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I have a weakness for flatbread, all kinds of flatbread. If flatbread
is on a menu, it's pretty much a given that I will order it. Years ago
I made those Chinese spring onion pancakes, but other than that, I
really haven't bothered. Why? Well, making flatbread seemed like it
would be a bother, what with the yeast and the kneading, and rising and
resting and all I figured it was easier to just order it in
restaurants. Until last week.
While in London I spent many hours perusing food magazines and the fantastic cookbook collection at Books for Cooks,
one of my favorite book stores in the world. I will share with you my
list of purchases at some other point, but suffice it to say one of my
purchases was a Donna Hay
magazine. Donna Hay is Australian but she is tremendously popular in
the UK and for good reason. Her recipes are generally not that
complicated but offer maximum impact for a minimum of effort. When I
saw her recipe for rosemary flatbread I was intrigued.
I
adapted her recipe by leaving out the rosemary. Plain flatbread is more
versatile and easy to top with just about anything. I tested the recipe
for one of my recipe development clients, MyWinesDirect.
I topped it with smoked salmon, goat cheese, cucumbers and chives so
that it would pair well with a fragrant and crisp Pinot Grigio.
Because
the dough has a lot of parmesan cheese in it, the resulting bread is
quite hearty and robust but with great texture, soft on the inside and
flecked with crisp brown freckles. Some suggestions for toppings
toppings:
* Smoked salmon, goat cheese, cucumbers & chives (pictured)
* Fresh tomatoes & olives
* Sausage & winter squash
* Mushrooms, onions & bacon
* Pears, gorgonzola & toasted hazelnuts
* Figs & prosciutto
These
are just a few off the top of my head, you can probably think of even
more. I also think you could swap out some of the unbleached white
flour for white whole wheat or whole wheat flour. Let me know how your
variations turn out...!
Parmesan Flatbread
Makes 2 large flatbreads
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup boiling water
additional olive oil for cooking
In
a mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder and parmesan cheese. Add
the olive oil and boiling water and quickly stir to form a soft dough.
Divide the dough in half and roll each half on a floured surface into a
roughly 8 1/2 inch round. Heat a non-stick pan or flat griddle over
medium high heat. Drizzle with about 2 teaspoons of olive oil and when
hot, cook the flat bread, about 3 minutes on each side or until brown
in spots. Top with whatever toppings you like and slice into wedges.
Enjoy!
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