Samoon

Samoon

In Iraqi Arabic: صمون. In Hebrew it is written “סמון” and also “צמון”. This is Iraq’s everyday bread — an elongated diamond-shaped roll, pointed at both ends, with a thin, crisp crust and a very airy crumb.

The shape is not a bakers’ whim. Samoon was originally baked on the walls of a clay oven (tannour) or on the floor of a scorching stone oven, and the pointed shape increases the surface area relative to the volume — so the crust dries quickly and turns crisp, while the inside stays moist. This bread is torn by hand, not sliced, and it is the base for tashreeb, the wrap for masgouf, and the classic Iraqi street sandwich with amba.

Prep time: 25 minutes · Rising time: 2 hours · Bake time: 15 minutes · Yield: 8 loaves · Difficulty: medium

Steam, crust, and why a home oven struggles with bread

The big difference between bakery bread and homemade bread is not the dough but the steam. In a professional oven, steam is injected during the first minutes of baking, which has two effects: the outer surface of the dough stays moist and so keeps expanding instead of hardening too early (which allows oven spring — the jump in volume), and the starch on the surface gelatinizes and then dries into a thin, glossy crust.

In a home oven you can imitate this in two ways: a metal pan in the bottom of the oven into which you pour a cup of boiling water the moment the bread goes in, or spraying water on the oven walls. Without steam, samoon will still come out tasty, but the crust will be thicker and the volume smaller — and that is why homemade bread tends to come out “heavier” than bakery bread, not because of the dough.

The second condition is bottom heat. A pizza stone or an upside-down baking sheet preheated for 40 minutes transfers heat quickly to the dough and creates the initial burst — exactly the same principle at work in lahmacun and pide.

Ingredients (for 8 loaves)

• 500 grams bread flour, or regular white flour with water added gradually
• 320 ml lukewarm water
• 10 grams dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil or other oil
• 2 tablespoons milk powder — optional, softens and browns
• Corn meal or semolina for dusting the surface

Choosing ingredients and substitutes

Bread flour is sold in supermarkets, but regular white flour also works. With regular flour, start with 290 ml of water and add the rest gradually according to how much the dough absorbs. The milk powder is optional and can be left out. Semolina is convenient for dusting; if you choose cornmeal, that means fine yellow meal, not cornstarch.

Method

1. Activate the yeast. Mix the yeast, sugar and 290 ml of the lukewarm water and wait 10 minutes until foamy.
2. Knead. Add the flour, salt, oil and milk powder if using, and add the rest of the water gradually according to how much the flour absorbs. Knead for 10 minutes into a smooth, soft, elastic dough that doesn’t stick to the sides.
3. Let rise. Cover and let rise for about an hour until doubled in volume.
4. Shape diamonds. Divide into 8 balls, let rest for 10 minutes, then flatten each ball into an oval and roll it tightly into a log. Press and pinch both ends to points and flatten slightly into an elongated diamond.
5. Second rise. Arrange on baking paper dusted with cornmeal and let rise covered for 45-60 minutes.
6. Heat the oven to maximum (250 degrees Celsius, about 480°F) with a pizza stone or upside-down baking sheet inside, for at least 40 minutes, and an empty pan on the bottom.
7. Bake with steam. Slide the loaves onto the hot stone, pour a cup of boiling water into the bottom pan and close the door immediately. Bake 12-15 minutes until golden.
8. Cool on a rack — not in a pile, or the steam will soften the crust from inside.

Nutrition facts and calorie estimate

The recommended serving is one loaf, about 90 grams.

Samoon is a white bread, so its profile is predictable: readily available carbohydrate, very little fiber, and about 450 mg of sodium per loaf. What is worth noting is the context — samoon is almost never eaten on its own. It is torn into tashreeb, wrapped around masgouf, or served with a stew. In other words, its 275 calories are added to the meal rather than replacing part of it, which is why an Iraqi meal that looks “light” actually adds up to a high number.

A real improvement without changing the bread: replacing 30% of the white flour with whole-wheat flour raises the fiber from 2 to about 5 grams per loaf and changes the glycemic response, at the cost of a slightly denser crumb. For details on the differences between flours, see comparing wheat, spelt and rye flour.

Variations and tips

• Sourdough samoon: replace the yeast with 150 grams of active sourdough starter and extend the rise to 4 hours. The flavor is tangier and the bread keeps better.
• Without a pizza stone: an upside-down baking sheet preheated for 40 minutes works almost as well.
• Freezing: samoon freezes excellently. Freeze after cooling completely, and return to the oven for 5 minutes at 180 degrees straight from frozen.
• Soft crust instead of crisp: brush with butter as soon as it comes out of the oven.

Summary

Samoon is a bread whose entire character lies in its shape and in the steam: a pointed diamond baked at high heat with steam, a crisp crust and an airy crumb. About 275 calories per loaf — a number worth remembering, because it is almost always added to another dish. It is the base for tashreeb and for the Iraqi amba sandwich. More recipes in Iraqi cuisine.