BAKING PROJECT

Talking about flatbread,  I sometimes get confused because there are so many types of flat breads.  For example pitta and our Roti Arab which uses yeast.  And then there are flatbreads made without yeast such as capati or tortillas.   There are literally hundreds of different kinds of flatbread, see here.

For today’s dinner, I made just a simple, plain flat bread, similar to Roti arab or pitta.   This is to accompany the Chili dish that I made earlier, it was really yummy.   Here’s the recipe for the Flatbread.  Enough to make about 6.

 In a mixer, add the flour, yeast, water and yogurt.  Mix using the dough hook until all is combined.  Then add the oil and salt.   Knead on a low speed for about 10 minutes.  Shape into a ball, oil the bowl and the dough and cover it with a tea towel.  Leave to rest, until it has doubled in size.   You can deflate or punch the dough and leave it to rise a second or up till the  fourth time.   Close to serving,  pinch the dough the size of an orange.   The dough is quite sticky and wet.  Use a lot of flour to dust the surface and your hands.  Flatten into a round shape with your palm and leave to rest  for 5 minutes.

Heat a flat pan and brush it with ghee or butter.  Fry the bread till it is browned on both sides.   You could also put the bread under a grill to cook the top further.  Serve warm with something to dip into.   Chili, curry, hummus, etc.

This recipe is easy to do, provided that you have a heavy duty mixer.   Yes you can knead bread by hand, but it will be a bit tiring.  Time to buy the KitchenAid mixer now, yes ? No regrets !  Bon Appétit.