Turkish Flatbread (Fladenbrot) Found in Germany

By
Jennifer McGavin
Jennifer McGavin
Jennifer McGavin learned to cook German food while living in Germany for 11 years and has worked in the food industry for many years.
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Updated on 12/22/22
Turkish Flatbread Fladenbrot

scottiebumich / Getty Images

Prep: 18 hrs
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 18 hrs 20 mins
Servings: 6 to 12 servings

If you've ever been to Germany, you've probably come across Fladenbrot or Turkish Flatbread. It's a lot like ciabatta or focaccia. 

There are at least two distinct types of Fladenbrot, the flat, tortilla-like bread which is the wrap used for Doener kebab sandwiches (similar to Greek gyros), and the 1-inch-high type, sprinkled with nigella seeds (black caraway, or black sesame seeds), as in this recipe.

We use this bread for soups, party trays with dip and, when split horizontally, for sandwiches.

This bread takes two days to make, 10 minutes the first day to make the sponge and 3 hours the second (hands-on time about 25 minutes). It can be served hot or at room temperature.

Ingredients

For the Sponge:

  • 1/2 cup warm water

  • 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

For the Dough:

  • 1 1/4 cups warm water

  • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 3 1/4 cups bread flour, plus more as needed

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • Cornmeal, for dusting

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons nigella seeds, for sprinkling

Steps to Make It

Sponge—Day 1

  • In a medium bowl, mix 1/2 cup warm water with 1/4 teaspoon yeast and 1/4 teaspoon sugar and let stand about 10 minutes. There may or may not be foam. Stir in 1 cup all-purpose flour. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand overnight.

 

Sponge—Day 2

  1. Add the yeast mixture (the sponge), 1 1/4 cups of water, 1 teaspoon yeast and the olive oil to a bowl. Stir in 3 1/4 cups bread flour and salt until wet dough forms.

  2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth. It will be very sticky, use a dough scraper if you have one and expect your hands to be covered with dough. Don't incorporate too much flour, this dough should have a 75 percent to 80 percent hydration ratio, which will help create the larger crumb.

  3. Place the dough in a large, floured bowl, flour the top and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

 

Bake the Bread

  1. Place a baking stone in the middle of the oven on a rack and heat the oven to 450 F. for about 1 hour. While the oven is heating, remove the dough from its bowl onto a floured surface and divide into 2 or 4 pieces.

  2. Flatten (coax) each piece into a round or oblong with minimum degassing. Place them on parchment sprinkled with cornmeal or flour, on top of an overturned cookie sheet. Cover them with plastic and let rise until puffy, about 30 minutes. You may also use a baker's peel, instead of parchment paper, if you have one. Put cornmeal on the hot stone just prior to adding the bread.

  3. Spray the loaves lightly with water, sprinkle the ovals with the nigella seeds. Slide the ovals onto the hot stone in the oven (still on the parchment). Bake until crisp on the bottom, about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

  4. If the bread is baked and stored, crisp in the oven for a few minutes prior to serving.

Tips

  • Nigella sativa (also known as Russian caraway or black caraway) is not caraway at all, but related to onions and has a distinctive, dusty, Turkish taste.
  • You may add steam to your oven, but the short, hot cooking time makes it less necessary. To steam, heat oven to 450 F. and place an old baking pan on the bottom rack. Place rolls in the oven on the next shelf up, pour 1 cup of water into the old baking pan and close the door quickly. Spray sides of the oven with water 2 or 3 times in the first 5 minutes using a regular spray bottle. Turn oven down to 400 degrees F. and bake for 15 to 20 more minutes.
  • You also see these loaves round-shaped with scoring and even with extra-coarse salt sprinkled on top.
  • For low salt, you may cut the salt in half, but some salt is necessary to the bread structure. Less salt will affect the taste, somewhat.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
248 Calories
5g Fat
43g Carbs
7g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 12
Amount per serving
Calories 248
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 7%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 535mg 23%
Total Carbohydrate 43g 16%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 7g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 22mg 2%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 88mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)