Phitti

Coming from the northern Pakistani territory of Gilgit-Baltistan, phitti is a traditional bread made primarily with whole-wheat flour, sourdough, and water. The dough is typically rolled out into a thick round loaf that is then baked into a nicely colored bread with a crispy crust on the outside and a soft interior. Traditionally, the bread is baked in a cast-iron skillet which is embedded in hot coals and ashes in a hearth, but nowadays, it is often oven-baked. Phitti can also be optionally enriched with milk, eggs, oil, or butter for added flavor and a more filling dish. This Pakistani bread is typically consumed for breakfast along with rock-salted milk tea. In the Hunza valley, the Hunzakut people often rip off small pieces of phitti, drop them in their cup of tea, and then enjoy the bread pieces drenched in the strong salted tea.