Used as pizza crust, as a wrap, or dunking in your favorite dip, or with my family's favourite salmon tikka recipe, these flatbreads are as versatile as they are delicious. Far better (and cheaper!) than their store bought counter parts, you'll be whipping a batch up to go with dinner in no time. You can be a little adventurous and try adding a bit of herbs to them if you wish, or leave them as is and play with the toppings intead. The only catch is that they cook up very quickly, so make sure you are positioned near the stove and keep the kids away, as they are really, really hot.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup warm water (about 105-115 F)
Preheat your oven to 450 F.
In a bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the flour and salt. Using the paddle attachment, add in the vegetable shortening and stir on low for a few minutes until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Change the paddle attachment for a dough hook. Slowly pour in the water with the motor running.
Allow the mixture to come together into a dough, and the dough to be kneaded with the dough hook for about 4 minutes. If the dough seems dry, you can add a little bit more water.
Pinch off into 8 pieces, and roll each into a ball. Allow them to rest for 20 minutes on the counter, covered with a clean tea towel.
On a lightly floured counter, roll the balls out into circles about 6-8 inches in diameter, about 1/8 inch thick. Don’t worry if you can’t get them perfect, it takes some practice to get it right. Place on the hot stone or cookie sheet and bake, watching carefully. I bake mine about 2 minutes per side, but they brown really easily so you don’t want to leave the stove. Turn them over with tongs and when both sides are browned, remove them to a cooling rack.
They are best eaten the same day, but if you have leftovers wrap them in plastic film and you can still enjoy them the next day.
Makes 8 flatbreads
Adapted from A Peek Inside the Fishbowl
Printer-friendly version