Bread - Alvand Bakery Makes Fresh Hot Bread

Tire tread bread, Afghan bread, Persian flat bread. Different types or styles or names for the various flat breads of Iran and Afghanistan, some of which really do look like they have tire tracks on them. A soft dough that is stretched out and fast baked. Similar to naan. Similar to pita. But richer in flavor than pita which can be very dry. Some are baked on a layer of stones and produce their own distinct pattern from the stones.

Update 2025:  "It is a wonderful little bakery, focused on the flat breads of Afghanistan and Iran imho. What is interesting about these is how high the hydration is, how wet the dough is when it goes into the oven. Resulting in the soft, pliable, yet chewy texture. In some parts of the world, one sees the wet dough laid out on top of small stones, resulting in indentations that are specific to that bread. I once heard that Iranian soldiers, as part of their ration, one member would carry a box of stones, for baking bread in the field. When I worked as an engineer, several of my Iranian co-workers picked up clean, perfect stones at an aquarium supply, for use in baking the breads at home.

I've also attached photos of stocked shelves. You should definitely pick up some yogurt here, either plain, or, with the wild garlic.

And there is a freezer with house made ice cream to buy.

The pack of two breads is currently 6 dollars (August, 2025)"

Sangak Bread in Iran

Iranian Bread Documentary

Sharjah Bread in Afghanistan

The wonderful Alvand Bakery is on Eldridge between Briarforest and Westheimer. At one time, it was called Afghanistan Bakery. It closed for a while. Now re-opened. And I swear, when the bread comes hot out of the oven and is used to scoop up the homemade yogurt that I consider to be the best in Houston, and adding a little honey...what a fantastic breakfast!

Here is the exterior of the Alvand:

Hayat Cafe - Killer Turkish and Iranian Food

Including Turkish cuisine such as the lamb stew cooked in a sealed clay just (called testi after the name for jug). And an assortment of appetizers and grilled meats and enough rice for an army. Lahmaçun and cheese pide also as appetizers. The five of us had a feast.

 

Miri Persian Kitchen - Memorial Drive

 A new and wonderful Iranian restaurant has opened inside the loop. A group of us enjoyed a wonderful familly style platter of classic grilled meats. But, we also shared the fesenjan (one of the best I have had in Houston), a thick yogurt dip with dry shallots (I learned about this from an Iranian friend. The best are a type of wild shallot harvested in Iran. An Iranian grocery store ( iran-iranian-bakery-and-grocery-store.html ) on Wilcrest does sell big bags of dried shallots and I've bought from them for making this at home), hummus and a plate of radishes, parsley, basil, white cheese. That fesenjan though. I'm already dreaming about going back.

Still, I have an allegiance to the wonderful Avesta on Wilcrest as well, and I will have to split my visits between both of these. As Avesta is wonderful, also. 

John Nechman writes of our lunch today:

"Another piece of Houston’s beautiful puzzle—one of the largest Iranian populations in the country, and that translates into several sensational Iranian restaurants. Based on lunch today, Miri’s Kitchen Persian at 5801 Memorial Dr. near the entrance to Memorial Park, is my choice for the best of them all ( https://www.miriskitchen.com ).

And what a treat to share a meal there today with some of Houston’s foodie elite—Bellaire-Asiatown Mayor Michael Shum, Mr. Chowhound Jay P. Francis and his wife Irene, and Coffee-teur Allen Leibowitz, co-founder of Ann Arbor, Michigan’s beloved Zingerman’s. Being a large group meant that we were able to try the best of the menu.

The restaurant is welcoming and airy with soaring ceilings and lovely plateware. The choice of background music (Dan Fogelberg’s greatest hits?) could use some work, however. We started with a respectable hummus and the obligatory plate in most Persian establishments of herbs, radishes, and feta-like cheese served with flatbread, perfect for rolling the healthiest tacos in town. But then, the kitchen really started to show what it could do.

A vibrant, minty shirazi salad, sort of like a Turkish farmer’s salad, paired perfectly with a scrumptious kashk bademjan (eggplant dip), which we were all fervently attacking with the gusto of a child given honors with the leftovers of granny’s buttercream frosting.

And then our delightful Kazakh server Aseeya cleared the table to make room for a plate she had suggested for us, the size, scope, and beauty of which left us all gasping and drooling: a family-style silver platter designed for the 5 of us but looking like it could feed Cyrus the Great and a couple of his platoons. Heaping mounds of saffron-gilded rice and baghali polo were festooned with juicy, top-quality sultani kebabs, lamb kebabs, dainty quail, lamb chops, 2 types of marinated grilled chicken, and chunks of filet mignon that you would expect to pay a fortune for at a pricey steakhouse. A combination of colorful sweet and spicy roasted peppers and tomatoes completed the picture. We also added a fessenjan (whole pieces of chicken drenched in a dense, exotic sauce of walnuts and pomegranates) that left us all stunned with awe. And one of my favorite dishes was one of the simplest—a bowl of creamy yogurt blended with dry shallots, which feature prominently in many Persian dishes, Jay Francis informed us.

For the quality and quantity of the food, this feast is a remarkable bargain, and the restaurant is willing to size up the servings according to the number of diners partaking. The menu also features a remarkable number of vegan dishes, and while they await a liquor license, Miri’s is BYOB with no corkage fee!

I already have the perfect Texas red blend in mind to enjoy the next time we dine here, which will be very soon. "

Iran - An Iranian Bakery and Grocery Store in Houston

When I posted about the fabulous garlic yogurt at the Iranian/Afghani bakery, Alvand, some Iranian friends let me know about a variation in Iran using a wild shallot to flavor the yogurt. And that is how I learned about Mast Moosir, or, Mast-O-Musir. And so, I went to a favorite store, Pas 2 Super Market on Wilcrest at Briar Forest to pick up some dried shallots.

While there, the bread making was in full operation. A rotating oven. A very very wet dough being formed on a metal peel, and then stretched to double its length when loaded into the oven, baked, sprinkled with sesame seeds and packaged. 

Pas 2, like Alvand, is a Houston treasure! I first learned of it from friend, Paul Galvani, who is mentioned elsewhere in this blog of mine.

A now, to finish this post, here is a link to 11 Persian words that will blow any of your Iranian friends away if you use them lol.

Persian Phrases