It seems most cultures have at least one version of a flatbread. A couple of weeks ago, I used lavash, an Armenian flatbread, to make a blue cheese and fig tart of sorts.
India has naan, roti, and dosas. Italy has focaccia, cecine, and
farinata,
and Sardinia has pane
carasau. France has crêpes and socca.
In Africa and the Middle East, we find injera (Ethiopia), fatir
(Egypt), matzoh (Israel), and harcha (Morocco). Going north and eastward, we
get gözleme in Turkey, pitas in Greece, and lavash in Armenia.
In the Americas, we have pretty much adopted all of the above,
plus we have our own: good ol’ pancakes, maize tortillas from México, frybread
from our Native American communities, and arepas from Colombia, to name a very few.
One of the problems is that we often think any flatbread will do
for all occasions. But, somehow, a crêpe with Indian food just doesn't cut it.
Nor does a tortilla work with crème de marrons topped with crème Chantilly. But
if we are unable to find teff to make authentic injera, we might find that a crêpe
will make do for your homemade Ethiopian meal.
The flatbreads I made today are based on a recipe from Mark
Bittman in the New York Times. He calls them Lebanese, but I simply call them "good." He also said they are like naan. Yet they aren't Indian, and they aren't Lebanese.
But they are good. We serve them with Indian food, because they
are so much better than frozen naan. We serve them with anything we make that
is Middle Eastern or even South-eastern European.
Last night we had them with an Indian curry, and we will used the
leftovers today to make man'ousheh, a Lebanese specialty. The recipes for the
bread and the man'ousheh follow.
~ David
Based on the recipe by Mark Bittman, New York Times
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast
1 1/8 cup warm water (another
110-115°F)
3 cups all-purpose
flour
extra virgin olive oil as needed
Whisk together the salt, sugar, yeast and water in a large bowl.
Let the mixture sit until it begins to froth, about 5 minutes, then add the
flour and mix until well combined. Cover and let rise somewhere uniformly warm
for about an hour.
When the dough has puffed up, transfer it to a well-floured
surface and knead until soft and silky, 3-5 minutes. Prepare a grill; the heat
should be medium-high and the rack about 4 inches from the heat.
Cut the dough into 8 equally sized pieces and roll each one into
a flattened disk; they need not look perfect, as it is the imperfections that
allow them to bubble up so well. Roll each disk out until it’s about 6 inches
in diameter, stacking them as you go. Brush one side of half the breads with
olive oil and place on the grill, oiled side down. While the first side cooks,
brush the upper side with more oil; when the breads begin to brown and puff up,
flip them. When the second side is nicely browned, remove from the grill and
place on a serving plate. Be attentive; it is easy to burn them. Repeat with
the remaining four flatbreads. Serve immediately.
4 partially cooked flatbreads (half of the above recipe)
1/2 cup za'atar (a spice mixture of sumac, thyme, and sesame
seeds)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Place the flatbreads on a baking sheet. Mix the za'atar and oil
to make a thick paste. Divide the paste evenly among the four flatbreads, and
then spread it evenly over the breads leaving a 1/2-inch border all the way around.
Bake for 10 minutes until sizzling and golden, and cut into 4 wedges.
Serves 4 as a light lunch or snack, although it is traditionally
eaten at breakfast.
Labels: flatbread, grill, grilled flatbreads, yeast
