Flatbread is a bread wherein there is either no yeast, or the yeast is not allowed to fully work its magic. Different cultures and ethnicities around the world have their own flatbreads, and even crackers are included under flatbread because of the way crackers are made. Yet, how can you bake the perfect flatbread at home without getting it too crunchy, to lofty, and/or too soft? Baking flatbread requires practice, but there are a few tricks to help you get it just right.
First, Try It Without Yeast
The Jewish people, in ancient times, placed flatbread on the altar just outside the entrance to the temple. It was viewed as the most holy of breads, and only the chief priest could even touch it or sample it. They made it without yeast, calling it unleavened bread. This may be the easiest way to try making flatbread since you do not have to judge exactly when to bake it. The bread batter should be slightly sticky, but spread evenly over a flattened pan. (A jelly roll pan is good for this. Just make sure the bread batter is no thicker than a millimeter or two.)
Then, Try It With a Little Yeast
The smallest amount of yeast goes a long way. Since you are trying very hard not to get the batter to rise like regular bread dough, follow your recipe VERY closely. It might also be helpful to place the yeast in a little water before adding the water and yeast to the rest of your ingredients. This helps the yeast to expand before being pulverized into the bread batter. Subsequently, the batter does not rise as much or as quickly.
Another trick is to make the recipe exactly as it says, only wait and watch the bread very carefully. Once it has doubled its height/thickness, you pop it in the oven to bake. The heat arrests the rising yeast so that it cannot rise much further. It is also possible to skip waiting for the yeast to make the batter rise and just allow the slow heating action of the oven to activate the yeast and then deactivate minutes later when the heat of the oven has "killed" it.
Other Cooking Processes That Can Make Flatbread Perfect
Take a page from the cooks south o' the border—pan-fry your flatbread. Tortillas and other flatbread wraps are pan-fried, thereby cooking the bread without allowing it to rise. The skillet may be lightly buttered, or a small amount of lard may be used to keep the bread from sticking. There should not be a ton of oil or grease in the pan, or the bread batter will completely fry into a cracker. A minute on each side to start should get the flatbread nice and even. If it still seems a little "wet," lessen the amount of water you use in the batter or increase cooking time on each side by thirty seconds until the flatbread is perfect.
Share6 February 2017
I simply adore preparing meals for my family. However, due to work responsibilities, I don’t always have much time to cook dinner on weeknights. Thankfully, I’ve collected and developed a ton of easy, pasta recipes over the years. Delicious, filling pasta dishes only take minutes to cook. And, everyone in my family loves them. Some of my favorite Italian dishes to prepare on weeknights include chicken pasta, hamburger macaroni, tuna macaroni, macaroni and cheese, and spaghetti with meatballs. On this blog, I hope you will discover the reasons pasta dishes are the perfect complements to your weeknight, menu plan. Enjoy!