Flatbread Food

FLATBREADS

Steps:

• Sift the flours and 1 tsp salt into a large bowl. Add 1 tbsp of the oil and 150ml warm water. Bring together into a soft but not too sticky dough (you may need up to 175ml water). If it feels too wet, add some flour. If it's too dry, add water.
• Tip onto a floured surface and knead for 4-5 mins, or until smooth. Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave for 30 mins.
• Tip onto a floured surface. Divide into six balls and roll each out into a thin, 18-20cm wide circle using a rolling pin. If you prefer, you can divide again into twelve balls to make smaller flatbreads.
• Brush a heavy-based pan with oil and cook one flatbread over a high heat for 1-2 mins on each side, or until golden and starting to puff. Put on a plate and brush with butter. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

HOMEMADE FLATBREAD PIZZA RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the yeast and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Or, if you do not own a stand mixer, a regular large mixing bowl. Pour warm water on top. Whisk gently to combine, then loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to sit for 5 minutes. The mixture should be frothy after 5 minutes. If not, start over with new yeast.
• With the stand mixer running on low speed, add the flour, olive oil, and salt. (And garlic/Italian seasoning if using.) Beat on low speed for 1 minute as it all combines. The dough should be thick and shaggy. Transfer it to a lightly floured work surface, including any loose flour. Knead it with lightly floured hands for 2 minutes until it begins to come together and becomes smooth. If the dough is too sticky to handle, add 1-2 more Tablespoons of flour.
• Place the dough in a greased bowl (I use nonstick spray to grease) and cover with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to sit and rest for 45 minutes at room temperature. Once it has rested and slightly risen, you can place it in the fridge for up to 2 days. More instructions in the make ahead tip below.
• As the dough is resting and rising, prepare your toppings. See blog post and/or recipe note below.
• Preheat oven to 475°F (246°C).
• Punch the dough down to release any air. Divide the dough into two. On a lightly floured surface with floured hands and working with one dough piece at a time, begin shaping and stretching the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick. You can use a floured rolling pin for this too. Don't worry about the shape of the dough, just make sure it's pretty thin. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Carefully transfer both pieces of dough to a parchment paper or silicone-mat lined baking sheet, or use a pizza stone. (You can also shape/roll out the doughs directly on a silicone baking mat or a large sheet of parchment if that is easier for you and then just transfer the whole thing to the baking sheet.)
• Poke your fingers all around the surface of the flatbreads or prick a few holes with a fork. Drizzle or brush each with 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil. Top each with your favorite toppings.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust and toppings are browned to your liking. Remove from the oven. Slice and serve warm.
• Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

4-INGREDIENT BAKED FLATBREAD (PLUS TOPPING IDEAS)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, combine together the yogurt, flour, and baking powder until uniform and a dough ball forms.
• Flour your hands and knead until the dough is smooth (I knead right in the bowl). The dough will go from having ragged texture to a smoother, softer texture. Place the dough onto the center of the baking sheet.
• Using your hands, evenly flatten the dough until the dough is ¼ inch thick (8x12 inch flatbread). Brush olive oil over the top of the flatbread.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until the flatbread is golden-brown and cooked through.
• If adding toppings: Decrease the oven to 325 degrees F. Top the baked flatbread with desired toppings *(see first note) and bake for 8-12 minutes until the ingredients are softened and heated through.

ROTI RECIPE (BUTTERY INDIAN FLATBREAD)

Steps:

