Aish baladi, Egyptian high-hydration pita

The day before, mix 200g all-purpose flour, 200g warm water and 1g yeast into a wet, lumpy poolish like pancake batter.

Cover and leave on the counter or somewhere warm 12 to 16 hours, until more than doubled and full of bubbles.

In a stand mixer with a dough hook, combine the poolish, 300g flour, 10g sugar, 10g salt and 6g yeast.

Add about 100ml of the water and mix on the lowest speed a few minutes to a shaggy dough; then one speed up and knead about 5 minutes, until very stretchy.

On low, pour in half the remaining water and mix until absorbed; one speed up, add the rest. The dough turns to a loose batter, then begins to stick to the sides.

Knead about 2 minutes more on medium until thin ribbons of gluten form.

Cover and rest somewhere warm 1 to 2 hours, until doubled or tripled.

Blend coarse bran in a high speed blender 15 seconds and sift; mix about 500g with 350g all-purpose flour and spread in deep trays about 2cm thick.

Release the dough with a spatula, knocking out air.

With a damp, floured non-dominant hand, dangle and slap fistfuls of dough into taut balls, squeeze off portions, coat in flour and set them floured side up on the bran with space between.

Cover with another tray or plastic wrap and rest 45 to 60 minutes.

Preheat a home oven with a pizza stone, steel or cast iron pan to 250C or as high as it goes for about an hour.

Pizza oven alternative: preheat to 350 to 400C for 20 minutes.

Lift each portion from the bran with all eight fingers onto a bran-dusted peel, pat to shape and bounce the peel to stretch it.

Launch into the middle of the oven; in a home oven about 4 to 5 minutes, a few minutes past the full puff, until it takes on colour.

In a pizza oven, 90 to 120 seconds, rotating partway, until slightly leopard-spotted.

Stack and rest the loaves so trapped moisture does not make them soggy.