Khoubz Araby (arab Bread)

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Pour 1/4 cup of lukewarm water into a small bowl and sprinkle it with
the yeast and sugar.  Let the mixture rest for 2 or 3 minutes, then
stir to dissolve the yeast completely.  Set the bowl in a warm, draft
free place (such as a turned off oven) for 5 minutes, or until the
mixture doubles in volume. In a deep bowl, combine the flour and  salt,
make a well in the center, and pour in the yeast mixture, the  olive
oil and 2 cups of lukewarm water. Gently stir the center  ingredients
together, then incorporate the flour and continue to beat  until the
ingredients are well combined. Add up to 1/2 cup more  lukewarm water,
beating it in a tablespoon at a time, and using as  much as necessary
to from a dough that can be gathered into a compact  ball. If the dough
is difficult to stir, work in the water with your  fingers. Place the
dough on a lightly floured surface and knead by  pressing it down,
pushing it forward several times with the heel of  your hand and
folding it back on itself. Repeat for 20 minutes, or  until the dough
is smooth and elastic.  Shape the dough into a ball  and place it in a
lightly oiled bowl.  Drape loosely with a towel and  set aside in the
warm place for 45 minutes, or until the dough  doubles in bulk. Punch
it down with a blow of your fist and divide it  into 8 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a ball about 2 1/2 inches  in diameter, cover the
balls with a towel and let them rest for 30  minutes. Preheat the oven
to 500 degrees (F). Sprinkle 2 large baking  sheets with 1/2 cup of the
cornmeal or flour. On a lightly floured  surface, roll 4 of the balls
into round loaves each about 8 inches in  diameter and no more than 1/8
inch thick.  Arrange them 2 to 3 inches  apart on the baking sheets,
cover with towels and allow them to rest  for 30 minutes. If you have a
gas oven, bake the bread on the flour  of the oven for 5 minutes, then
transfer the loaves to a shelf 3 or 4  inches above the oven floor and
continue baking for 5 minutes, or  until they puff up in the center and
are a delicate brown.  If your  oven is electric, bake the bread on the
lowest shelf for 5 minutes,  then raise it 3 or 4 inches and continue
baking until the breads are  puffed and browned. Remove the bread from
the baking sheets, wrap  each loaf in foil, and set aside for 10
minutes. Sprinkle the pans  with the remaining 1/2 cup of cornmeal or
flour and bake the  remaining 4 loaves of bread in a similar fashion.
When the loaves are  unwrapped the tops will have fallen and there will
be a shallow  pocket of air in their centers. Serve warm or at room
temperature.  From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at
www.synapse.com/~gemini

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