Time Is A Flatbread Circle
a kitchen chameleon is born
Welcome back Broiler Heads! Like I mentioned last week, we’re exploring overlooked recipes in October. Hungry as Hell isn’t even out yet and I’m already sad that some wonderful dishes in the book likely won’t get cooked simply because the recipe doesn’t have a photo. It’s dish discrimination and it happens with every cookbook. Hell, even I fall victim to it. I have an extensive cookbook collection because I’m a food nerd and a fan of the genre. Sometimes I flip through a well-loved cookbook, like Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson, and realize I’ve never made a delish recipe like her baby lima soup because my eyes just glazed right over it. I never even saw it despite having the book for over a decade. So I’m trying to get ahead of this phenomena before Hungry as Hell drops October 31.
I’m so proud of the herb flatbread recipe in the new book. It’s simple enough that even people who usually fail at yeasted dough won’t have a problem and it’s goddamn delicious. The nondairy yogurt in the recipe keeps the texture soft and pliable, even as day old leftovers, and makes for a great, complex taste. I like a Greek style yogurt here, but any kind of nondairy, unsweetened yogurt will do. I’m gonna say that again- UNSWEETENED yogurt. Don’t blame me if you fuck that up. Keep the leftovers in a sealed bag, then warm them up for a few seconds in the microwave, and they’ll taste like you just made them. I worked on this one for a while and it shows.
Once I finally nailed the recipe I made this flatbread constantly. Every meal became a wrap, a mezza platter nosh fest, or some kind of folded sammie. I needed my daily fix of flatbread and I know you’re gonna feel the same way. Mix up the herbs based on whatever you’re serving the flatbread with, rosemary goes great with hearty soups and dill is perfect for lighter, brighter fare. You can just divide the dough and roll it out from clumps but I like to roll the divided dough into a snake shape and then coil it into a ball. I think this makes it easier to roll a flat circle after the brief second rise but you do whatever is easier for you.
You cook the flatbread on your stovetop like you would a tortilla so it comes together fast once it’s done rising. It should be the last thing you cook if you’re serving it with an entrée like the Butternut Squash Stew with Red Lentils from earlier this year. No matter what you pair it with, this recipe is a keeper.
I have every one of your books and love everything I have cooked/baked/whatever. I don’t know if I have played favourites with the recipes with pics but that’s probably the case. Yikes. I also wanted to pass along that I am an omnivore (who lives with carnivores!) and make all your recipes with what I have from on hand like plain Greek yoghurt or butter from cows (don’t hate me) but all the recipes always work and are super tasty so I hope your audience includes omnivores who like vegetables and awesome recipes as it’s a great way to eat better with less meat. The carnivores in the house enjoy everything too! And reading the recipes is always effing fun for me!
A huge taste win! I made this on my last camping trip…. (To everyones delight) This is my line up for camp cooking requests…..flat bread, fry bread, and biscuits.