Çorum Mayalı Breads: Tava and Saç Mayalısı

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Mayalı is an everyday yeasted flatbread made in nearly every household in Çorum, using simple pantry staples. According to the official “What to Eat” page of the Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, mayalı comes in two forms depending on how it is cooked: tava mayalısı (pan-fried) and saç mayalısı (griddle-baked).

The difference between tava mayalısı and saç mayalısı

Per the official source, tava mayalısı is made by rolling the dough into thin rounds and frying them in hot oil in a pan. Saç mayalısı, by contrast, uses a firmer, thicker dough that is cooked on a hot dry griddle (saç); this second version is also known as bazlambaç. Both share the same base dough of flour, water or milk, salt and yeast — what sets them apart is the dough’s thickness and the cooking method.

The name “kel mayalı”

In social-media posts from Çorum, the thick, griddle-cooked mayalı is sometimes referred to locally as kel mayalı or “saç üstü” (griddle-top). This name does not appear as a separate dish in official sources; it reads as a local or family variant of the name for saç mayalısı rather than a distinct recipe.

When it is eaten

Mayalı is typically served hot at breakfast, teatime or when hosting guests, alongside yoghurt, cheese, olives or an olive-oil dish. Because it needs no oven — just a griddle or a pan — it remains a practical, everyday bread in villages and towns across the province.

Related flavours

Other members of Çorum’s flatbread family include Alaca cızlağı (a thinner, batter-based version cooked on a griddle), yanıç böreği and kömbe — all part of Çorum’s tradition of home breads shaped around the griddle or the pan on days without a tandır.

Sources

• Çorum Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism — What to Eat?
• Enyeni Modeller — Çorum-style Yeasted Bread (Saç Mayalısı, Tava Mayalısı) Recipe
• Nefis Yemek Tarifleri — Tava Mayalısı

🍳 How to make it

Servings: Serves 4-6Time: ~1.5 hours (including proofing)

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 1 packet (~10 g) dry yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1.5 cups warm water or milk
• For tava mayalısı: frying oil
• For saç mayalısı: a little oil to grease the griddle

Method

1. Stir the sugar and yeast into the warm water or milk; let it foam for 5-10 minutes.
2. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl, add the yeast mixture in the centre and knead into a soft, non-sticky dough.
3. Cover and let rise in a warm spot for about 1 hour, until doubled in size.
4. For tava mayalısı: pinch off pieces and roll them into thin rounds; fry both sides in hot oil in a pan.
5. For saç mayalısı: keep the dough firmer and roll thicker rounds; cook both sides on a hot, lightly oiled griddle (saç).
6. Serve hot, with yoghurt, cheese or olives on the side.

💡 Tips

• The two versions differ mainly in dough thickness and cooking method: tava mayalısı is rolled thin and pan-fried in oil, saç mayalısı is left thicker and dry-cooked on a griddle.
• Saç mayalısı is also called bazlambaç; in some circles the thick, griddle-cooked version is locally called kel mayalı.

A traditional recipe; quantities and times are approximate and vary by household.

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