Flatbreads
- Theresa Sokol
- Aug 26, 2020
- 2 min read
Bread dough is a constant presence in our Covid sanctuary. My go to recipe involves a very easy mixture of instant yeast, water, salt and bread flour sometimes embellished with substitutions of whole grain or semolina flour for about 10% of the total weight. After a quick mix the dough is left to rise at room temp for 2 hours and then stored in the fridge for up to five days, during which time it increasingly acquires flavor. For loaves I try to use it within three days, after which time the dough is better suited to flatbread recipes. These can range from naan, lavash and pita to, of course, pizza. Focaccia, a perennial favorite, also occupies an esteemed place in our household, but traditional recipes entail a long and tedious process. Serendipitously, I came upon a blitz version on the King Arthur Flour site that produces a lovely focaccia in 90 minutes start to finish.
Pictured here are four examples from recent days.
Spinach, Egg and Pecorino Flatbread (two photos) based on Ottolenghi's recipe from Plenty. Allow the formed flatbread a 30 minute rise before topping and baking. Cracked eggs added during the last 5 minutes of baking time nestle among the greens. I added grilled zucchini and substituted manchego cheese, a creamier, milder sheep product, for part of the pecorino. Sumac and za'atar accentuate the middle eastern flavor and a little drizzle of olive oil and coarse salt complete the dish.
Za'atar Flatbread. This flatbread is rolled quite thin and baked directly on a pizza stone. Like a pita it forms a pocket structure during the bake. Za'atar and salt provide unique flavor.
Blitz Focaccia. Yeasty, Salty, Rich. This is a winner.
Σχόλια