Kattama (Kyrgyz Layered Onion Flatbread)
Local name: Каттама
In short: Thin dough rolled with butter and green onions into a spiral, flattened and pan-fried until crisp and flaky. Best torn and eaten hot with tea. It takes about 1 h 10 min in total and makes 8 servings.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Resting
- 50 min
- Total
- 1 h 10 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 280 kcal
Kattama is a flaky, buttery round bread that Kyrgyz cooks fry in a pan, often for breakfast or when guests drop by. Thin dough is brushed with melted butter, scattered with chopped green onions, rolled and coiled so it fries up in many crisp layers. A sweet version with sugar or jam is also popular. Eat it hot, torn into pieces, with tea or a bowl of soup.
Instructions
- Mix the flour and salt, add the water and oil and knead for 8 minutes into a smooth, soft dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll one piece as thin as you can into a rectangle about 40 x 25 cm (16 x 10 in).
- Brush with melted butter, scatter with a quarter of the green onions and a pinch of salt, and roll up tightly like a jelly roll.
- Coil the roll into a flat spiral, tucking the end underneath. Repeat with the other pieces and rest all four for 20 minutes.
- Press each spiral flat with the palm of your hand, then roll gently to a round about 20 cm (8 in) wide.
- Melt a little butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Fry each bread for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden brown and crisp in spots.
- Pull it apart slightly with your hands while it is hot to open the layers. Serve warm in wedges.
Tips
- Roll the dough thin enough to see your hand through it. Thin sheets make more layers.
- For a sweet kattama, replace the onions with 2 tablespoons of sugar or a thin layer of jam, and skip the salt in the filling.
Questions and answers
Can I make kattama ahead?
Shape the spirals, wrap them well and refrigerate for up to a day before frying. Cooked kattama keeps for 2 days and reheats well in a dry pan.
Can I freeze kattama?
Freeze the shaped, uncooked spirals separated by parchment for up to 2 months. Fry from frozen, covering the pan for the first few minutes.
What do you eat kattama with?
Usually tea, soup or kaymak (clotted cream). The savory versions go well with a bowl of broth, and the sweet ones with honey.
How long does it take to make Kattama (Kyrgyz Layered Onion Flatbread)?
About 1 h 10 min in total: 40 min of preparation and 30 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Kattama (Kyrgyz Layered Onion Flatbread)?
About 280 kcal per serving, with 5 g of protein, 39 g of carbohydrates and 11 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 280 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 39 g |
| Fat | 11 g |
| Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Sodium | 580 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
