Try this simple to make but delicious tasting flatbread recipe – perfect as a home-made accompaniment to a main meal or as part of your own mezze platter
Ingredients:
400g strong white bread flour
200g seeded/wholemeal strong bread flour
15g salt
10g dried yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
1tsp sugar
330g water – luke warm
Melted butter for brushing
Your choice of Fennel, cumin, coriander, nigella or black onion seeds for sprinkling
Place the flour, salt and oil in a large bowl or mixer bowl. Have the warm water in a jug and add the sugar and dried yeast, stir and leave for 10 minutes. This should activate the yeast; it should bubble and froth and grow a ‘raft’ of foam on top of the water. If nothing happens after 15 minutes, the yeast may be unusable. Check you haven’t used overly hot water as it may kill the yeast; the water should be body temperature.
If you have the foam, then tip the mixture into the flour and combine, either with the dough hook on your mixer or with your hands. If the mixture is a little dry, add water a few drops at a time. If it is wet then add a little flour. Knead slowly with the hook for 10 minutes or turn out onto a surface and knead with your hands; push the dough away from you, fold back over and turn. You need to do this for 10-15 minutes, but it is a little tiring! Leave in the bowl and cover with a damp cloth and leave to double in size (prove) for about an hour at room temperature.
Turn out of the bowl and knock the air out by folding 8-10 times. Now divide into two or three pieces, depending on the size of your trays and oven, flour the surface and roll out to about 5mm thick. Lift and place on a metal tray covered with greaseproof paper lightly floured, cut the flatbread a few times in straight lines but not right to the edge, brush with the butter and sprinkle with the seeds of your choice.
Turn your oven onto about 200⁰C and leave to prove for 15-20 minutes, then place in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. This should give you some doughy bits and some nice crispy pieces, perfect with a curry or Moroccan feast.
