Somun is a flatbread similar to pita. The real star of this dish is the čevapi though. Grilled mini kebabs are what I would describe them as. All served with a sour cream sauce makes this an amazing meat lover’s meal.

This kind of meal is popular across the Balkans, but Bosnia was the first one on my list in the Baking World Tour so that is why I made it for Bosnia. Although my recipe looks like the real deal, I will admit that a lot of times authentic ingredients are not available to me. I used sour cream for the sauce, but the original recipes use a kind of soured milk. A mix of yogurt mashed with feta cheese can also be a good substitute. As I know most of you do not live in countries where soured milk is common I guess you would forgive me for not using it.

Making recipes more accessible is one of my main goals, so here we are.

The flatbread is super simple to make. You could turn it into a recipe that uses preferment if you wanted to, but I think keeping this one easy is the way to go as the rest of the elements of this dish are simple and not time consuming either.

When it comes to the čevapi there are a few things to note. I used a mix of pork and beef. You can use different kinds of meat. Lamb and beef or just beef or just lamb would work. Mixing beef and pork for me is the sweet spot. You get the flavour from beef and the juiciness and fattiness of pork. This same mix can be used to make meatballs which go perfectly in a tomato sauce.

To keep the kebabs nice and springy and juicy I used an old granny trick which involves soaking some stale bread, then squeezing the water out and adding it to the meat mixture. If you have never tried this, you may realize that you have been eating golf balls up until now.

You can cook the čevapi in several ways. Leave them on a tray and bake them on a high temperature in the oven or cook them in a pan. Barbecuing would be the best option in my opinion. I used my panini press, which worked fine, but it is not a great tool for this job.

This recipe makes 4 flatbreads and has a total of 1kg of meat. So, it is for 4 extremely hungry people.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the dough –

250g (8.8oz) strong white bread flour

5g (0.17oz) salt

3g (0.1oz) instant dry yeast, 3.6g (0.12oz) active dry yeast or 9g (0.3oz) fresh yeast

155g (5.45oz) cold water*

*To learn more about dough temperature control click here.

For the čevapi –

500g (1.1lb) minced pork

500g (1.1lb) minced beef

10 cloves minced garlic

10g (0.35oz) salt

5g (0.17oz) paprika

1 whole egg

1 bun worth of stale bread

Ground pepper to your taste

For the sauce –

Sour cream

Herbs of your choice. I used chives.

Salt & pepper

*You could also add a squeeze of lemon juice

To serve –

Sliced fresh onions

Chili flakes if you like it a bit spicy

Method

1. Make the čevapi mix. Soak the stale bread in cold water. Whilst the bread is soaking combine the egg, paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic. Squeeze as much water from the bread as possible and add it to the rest of the ingredients. Mash everything together as smoothly as possible. Add the minced meat and mix until all the ingredients are evenly dispersed. Place the čevapi mix in a piping bag if you are using one. It is by far the best and most convenient way of making the čevapi. Pipe the čevapi onto a tray. Cover and leave in the fridge for later.
2. Make the sauce. Mix all the ingredients well. Cover and leave in the fridge for later.
3. Make the dough. In a large bowl combine the water, yeast, and salt. Mix well to dissolve the salt. Add the flour and mix to a dough.
4. Tip the dough out on your table and knead it for 5 minutes. *Desired dough temperature 25-26C (77-79F). If your dough is warmer, then it will ferment more rapidly. If it is cooler, then it will take longer. Adjust proofing time accordingly.
5. Place the dough into a bowl. Cover and ferment it for 1.5 hours.
6. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and shape them into round balls.
7. Cover and ferment for 1 hour or until doubled in size. *During this time preheat your oven to 250C (480F) fan on. Also preheat your baking stone or meatal tray or any other base you may use.
8. Flatted each dough ball and using a chopstick or a skewer impress a diamond pattern into it.
9. Bake the somun for around 3 minutes.
10. Cover the somun as soon as they come out the oven to prevent them from drying out.
11. Cook the čevapi.
12. Assemble your massive sandwich and enjoy!

Keep in mind that the conditions in each kitchen are different, so fermentation times may vary for you. It is up to the baker to control the bread and react accordingly.

Your oven may be different too, so your baking time may vary.

Simple roti is an immensely popular bread all around Asia.

