier to shape.

5. Stretch + cook

   Heat a pan hot hot hot. Cast iron ,steel pan no nonstick or you wont be able to stretch the dough, just no chill.

   Oil your hands, flatten and stretch each dough ball into a thin oval — don’t stress about perfect shape. Place onto the hot pan and cook 1–2 minutes until bubbly, golden, and charred in spots. Flip and repeat.

6. Top like you mean it

   Brush with more olive oil and hit it with nigella seeds for that extra flair.

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Freezing & Reheating Tips

• Let bread cool completely before freezing.

• Wrap tightly in foil or a freezer bag.

• Reheat straight from frozen in a hot oven or toaster oven. You’ll get even crispier edges than the first time around.