Tendir Bread Azerbaijani
“A large, thick round of leavened wheat bread slapped onto the searing wall of a clay tandoor oven, where it puffs and blisters into a crisp crust over a soft, chewy crumb.”
Where it comes from
Tendir çörəyi is the everyday tandoor bread of Azerbaijan, tandoor breads and lavash are central to Azerbaijani cuisine, with lavash inscribed on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.
On the plate
The crust crackles and flakes apart, smelling faintly of woodsmoke from the clay oven, while the interior pulls into soft, chewy strands. Torn warm and eaten plain or with cheese and herbs, it is the backbone of every Azerbaijani meal.
How it works
The tandoor's radiant clay walls hit the wet dough surface with intense heat, flashing moisture to steam for a fast oven-spring and a crackly crust while the thick crumb stays tender.
Variations
tendir bread topped with sesame, version with nigella seeds, smaller flat rounds, enriched dough with milk
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓25 min active · 120 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 110 min
Dissolve yeast in warm water and let it foam.
- 212 min
Mix flour and salt, add the yeast water, and knead into a soft, elastic dough.
- 370 min
Cover and let the dough rise until doubled in size.
- 45 min
Knock back the dough, divide it and shape into thick round disks.
- 520 min
Let the shaped loaves proof briefly while the tandoor heats to searing.
- 65 min
Dimple the surface, brush with water, and slap each loaf onto the hot tandoor wall.
- 718 min
Bake until the crust is deeply browned and blistered and the bread sounds hollow.
- 85 min
Hook the bread off the wall and cool slightly before tearing.