There are many variations. They can be sweet or savoury. You can eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Being unleavened makes it extremely easy to make as there is no need to wait for it to puff up. In the first part of the video, I demonstrate how to make the roti, in the second part I will show you how to make a delicious Malaysian chicken curry to go along with the roti.

The roti can be filled with various fillings like herbs, vegetables and spices. I kept them plain with just egg for this recipe as I served them alongside the curry which is extremely flavourful and does not require any more spices. In fact it is quite nice to eat such a curry with a simple plain roti on the side.

If you are going to make the roti as well as the curry, then make the dough, place it in the fridge to rest and whilst it is resting make the curry. When the curry is ready finish the roti and have yourself a nice meal ?

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

Roti:

150g (3.5oz) strong white bread flour

3g (0.1oz) salt

3g (0.1oz) sugar

1 whole egg, approximately 50g (1.75oz)

45g (1.6oz) milk *you want a total weight of 95g (3.35oz) between the milk and egg. First weigh the egg and then add enough milk to make up the difference.

4 whole eggs for frying

Salt & pepper to season

Oil

Curry:

For the curry powder –

5g (0.2oz) ground turmeric

1g (0.03oz) ground cloves

2g (0.07oz) ground black pepper

5g (0.2oz) ground cumin

10g (0.4oz) ground coriander

5g (0.2oz) cinnamon

2g (0.07oz) ground star anise

Chilli powder to your taste *Mix all these ingredients to make the curry powder. Set aside.

For the curry paste –

160g (5.6oz) peeled & diced shallots

40g (1.4oz) peeled garlic

40g (1.4oz) peeled ginger

100g (3.5oz) cashew nuts

20g (0.7oz) soy sauce

20g (0.7oz) oil

2 teaspoons of the curry powder from above *Blend all these ingredients in a food processor to make the curry paste.

For the chicken –

600g (1.3lb) chicken drumsticks

20g (0.7oz) soy sauce

The rest of the curry powder *Mix well to marinade the chicken. This can be done a day ahead of time for more flavour, but a quick marinade works perfectly well too.

To cook the curry –

20g (0.7oz) oil

2 lime leaves, sliced

2 small branches worth of curry leaves, picked

3g (0.1oz) salt

400g (14oz) diced, peeled potatoes

150g (5.3oz) coconut milk to finish

Coriander leaves to serve

Method

To make the roti:

1. In a bowl combine the egg, milk, salt, sugar and mix well. Add the flour and mix to a dough.
2. Knead for 5 minutes.
3. Divide in 4 equal pieces and shape into balls. Place on a greased plate. Brush with oil all over, cover with cling film and place in the fridge to rest for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. *Now is the time to make the curry if you decide to do so.
4. Using oil stretch the dough out on your table until it becomes translucent.
5. Lay the dough in your pre heated (medium – high heat) pan and pour over one of the eggs. Season with salt & pepper. Fold it up into a parcel. Flip every 30 seconds. Cook until golden brown all over.

Enjoy whilst fresh!

To make the curry:

1. In a pan heat up the oil and cook the curry paste on medium heat for around 5 minutes or until thickened and nicely fragrant. Stir it with a metal spoon because it might tend to stick to the pan.
2. Add the lime leaves, curry leaves, salt, potatoes, and chicken drumsticks.
3. Add enough water to almost cover the chicken. Bring up to a simmer.
4. Cook for around 1 hour or until the chicken comes off the bone with no effort. Stir the curry occasionally with a metal spoon as it may start sticking to the bottom of the pan a little bit.
5. Add the coconut milk and adjust the seasoning if need be. Serve the curry garnished with fresh coriander leaves.

These basic unleavened flatbreads make a great meal on their own.

You can fill them with many different fillings. I made mine with a vegetable curry. This recipe makes 5 flatbreads. Multiply the amount of ingredients to make more.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

150g (5.3oz) strong white bread flour

150g (5.3oz) wholemeal flour

180g (6.7oz) water

20g (0.7oz) vegetable oil

6g (0.2oz) salt

Filling of your choice

Method

1. Mix the water, salt, and oil. Stir to dissolve the salt flakes.
2. Add both flours and mix until no dry flour left.
3. Tip out on work surface and knead for 5 – 7 minutes.
4. Wrap the dough ball in cling film and rest for at least 2 hours.
5. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces.
6. Place on a floured tray, cover and rest for 30 minutes. Pre-heat your oven to 250C (480F) fan on and place your baking vessel to pre-heat as well.
7. Roll out two dough pieces at a time to around 20cm (7.5in) in diameter.
8. Spread the filling in a thin layer, brush the edge with water and top with the second piece of dough.
9. Bake for 2 – 3 minutes, flip and then bake for 2 – 3 minutes longer.
10. Store under a tea towel to prevent them from drying out and to keep the pliable These breads can be pre-baked and reheated when required, they keep quite well for a couple of days.

