Scoverghi — Romanian Fried Flatbreads

Measure out 350 ml of water and warm it to 33–35 °C. In 70 ml of this water, crumble 7 g of dry yeast, add 1 tbsp of flour from the total amount, stir, and leave in a warm place for 20 minutes, until the mixture becomes bubbly.

Sift 500 g of flour into a bowl. Dissolve the salt in the remaining warm water, pour it into the flour along with the yeast mixture, and knead a soft, moist dough. Add 30 ml of oil and knead by hand for about 15 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

Cover the bowl with a towel and leave the dough in a warm place for 60 minutes, until it roughly doubles in size.

Lightly oil your work surface, turn out the dough, and divide it into 4 equal portions. Shape into balls, cover with a towel, and let rest for another 45 minutes.

Using oiled palms, stretch each ball into a thin round about 17–18 cm in diameter, leaving the edges slightly thicker than the center.

Pour 500 ml of oil into a deep frying pan and heat to 170 °C. Fry the scoverghi one at a time, 1–2 minutes per side, keeping the temperature steady, until evenly golden. Transfer to paper towels to drain excess oil.

Serve the scoverghi hot; if desired, rub the surface with cut garlic cloves.