A distinctive reddish, soft flatbread made from the famous local red Hasawi rice flour. A staple accompaniment on the Eastern-Province table, distinct from all wheat breads of the region.
Hasawi bread (khubz hasawi) is a staple of the Eastern Province, Al-Ahsa, made from the famous local red Hasawi rice flour blended with wheat flour. The rice flour gives it the distinctive reddish colour and soft, slightly chewy texture that sets it apart from all the wheat breads of the region. It is a daily bread of the Al-Ahsa table, eaten with muhammar, fish, or any stew, and the rice-flour base reflects the Eastern Province's distinct agricultural heritage.
Soft, slightly chewy, faintly reddish and nutty, with a thin crisp bottom and a pillowy top, the rice flour giving a distinctive texture that wheat alone cannot. Eaten warm with fish or stew, it is soft, fragrant and the Eastern Province's daily bread.
The dough blends Hasawi red rice flour with wheat flour, yeast, milk powder and turmeric (for extra colour), giving a soft, slightly sweet dough that is pan-fried into flat rounds. The rice flour, which has no gluten, makes the bread tender and slightly cakey compared to a pure wheat flatbread. The dough is rested to hydrate the rice flour fully, then pan-fried on a hot griddle until the bottom crisps and the top stays soft.
Variations
A richer version adds more milk. Some bakers add nigella seeds.
On the Palate
Where Hasawi Bread sits in the Saudi flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
6 steps · 30 min
- 16 min
Mix 150g Hasawi red rice flour, 150g wheat flour, 1 tsp yeast, 1 tbsp milk powder, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt.
- 25 min
Add 200ml warm water; knead to a soft dough; rest 1 hour.
Watch outRest the dough a full hour so the gluten-free rice flour hydrates fully — under-rested, the bread bakes up gritty rather than tender.
- 35 min
Divide into 8 balls; flatten each into a 1cm-thick round.
- 44 min
Heat a griddle; brush with a little oil.
- 512 min
Cook each bread 3 minutes per side until the bottom is crisp and golden and the top is soft.
Watch outCook on a hot griddle until the bottom crisps but the top stays soft — that soft-top, crisp-bottom contrast is the whole character of the bread.
- 64 min
Brush with ghee; serve warm with fish or stew.
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