Flatbread recipe

Remember those great flatbreads I raved around recently? Well, I've had more than one request for them, so I figured I should post the recipe! They come from the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion, which I HIIIIIGHLY recommend getting - it's such a great book, and I've only scraped the surface in what I've had time to cook since getting the book.

If you get the book, you'll find the recipe on page 184 - which I can never seem to find without checking the index. You'd think, by now, that would be one of those pages the book just falls open to. Hm. Anyhow, here ya go - enjoy! (I'm listing the recipe as I do it with the Kitchenaid mixer)

Soft Wrap Bread
Makes: 8 breads

• 3 to 3 1/4 cups (12 3/4 to 13 3/4 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) boiling water
• 1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz) potato flour, or 1/2 cup (3/8 oz) potato flakes
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 T (7/8 oz) vegetable oil
• 1 tsp instant yeast*

Place 2 cups of the all-purpose flour** in mixer bowl. Pour boiling water over flour, and use paddle beater on low a few seconds to mix until smooth. Detach beater, leave in bowl, cover for 30 minutes.

In separate bowl whisk potato flour and 1 cup of remaining all-purpose flour with salt, oil and yeast, then add this to mixer bowl dough. Use mixer to turn this into a soft, slightly sticky ball. I take it out and do just a little extra kneading by hand, adding just a little more flour while still leaving the dough tacky. The recipe says to do this with work surface and hands lightly oiled. Place dough in greased bowl and let rise, covered for 1 hour.

Divide dough into eight pieces (I've gone so far as to weigh them, making sure they're close to the same weight - and this could be different each time you make them). Each is about the size of a "handball" according to the book. I can confirm they're about he size of a racquetball. Let doughballs rest, covered, for 15-30 minutes.

Roll the first ball out to a roughly 7-8 inch circle. I think I actually go for more of the thickness - maybe 1/4 inch thickness? Just "a good flatbread" thickness? Dry-fry this on a hot skillet (medium-high heat) til it starts to bubble - maybe two minutes? I use kitchen tongs to flip the bread to the other side. This works best when you've let it cook long enough on the first side and get kind of dry (like when you're flipping a pancake). Flip too early, and you squish the dough. You'll figure it out as you go... Cook on both sides (sometimes for me this is once per side, and sometimes they get flipped a few times). As one piece of dough cooks, roll out the next one. I've actually been able to have all eight rolled out by the time I'm cooking the third one.

Don't let too much flour remain on the bread from rolling it out - this will flake off on the skillet and start to get a bit scorchy.

SOOOO good when fresh and warm, but they hold up ok in the fridge a few days (you can always reheat them).


* This recipe supposedly works best with instant yeast because it dissolves during the kneading process. It gives instructions for using active dry yeast (which is what I have) - using only 1 cup boiling water for the initial dough, dissolving the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, and adding this mixture to the dough along with the potato flour. It says it'll start off slippery. I've forgotten this step both times I made this dough, just dissolving the yeast in like 1/4 cup warm water and adding it with the salt and oil, and it's turned out just fine. Sure, I have to add a little more flour possibly, but they're still great. I HAVE, however, written a note in the book (aaaah!) for the next time, so hopefully I'll do it "right".



** Oh, and Julie from work made them for the first time the other day, swapping in 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Her husband raaaaved about them, consumed 'em all in like three days, and said they're never buying flatbread from the store again! Hey hey! Julie's an amazing cook - she brings great breads in all the time...