Herby flatbread

Description

Flatbreads are the simplest form of bread. People from all over the world make their own version of these delicious breads. In India they are called chapattis or roti. In Central and South America they call them tortilla. People from the Middle East call them pitta or lavash. They are cooked in a pan and quick to make because they do not have yeast added and therefore do not need time to rise.

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Ingredients

At a glance
Seasonal
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
Makes
12 small or 6 large flatbreads
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup white flour and more for dusting
¾ cup water
2 tbsp chopped summer herbs, a combination of parsley, thyme and chives works well
½ tsp fine salt

Methods/steps

1. Mix flour, herbs, salt with the water to form workable dough and knead for 5 minutes until
the dough is smooth and elastic, roll this out like a sausage and divide into 6 or 12
pieces. Roll these up into balls, dust with flour and set aside for a short while to allow the
gluten (sticky protein found in wheat) to relax.
2. Heat a heavy bottomed pan and roll out the dough to form thin disks of 20cm diameter.
3. Be sure to use some flour on both the rolling pin and the surface to avoid sticking.
4. Slap the breads onto the pan and cook for 30 seconds.
5. Turn the bread over and with a folded cloth or oven glove, push the bread down slightly.
This helps the bread to inflate and form a pocket. Press these pockets down to distribute
the inner steam and keep moving the bread so that it doesn’t burn.
6. After a short time, (1 min), turn the bread again and allow to finish cooking, (30 seconds).
7. Place the cooked breads between clean cloths and keep warm.
Variations:
  • If you’d like extra taste to your flatbreads, try adding a tbsp of sesame seeds or a tsp of onion or nigella seeds. Chopped up fresh coriander and garlic are also good additions.
  • For a heavier, flaky bread, add two tbsp of vegetable oil or melted butter or gee to themixture. Roll out the dough to form a disk and then imagine you are making a paper fan: fold over an 1/8th of the disk one way and then back on itself the other way. Continue thisuntil the dough is folded 8 times in concertina pattern. Roll this up like a Swiss roll and then follow steps 4 – 8.
  • Yeasted flatbreads are also delicious and keep better than the simple ones. Add half a tsp of ready yeast to your dough and allow this to rise for 30 – 60 minutes. Divide into equal portions, roll into tight balls and allow these to rise for a further 10 minutes before you roll them out and cook as per basic instructions.

Additional Tips

This recipe is from the Community Chef, Robin Van Creveld, Summer recipe booklet. Download the booklet (pdf 363kb) in it's lovely entirety.

www.communitychef.org.uk