Sabaayad

Sabaayad is a flaky, layered flatbread from Somalia, cooked on a griddle in ghee. It is most often eaten at breakfast, hot from the pan and torn into pieces with tea. Its layers come from folding and stretching a plain dough, not from yeast or a rising agent, so the bread is pale, flexible and rich.

What it really is

Sabaayad is made from a dough of wheat flour, salt and water. The dough is rested, rolled thin, brushed with ghee and folded or coiled, then flattened again so that the layers form as it cooks. It is pan-fried on a hot griddle with more ghee until the surface turns golden and spotted brown, while the inside stays soft and separates into flakes. How thin the dough is stretched decides how many layers the finished bread shows.

Sabaayad does not puff. Because the classic dough has no yeast, it stays flat, and its texture comes from the fat between the layers.

How it's served

• Hot from the griddle, brushed with a little more ghee.
• Torn or folded and eaten by hand, usually at breakfast with tea.
• Plain, with honey or sugar, or alongside a savoury stew for a main meal.

How to write it on the menu

• Name it sabaayad and call it a Somali flatbread, so guests know it is flaky and layered, not a thin wrap.
• Flag wheat, since the dough is wheat flour, and milk, since ghee is made from butter.
• Say that it is cooked in ghee, so guests who avoid dairy or need vegan food know it is not suitable for them.
• State whether it is plain or served with honey, sugar or stew, and price any extras separately.
• Say how many pieces come per portion, because the bread is often sold by the piece.