In my baking class recently, along with other traditional and contemporary bakes, we made feseli, a flaky flatbread from Azerbaijan. The recipe, published in “Pomegranates & Saffron,” received raving reviews from class participants and I thought to share it on the blog, too. I have a feeling you will love this flatbread, and so will anyone you treat it to.
The flakiness in feseli is achieved by rolling the dough into a thin circle, brushing it with a generous doze of butter, plain or perfumed with a dozen spices, rolling into a roulade, coiling, then flattening before cooking it on both sides.
Traditionally, feseli is baked outside on a domed cast-iron pan, saj, heated over glowing wood embers, but at home, a regular cast-iron pan or non-stick frying pan work just as well.
In the class, we made two types of feseli – one was laminated with melted clarified butter (ghee), another with clarified butter mixed with a variety of ground spices. Both were good in their own right, but the spiced feseli, laced with a subtle hint of yellow all over, thanks to turmeric, got the most accolades.
The beauty of this bread is that it can be served as a savory meal with salty white cheese crumbled on top, or as a sweet indulgence, with a generous sprinkle of granulated sugar or a drizzle of honey. So good!
Look at this flakiness!