Basics

Gambir – Nomadic Pan-Fried Flatbread

Name: Gambir – Nomadic Pan-Fried Flatbread
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 4 loaves
Ingredients: 500 g Flour; 300 ml Water; 1 tsp Salt; 7 g Baker's yeast; 20 g (to serve) Butter; 2 tbsp (optional, to serve) Cream

Preparation time: 1 h 30
Servings: 4 loaves

Ingredients

4 loaves

Flour — to buy500 g
Water — to buy300 ml
Salt — to buy1 tsp
Baker's yeast — to buy7 g
Butter — to buy20 g (to serve)
Cream — to buy2 tbsp (optional, to serve)

Preparation

Mix the flour, salt, and baker's yeast in a large bowl, then gradually add the warm water, kneading until you get a soft, slightly sticky dough.
Knead for 5 minutes on a floured surface, shape into a ball, cover with a cloth, and let rise for 1 hour somewhere warm until the dough doubles in size.
Punch down the dough and divide it into 4 pieces; roll each one into a thick disc about 1.5 cm: gambir is deliberately left thicker than a flatbread, to stay soft on the inside once cooked.
Heat a dry cast-iron skillet (or with just a trace of oil) over medium heat: on the steppe, this bread was cooked directly on a hot plate set over embers, no oven required, a technique born from nomadic life where you carry as little gear as possible.
Place one piece of dough in the hot skillet and cook covered for 6 to 8 minutes per side, lowering the heat slightly halfway through: cooking covered traps the steam and lets the inside cook through without burning the crust.
Check for doneness by tapping the center: the bread should sound hollow and show a golden crust flecked with brown.
Remove from the heat, wrap in a clean cloth to keep it soft, and repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
Serve warm, torn by hand, with thick clotted cream (öröm) and a little sugar, or simply with butter: this is how it traditionally accompanies the morning milk tea.

Basics

Gambir – Nomadic Pan-Fried Flatbread

Preparation time: 1 h 30
Servings: 4 loaves

Ingredients

4 loaves

Flour — to buy500 g
Water — to buy300 ml
Salt — to buy1 tsp
Baker's yeast — to buy7 g
Butter — to buy20 g (to serve)
Cream — to buy2 tbsp (optional, to serve)

Preparation

Mix the flour, salt, and baker's yeast in a large bowl, then gradually add the warm water, kneading until you get a soft, slightly sticky dough.
Knead for 5 minutes on a floured surface, shape into a ball, cover with a cloth, and let rise for 1 hour somewhere warm until the dough doubles in size.
Punch down the dough and divide it into 4 pieces; roll each one into a thick disc about 1.5 cm: gambir is deliberately left thicker than a flatbread, to stay soft on the inside once cooked.
Heat a dry cast-iron skillet (or with just a trace of oil) over medium heat: on the steppe, this bread was cooked directly on a hot plate set over embers, no oven required, a technique born from nomadic life where you carry as little gear as possible.
Place one piece of dough in the hot skillet and cook covered for 6 to 8 minutes per side, lowering the heat slightly halfway through: cooking covered traps the steam and lets the inside cook through without burning the crust.
Check for doneness by tapping the center: the bread should sound hollow and show a golden crust flecked with brown.
Remove from the heat, wrap in a clean cloth to keep it soft, and repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
Serve warm, torn by hand, with thick clotted cream (öröm) and a little sugar, or simply with butter: this is how it traditionally accompanies the morning milk tea.