• Make the dough. In a large bowl or stand mixer, use a fork to whisk together 2 cups bread flour and 1 teaspoon salt. (I prefer kosher salt, but table salt is fine.)
• Add 2 tablespoons melted butter* and mix it in with the fork until the flour is crumbly. Make sure to break up any big chunks.
• Add 2/3 cup warm water. Mix it together with the fork until the dough pulls together. At this point, I start using the dough hook attachment on my stand mixer, but you can also turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Scrape down any dough that sticks to the side, but it should form itself into a ball pretty quickly.
• Rest the dough. When you are done kneading, shape it into a ball. Leave it in the bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let rest for 20-45 minutes. The longer you rest the dough, the softer and more pliable your roti will be, and the easier it will be to roll out. (It will not rise at all, so don't expect it to look different after the rest period. This ain't no yeast recipe.)
• Roll out the dough. Prepare a work surface with a light dusting of flour. Divide dough into six equal parts. Use your fingers to pinch each piece into a smooth ball. (see photos)Take one ball and pat it into a disk with your fingers. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rough circle about 8-9 inches across. It should be rolled out very thin, see photos. (If you want to roll all the dough out at once before frying, stack the sheets, each one separated with a square of parchment paper so they don't stick together. I prefer to roll out my next piece of dough while I'm frying the first one, so I don't do this.)
• Cook the Roti. Set a cast iron skillet, griddle, or large frying pan over medium or medium high heat. Let it preheat for at least a couple minutes so that it's very hot.Add about a teaspoon of butter to the pan and swirl to coat the bottom.
• Transfer the very thin sheet of roti dough to the pan. Wait about 6 or 7 seconds, then use your fingers or a spatula to flip the roti over. You may need to add more butter; if there is not enough, the roti will not be soft. It will cook in 30 to 50 seconds. Adjust the heat as necessary so that the roti cooks quickly (under a minute) but does not burn. Every stove is different so you will have to play around. You will know it is done when light brown spots appear on the side that is cooking. The top should have a few bubbles. Flip the roti back to the original side (using more butter if necessary) just until the brown spots appear, another 20-30 seconds.
• Steam the Roti. This step is super important to get soft and pliable roti! Place a paper towel inside a large ziplock bag. When the roti is done frying, place roti on top of the paper towel in the bag. Top the roti with another paper towel (it should not be touching the plastic or it will get soggy.) Seal the bag. As you fry the remaining roti, add them to the ziplock directly on top of the first roti, with a paper towel on top. The roti will steam each other in the center. Keep the bag closed as much as possible. You can also skip these steps and steam roti in a tortilla warmer.
• Serve the roti hot, with curry and rice.
• Store leftover roti in a ziplock bag lined with paper towels.
• Freezing Roti: Layer your roti between sheets of parchment paper so they don't stick to each other, and seal in a ziplock bag. Store flat in the freezer.To reheat, you can either let thaw in the bag at room temperature, then reheat gently in the microwave (don't overdo it or they will get tough.) Or you can re-grill the roti straight from frozen, using the same method as the first time.

QUICK AND EASY YOGHURT FLATBREADS

Steps:

• Place Greek yoghurt in a mixing bowl and give it a stir. Add in 1 cup of flour and stir to combine. Gradually add in more flour until the dough starts to form into a ball.
• Tip the dough onto a well-floured surface and knead with your hands for a minute or two. If the dough is still too sticky, add some more flour and continue to knead. The dough is ready when it is able to hold it's shape and is not sticking to your hands or the surface.
• Divide the dough into 6 even parts. Lightly grease a work surface with olive oil then use a rolling pin to roll each ball of dough out into rounds approximately the size of a saucer.
• Heat a skillet or frying pan on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add a flatbread and cook each side for 20-30 seconds, until cooked through and covered in brown spots. Repeat with the remaining flatbread.
• If using optional garlic butter, mix butter and garlic together then brush on top of the flatbreads as soon as they come out of the frying pan.

SOFT AND FLUFFY FLATBREAD (NO YEAST)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together until well blended.
• Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture, and then add olive oil, maple syrup, and most of the water (saving a few tablespoons to add later as necessary).
• Switch to a rubber spatula or spoon and stir the wet ingredients into the flour mixture. If the dough seems dry, add the remaining water. When the dough comes together, transfer to a floured work surface and knead 5 to 10 times until smooth. Cover with a clean dish cloth and leave for 10 minutes.
• Divide the dough into six equal pieces. Dust each piece in flour and roll into a disc that's between 1/8-inch and 1/4-inch thick. (Rolling thinner will make thinner bread that's less soft in the middle. Rolling thicker will make thicker, fluffier bread.)
• Add one to two tablespoons of oil to a skillet placed over medium heat. When the oil looks shimmery, add a flatbread (or more if they fit), and cook until golden brown on one side, flip and cook until golden brown on the second side, 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
• Transfer cooked flatbread to a plate, cover with a clean dish towel to keep warm, and then continue with the remaining flatbreads. If the skillet looks dry, add a little more oil before continuing.

HOMEMADE FLAT BREAD

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor combine the yeast, sugar, flour, salt and thyme. Pulse to combine. Add the water in a steady stream until the dough begins to form a ball, turn it on to a board and knead with the heel of your hand until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Coat a bowl with oil. Place dough in bowl, and cover with a damp cloth. Put in a warm spot to rise until double in size, about 1 hour.
• When the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough, scrape it onto the counter and knead it lightly into a smooth ball. Cut into 20 pieces and with a rolling pin roll out to form very flat 5 to 6-inch circles.
• Preheat a stove top grill pan over medium high. Do not oil. Place bread on hot grill and cook without touching it until you see bubbles on the surface, about 1 to 2 minutes. Turn and continue to cook 1 to 2 minutes more or until bread has puffed up. Serve immediately.