Mohammed Baqir Hassan 'Alwan described a bread from his childhood that he hadn't had since his mother made it back in Iraq, so we decided to try to recreate it.

It was around 1987, so there was no googling to be had, and it wouldn't have been nearly as fulfilling. I don't know how long it took or how many modifications we made, but each time we got a little closer to Baq's memory until that one day when he sampled the latest recipe version and said, "that's it!"

This is what became Baq's recipe for Khubz 'Aruk, built from his taste memory:

Combine in large bowl (measurements approximate):

6 c. flour 1 Tbs. pepper

4 tsp. turmeric 1 1/2 tsp. allspice

1 1/2 Tbs. salt 3 Tbs. curry

YEAST MIXTURE

Combine in a separate bowl and let sit 5-10 minutes until bubbly:

1 tsp. sugar

1 1/2 pkgs. dry yeast

2 1/3 c. warm water

Pour yeast mixture into flour bowl and knead until smooth, approximately 10 minutes.

Lightly oil top of dough, cover with damp cloth or lid and set in a warm place to rise to double (1-1 1/2 hours).

Punch down, let rise again.

MEAT MIXTURE

In a separate bowl, combine the following:

1 1/2-2 lbs. ground (halal) lamb or beef

2-3 onions

2 1/2-3 c. chopped parsley

When the dough has risen for the second time, punch it down and slowly add the meat mixture.

Form into 10-12 balls and let rise for 1/2-1 hour.

Preheat oven to 450°.

On greased cookie sheets, flatten dough balls into thin loaves.

Bake about 12-15 minutes or until browned.