What Bread Is Used for Shawarma? Laffa, Pita, Saj and the Rest

There is no single shawarma bread. Depending on where you eat it, shawarma comes rolled in a big soft laffa, stuffed into a pita, or wrapped tight in a paper thin saj. For mine at home I use laffa, and below I go through each bread, what makes them different, and what to use if you cannot get them.

The Short Answer

• Pita is the most common, and the one most people outside the Middle East know.
• Laffa is a large, soft flatbread with no pocket, the bread many Israeli shawarma places wrap with.
• Saj, markook or shrak is very thin and rolled tightly around the meat, used in the Levant.
• Lavash is another thin flatbread used for wraps.

The Breads, One by One

Laffa

A big, round flatbread with no pocket. The name comes from the Arabic for wrap or roll, which is exactly what you do with it: lay the meat, salad and sauce down the middle and roll it up like a burrito. It is yeasted, soft and chewy, and traditionally baked against the hot wall of a clay oven. It came to Israel with Iraqi Jews, and it is still sometimes called Iraqi pita there. It is also the bread I make for my chicken shawarma.

PPin it

Pita

A yeasted round that puffs up in a very hot oven and leaves a pocket inside. You either cut it open and stuff it, or fold the whole thing around the filling. Syrian style shawarma comes in pita, and so does a lot of the street shawarma and döner you see in Europe.

Saj, Markook and Shrak

Different names for the same kind of bread: an unleavened dough of flour, water and salt, stretched very thin and baked on a domed metal griddle called a saj. It is almost see-through, so it is rolled tightly around the meat rather than stuffed. In Jordan it is called shrak. If a recipe or a menu says Lebanese bread, this is usually what it means, not laffa.

Lavash

A thin, large flatbread, used across Turkey and the Caucasus. It wraps shawarma and is also the bread around a Turkish dürüm.

Döner and Gyros Use Different Bread

Shawarma, döner and gyros are close cousins, and that is where a lot of the confusion comes from.

• Döner comes in pita in Berlin, rolled in lavash as a dürüm, or in a split loaf or a bun-shaped bread in Turkey.
• Gyros use Greek pita, which has no pocket and is thicker than the Arabic kind. It is brushed with oil and warmed on the grill, then rolled around the meat with tomato, onion, fries and tzatziki. My Greek flatbread is that kind of bread.

What to Use at Home

• Make laffa. It is one of the best flatbreads to make at home, it is easy, and you will not regret it. My laffa recipe is the one I use for shawarma.
• Pita or any soft flatbread from the shop works well. Warm it first.
• Flour tortillas roll easily and are fine in a pinch, but they are thinner and taste different.
• Naan works, but it is richer than laffa, because it is made with dairy.

PPin it

Keep the Bread Soft So It Does Not Crack

Whatever bread you use, it has to be warm and soft when you roll it. Cold or dry bread cracks the moment you fold it around hot meat. Warm it in a dry pan or on the grill for a few seconds a side, then keep it wrapped in a clean kitchen towel until you fill it.

FAQ

What bread is shawarma wrapped in?

It depends on the country. Pita is the most common, laffa is the big soft wrap used in Israel, and in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan it is often the very thin saj bread. Any soft flatbread works at home, as long as it is warm.

What is laffa, and how is it different from pita?

Laffa is bigger, has no pocket and is chewier. Pita puffs into a pocket in a very hot oven, so you stuff it, where laffa is rolled around the filling.

What is saj or markook bread?

A very thin, unleavened bread of flour, water and salt, baked on a domed metal griddle. It is rolled tightly around shawarma rather than stuffed.

Can I use a tortilla for shawarma?

Yes, in a pinch. It rolls easily, but it is thinner and does not taste like shawarma bread. A soft pita or a homemade laffa is better.

Why does my bread crack when I roll it?

It is too cold or too dry. Warm it for a few seconds a side in a dry pan and keep it under a kitchen towel until you fill it.

Can I make shawarma bread at home?

Yes. Laffa is easy to make at home, and it is the bread I use for my chicken shawarma. The recipe is here.

A Few Words from the Chef

I make laffa for my chicken shawarma, and honestly it is one of the best flatbreads to make at home. It is easy, and you will not regret it. If you have a favourite shawarma bread, tell me in the comments.

You might also like: