Kattama is a flaky, layered flatbread of the Kazakh and wider Turkic steppe tradition. The dough is rolled thin, brushed with melted butter or rendered animal fat, folded and rolled again repeatedly to build many thin layers, then pan-fried until crispy and golden. It is a nomadic griddle bread (no oven needed, cooked on a portable flat pan) whose layered technique is shared across Central Asia, and it is eaten with soups, stews, or tea, torn into flaky pieces.
Flaky, buttery, crisp layers that pull apart, the inside soft and faintly rich, a golden crust from the pan. Eaten warm torn, with tea or a bowl of soup, it is the everyday bread of the steppe table.
The dough is a simple flour, water and salt dough, rested to relax. It is rolled thin, brushed generously with melted butter or fat, folded over, rolled again, and the process repeated to build 8 to 16 distinct layers. Pan-frying in a dry or lightly oiled hot pan crisps the outer layers while the inner layers stay soft and flaky. The fat between the layers is what creates the separation; without it the bread is flat.
Variations
A richer version uses rendered lamb fat. Some add a little milk to the dough.
On the Palate
Where Kattama sits in the Kazakh flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
6 steps · 30 min
- 18 min
Knead 400g flour, 1 tsp salt and 200ml warm water to a soft dough; rest 30 minutes.
- 25 min
Divide into 6 balls; roll each into a thin 2mm sheet.
- 310 min
Brush the sheet generously with 30g melted butter; fold in half, then half again; roll out gently; repeat the fold-and-roll twice more.
Watch outBrush each rolled sheet generously with butter before folding — that fat between the folds is what separates the layers; skip it and the bread bakes flat.
- 48 min
Heat a dry pan; place the folded dough; cook 3 minutes per side until golden and flaky.
Watch outCook on a dry hot pan until golden and the layers flake apart — too cool and it toughens instead of crisping into leaves.
- 54 min
Brush with a little more butter on the cooked side.
- 63 min
Serve warm, torn into flaky pieces, with tea or soup.
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