Katlama

Ingredients

• 400 g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
• 240 ml warm water
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 120 g softened butter or rendered lamb fat
• 2 tbsp plain flour to loosen the fat
• 1 onion, chopped as finely as possible (optional)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 150 ml sunflower oil for frying

Before you cook

• Mix the softened butter with the 2 tablespoons of flour and the black pepper to make a spreadable paste.
• Chop the onion very finely if you are using it, then squeeze it in a cloth to get rid of the water.
• Have a rolling pin and a clear stretch of worktop ready, since the dough needs room.

Steps

1. Mix the flour, salt and warm water into a soft dough and knead it for 8 minutes until it stops sticking.
2. Cover the dough with a cloth and rest it for 40 minutes so it rolls out without fighting back.
3. Divide the dough into 4 balls and keep three of them covered.
4. Roll the first ball out as thin as you can, aiming for a sheet you could almost read through.
5. Spread a quarter of the fat paste over the whole surface with your fingers.
6. Scatter a quarter of the chopped onion evenly across the sheet.
7. Roll the sheet up from the long side into a loose rope.
8. Coil the rope into a flat spiral and tuck the end underneath.
9. Repeat the rolling, spreading and coiling with the other three balls of dough.
10. Rest the coils for 10 minutes so the layers relax.
11. Press each coil out with your palm and roll it gently into a round about 18 cm across.
12. Heat 1 cm of oil in a heavy frying pan over a medium heat until a scrap of dough sizzles on contact.
13. Fry the first katlama for 4 minutes until the underside is blistered and golden.
14. Turn it over and fry for 4 minutes more, pressing the centre down with a spatula.
15. Drain the bread on kitchen paper and fry the rest the same way.
16. Tear the katlama into pieces by hand and serve hot with tea and sour cream.