Keema naan. Meat stuffed flatbread. This is so delicious and simple to make.

Keema means mince, and naan means bread, so this is literally mince bread.

Flatbreads are some of my favourites because of how easy it is to make them. Cooked in a pan, they are super simple. This is one of the rare cases where something that is easy to do is good at the end. You can use any minced meat you like or make them with cheese instead. 

Check out the Flatbreads page for many more delicious recipes just as simple as this one.

This recipe makes 4 good sized Naans. If you want to make more, then just multiply the amount of ingredients.

Watch the video down below to see detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the dough –

250g (8.8oz) strong white bread flour

100g (3.5oz) milk, cold 

70g (2.5oz) yogurt, cold

5g (0.2oz) salt

5g (0.2oz) sugar

3g (0.1oz) dry yeast or three times the amount of fresh yeast

10g (0.35oz) oil or soft butter

My kitchen was very warm 25C (77F) so I used cold milk and yogurt from the fridge. If your kitchen is cold, then leave them out to come up to room temperature.

To learn more about dough temperature control click here.

For the filling –

200g (7oz) minced meat. You can use any mince you like – pork, beef, chicken or other.

1 small onion, minced

6 cloves of garlic, minced

Salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, garam masala & coriander to season.

Yogurt & herbs for dipping.

Method

1. Add the milk and yeast to a bowl and let the yeast hydrate for a couple of minutes.
2. Add the salt, sugar, oil, and yogurt and give it a good mix to dissolve any salt and sugar crystals.
3. Add the flour and mix until combined.
4. Knead the dough for around 5 minutes. Desired dough temperature 24 – 25C (75 – 77F). If your dough is warmer, then reduce the proofing time. If it is cooler, then increase proofing time.
5. Proof for 45 minutes.
6. Degas (punch down).
7. Proof for 45 minutes.
8. Divide into 4 equal pieces and preshape.
9. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
10. Shape into tight balls.
11. Final proof 45 – 60 minutes. If your dough is a bit sluggish, then leave it to proof for longer.
12. Fill the dough pieces, roll them out and cook them on a medium-high heat in a pan with oil turning every 30 – 60 seconds until nicely coloured on both sides. Total cooking time or around 5 – 6 minutes. *Be careful when rolling the dough to not apply too much pressure as the filling might pop out of a corner. Roll them gradually, and if they are resisting, then simply let the dough rest for 5 minutes before continuing. 

Unleavened flatbread is some of the earliest kind of bread humans made.

These butter rotis are layered and flaky. Like a savoury puff pastry. Cooked in a pan they are simple to make. The delicious buttery flavour and the texture make them a perfect accompaniment to your favourite curry. This recipe makes 4 rotis. A good amount for 2 hungry mouths. If you want to make more, then double or triple the amount of ingredients.

Watch the video down below to see detailed instructions.

Ingredients

150g (5.3oz) white flour

1 egg

50g (1.75oz) milk

3g (0.1oz) salt

3g (0.1oz) sugar Oil for handling the dough and for frying.

Soft butter for layering and more for frying. The amount of butter is up to you. You can add less or more. You can also use oil to layer the roti.

Method

1. Add the milk, egg, salt, and sugar to a bowl and mix to dissolve any salt and sugar crystals.
2. Add the flour and mix until no dry flour left.
3. Knead the dough for around 5 – 7 minutes.
4. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Shape into balls, cover and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
5. Oil your worktop and stretch the dough pieces out as thinly as possible.
6. Brush with butter all over, fold, roll, tuck in the end piece and flatten. (See video!)
7. Cover and rest in the fridge for another 30 minutes at least.
8. Oil your worktop and roll the rotis out thin.
9. In a hot pan add some oil and a knob of butter. Fry the rotis, flipping them every 20 – 30 seconds. Add more butter if needed. Cook them until they are puffed up and nicely golden brown all over.
10. Cover to keep them pliable, but they are best eaten fresh from the pan.

Enjoy with your favourite curry.