Eish Baladi (Egyptian Wholemeal Pocket Bread)

Mix both flours, water, yeast and salt into a soft, slightly sticky dough. Knead 10 minutes, cover and prove 1½ hours until doubled.

Put a baking stone or a heavy upside-down tray in the oven and heat to the very highest setting — 250 °C or more — for a full 45 minutes.

💡 Forty-five minutes of preheating, not ten. The pocket forms only if the stone is hot enough to turn the dough's water to steam instantly; a warm stone bakes a flat, dense disc.

Divide the dough into 8. Roll each ball in the bran until thickly coated, then flatten with a rolling pin into a disc 18 cm across and 6 mm thick.

Lay them on bran-dusted cloth and prove 30 minutes, uncovered, until the surface looks dry and matt.

Slide two at a time onto the stone. They should balloon within 60–90 seconds. Bake 3 minutes total, until just coloured — not browned.

Stack them straight into a cloth as they come out and wrap. Trapped steam keeps them soft; left in the open they go to crackers.