I made the most wonderful flatbread the other day and decided this was a
recipe worthy of the list. I have included the original recipe from the
King Arthur Flour Co. plus one that cuts the recipe in half. At the end of
the recipes are my notes in preparing this bread.
CAUTION: Instead of using charcoal grill, I baked the bread in our Kitchen
Aid electric oven. The oven should be preheated for at least 30 minutes and
it's helpful to use a pizza peel or quarry tiles placed on the upper
section of the oven closest to heat source. Place rack 1 position up from
the middle. Oven tends to get extremely hot and having to leave the door
ajar during broiling can cause the dials to become extremely hot. Because I
use a pizza peel that's only 14 inches round I could only bake one loaf at
a time. If your using movable quarry tiles perhaps you can bake more than
one loaf at a time.
ANOTHER PROBLEM: Fortunately we have many Middle-Eastern groceries in the
DC area, in particular, a Lebanese deli and grocery so obtaining the
za'atar was no problem for me. Unfortunately I don't know where you can
order this mix and I have no idea how one could make it from scratch unless
you know all of the ingredients. Perhaps someone on the list has knowledge
of a mail-order source. Believe me this bread is worth the search.
Za'atar Flatbread
"This is just about my favorite flatbread, good alone, with a generous
smear of hummus or Lebanese yogurt, or simply topped with fresh tomatoes,
salt, pepper, and olive oil. You can make your own za'atar spice, or look
for it in Middle Eastern markets, if you live in an urban area that
features a good selection of ethnic food stores." King Arthur Flour Co.
ZA'ATAR, LEMON And OIL TOPPING
1/4 cup za'atar spice*
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Juice of two lemons, about 1/2 cup juice
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
DOUGH
1 Tbsp quick-rising or instant yeast
2 cups lukewarm water (100F to 110F)
2 tsp granulated sugar
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups KA Unbleached A-P Flour
5 cups KA Special Bread Flour
1 3/4 tsp kosher salt
TOPPING: Stir together all the ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Whisk together the yeast, water, and sugar. Stir in the oil, the
all-purpose flour and most of the bread flour, then the salt. Mix to form a
soft dough. Knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes, till it's elastic and
supple, adding additional flour as needed.
Place the dough in a large, well-greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and
a tea towel, and let rise until doubled. Alternatively, allow the dough a
long, cool rise in the fridge, several hours or overnight (or up to 3
days). Bring the dough to room temperature before shaping; it'll rise as it
warms up.
Divide the dough into 8 pieces. Stretch or roll the pieces into irregular
slabs, and let rest for 15 minutes, covered with a tea towel. Spread some
olive oil/za'atar mixture onto each piece of dough.
Preheat the grill to its hottest temperature. Place the flatbreads gently
on the grill. Cover and bake for 1 to 2 minutes, then check for doneness.
Allow to bake until the tops begin to brown. Brush with additional topping
if desired, and remove from the grill.
[SERVE IMMEDIATELY, IF POSSIBLE jtr]
YIELD: 8 large, irregular-shaped flatbreads
SOURCE: Merlin's Recipe Box, King Arthur's Bread Web Site
Nutrition information per serving (1/2 flatbread, 112g): 314 cal, 13.5g
fat, 6g protein, 40g complex carbohydrates, 1g sugar, 2g dietary fiber,
502mg sodium.
_________
*Available at Lebanese Tavern Market, Old Dominion Drive, Arlington, VA
HALF RECIPE
ZA'ATAR, LEMON And OIL TOPPING
cup za'atar spice
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Juice of lemon, about 1/4 cup juice
cup + 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
BREAD
1/2 Tbsp quick-rising or instant yeast
1 cups lukewarm water (100F to 110F)
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup KA Unbleached A-P Flour
Approx 2 1/2 cups KA Special Bread Flour
1 tsp kosher salt
Follow method above.
DIPPING SAUCE: In small individual custard cups or whatever is convenient
mix:
about 1 tablespoon za'atar spice
Dash kosher salt
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
INGREDIENTS: Half recipe: As revised above. Note: Used less flour than
recipe called for. This is a very soft, slack dough.
METHOD: Kitchen Aid Mixer. Followed instructions as written, but added salt
after rest period (20 minutes after mixing). Kneaded in KA for 3 minutes,
rested and kneaded by hand 2 minutes or less. Added only a little more
flour during 1st knead, total amount about 2 cups.
Covered bowl with plastic wrap and kitchen towel; refrigerated overnight.
Removed from refrigerator about 1:15 PM, punched down, rolled into a ball
and covered to rise in dining room.
Rising time: 2 hours (warm in dining room approximately 80 Scaled dough = 1
lb 4 1/4 ozs
Divided dough into quarters. Rolled out as directed. [NOTE: dough fought
back. Next time allow dough to rest 10 minutes before cutting and shaping
or I'll add some of Lora Brody's Dough Relaxer.] Placed on greased
parchment, covered 15-20 minutes. Poured on topping sauce. Next time don't
let it pool so much in center, excess oil causes bread not to bake completely.
Baked: IN OVEN: Preheated oven 500F 35 minutes. Raised rack, placed pizza
stone on rack during preheat. Baked each piece individually 2 minutes at
BAKE, 3 minutes at BROIL.
Oven dials became excessively hot due to opening door during broiling periods.
Removed from oven, placed on cooling rack. Brushed oil that had accumulated
in center of loaves around the tops of the loaves.
To serve: If not eating immediately, preheat oven (with pizza stone) to
400F . Place baked bread on stone and turn off heat. Allow bread to remain
in oven about 10 minutes to reheat.