Labor Day, Bread Day
Holidays were made for spending the day waiting for your loaves to proof
Thank God for mini holidays.
I would guess most people’s initial thoughts when they find out they have a three-day weekend include hosting a get-together, going out of town, or just spending the day sleeping in, my brain’s first thought is that we’re making Syrian bread!
Look, I don’t make the rules, I’m not trying to be quirky, I’m just being honest.
I love, LOVE Syrian bread. It takes a bit of time, some bedsheets, and a lot of love. According to the internet, Syrian bread and pita bread are interchangeable, but my tiny, stubborn, brain begs to differ. Both are leavened doughs that are individually rolled and baked. You’ll know they’re finished once they fully expand in a baby, bread basketball. They should be soft, thin, and light, but also durable enough for sandwiches and dips. When I think of pita bread, I think of beautiful, pillowy loaves with a perfect little pocket to fill with your heart’s desires. But SYRIAN BREAD! That’s home.
Our bread is thinner than most traditional pita bread. Because of its thinness, it makes incredible toast. Slather a separated loaf with butter (and cinnamon sugar if you’re feeling fancy), throw it under the broiler for a few minutes, and you have one of life’s most simple pleasures.
Crisp edges with a soft, chewy interior and mini pools of melted butter, otherworldly. I’m being over the top, but it really is the best way to have toast, holy cow.
Another factor about making Syrian bread is the silly traditions that come with it. When I was younger, my Siti would call my mom’s phone early Saturday mornings or weekdays during the summer and ask if my sister and I would want to come over and help make bread. These were typically 8-9 am phone calls, Siti waited for no one.
She’d always have the dough prepared once we got there. My family and I only lived about 2-5 minutes away, so we made lots and lots of bread.
Syrian bread required some abstract equipment that you most likely own.
One was a chair that you’d knead the bread on top of, as well as the largest, biggest bowl you can find. The bowl we’d use was about 2 feet in diameter and the size of a 3-year-old child. You also need one bedsheet (not a fitted bedsheet, don’t be silly). Once the dough goes through its first resting period, you form all your loaves and put them to bed! Using a bed sheet versus a tea towel keeps the loaves from drying out as quickly and is light enough to not squish them. For the first rise, you also want to cover your dough with the heaviest blanket in your home. For food safety purposes, I recommend covering your dough in plastic wrap first, I’ve had too many accidental hairs found in the baking process. You also need a pizza stone, a rolling pin, and lots of counter space. Each loaf takes about a minute-minute and a half to fully bake and puff up, but you have to do it on a pizza stone or else it won’t inflate.
One of the other traditions that my Siti upheld was inserting quarters in a few of the loaves (typically one per grandchild). But! They only “appeared” after we would run to one of the bedrooms and thanked God for the bread.
The last time I baked bread with my Siti (December 8th, 2018), I snuck a few quarters in the loaves while she was in the bathroom. Years later, it’s definitely a full-circle moment. I think about it a lot actually.
Making Syrian Bread now on my own has its ups and downs!
I make about a third of the original ratio, mainly for space and time. My hands are big enough now to fully knead the dough, but I always have to text my sister or an aunt to ask how long I need to proof the dough, I can never remember. I love getting to share it with my friends and roommates but am now in the position of teaching others how to make it (which makes me feel a bit funky and unqualified).
Top Syrian bread recipes/combos
To end this on a less sentimental/high note, here are my top Syrian bread combos!
BLT’s (with Hellman®️’s mayo, specifically)
Syrian Toast (as mentioned before)
PB&J’s
Labne and Honey
Fattoush
bonus: 8 y/o Cara’s favorite: ham, and Heinz™ honey mustard
With love,
Cara
OK, now I’m crying. Miss my sweet mama every single day.
You bring tears to my eyes as you bring Siti to life. Amazing, unbelievably loving person. I was blessed to call her my Mother- in- Law. Best one EVER!