NON
UZBEKISTAN
Uzbeks are famous for their bread and you see it all over the markets, different types with wonderful patterns stamped into them using an implement called a chekish (hammer in Arabic), which is a type of wooden mallet spiked with sharp metal nails arranged in different patterns. The chekish serves two purposes—one is to make lovely patterns on the bread and the other is to puncture the dough so it doesn’t puff up while baking. It is not so easy to find chekish in the West, but you can use a fork or a sharp skewer to make the pattern of your choice. Uzbeks, along with most Muslims, consider bread sacred and they have lovely customs to show their reverence for bread, such as placing it under the head of a newborn baby to wish him or her a long, healthy life or in between the legs of a child taking her first steps to bless her endeavor. You find many types of bread in Uzbekistan, both plain and filled. This recipe is for the most common and plainest.
MAKES TWO 8-INCH (20 CM) ROUND BREADS
3¼ cups (390 g) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and shaping
1 teaspoon instant (fast-acting) yeast
1 teaspoon raw cane sugar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
FOR THE TOPPING
1 small onion (3½ ounces/100 g), very finely chopped
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon nigella seeds
1. Put the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Slowly add 1¼ cups (310 ml) water, bringing in the flour as you go along. Mix until you have a rough dough.
2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 3 minutes. Invert the bowl over the dough and let sit for 15 minutes. Knead for 3 more minutes, or until you have a smooth, soft dough. Shape into a ball.
3. Grease a clean bowl with the softened butter and also use some of it to smear the dough. Place the ball of the dough in the buttered bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1½ hours, or until doubled in size.
4. Divide the dough in half. Shape each piece into a ball and let rest on your work surface for 15 minutes. Then roll out each into a round 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter and ½ inch (1 cm) thick, making sure you raise the edges to have a good rim. Brush with water. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
5. During this time, preheat your oven to as high as you can and place a pizza stone inside if you have one.
6. Uncover the rounds of dough. Brush again with cold water and make a deep indentation in the middle with the heel of your hand. Then, using a fork—or a chekish, the traditional Uzbek bread stamp—prick the bread everywhere inside the raised edges. Transfer to a large nonstick baking sheet (or a regular baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat). Or if you have preheated a pizza stone in the oven, transfer the dough to a floured peel.
7. To make the topping: Mix the chopped onion, sesame seeds, and nigella seeds in a bowl. With your hand, spread the mixture all over both breads.
8. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden all over and risen around the edges. Check on the breads after about 12 minutes to see they are not baking too fast. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Bread is always best left to cool as it continues developing. You can always reheat it to serve hot.
