Flatbread
Yogurt-based flat breads are a delicious way to enjoy Mediterranean and Indian dishes, sandwich wraps, and are a great vehicle for dips.
This recipe comes from Natalia Cattelani, an Italian cookbook author and blogger. I’ve given volume measures to her ingredients, standardized the type of yogurt, and translated and clarified her process steps. Otherwise, the recipe largely remains intact. I find that flatbreads and other crostata type doughs work beautifully using yogurt and are easier to roll and remain supple and soft when storing and eating. Plus, using yogurt rather than lard or shortening is a lot healthier.
These flatbreads go great with my recipes for:
- Cooking a Love Letter (Moroccan Chicken Tagine)
- White Bean Spread
- Spiced Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
- Baba Ganoush.
Arliano Update (Aggiornamento Arliano):
We’ve had more heavy rains. Given that, except for two butternut squash which still have some green streaks, I’ve now harvested the rest, so they don’t rot in the field. We have another watermelon growing and it’s the size of a fist. I doubt it will make it to maturity before the first frost, but one can hope! One of our dahlia plants has had an unexpected rebirth and is shooting out flowers like fireworks. Our zinnias have been the star of the year, still producing as if it were June. What remains vegetable-wise is our cabbage (expect a soon-to-come recipe), brussels sprouts (a friend recently took a look at them and had big doubts) hot peppers and loads of green tomatoes – who knows if they will ripen with the cooler weather?
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Yogurt-based Flatbread
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour (250 grams) spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon (3 grams) active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup (120 grams) plain, full-fat Greek yogurt
- Up to 1/3 cup (80 ml) room temperature water
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) kosher or sea salt (not iodized table salt)
- Optional Garnishes: Butter or olive oil, minced garlic, chopped herbs and/or spices of your choice
Directions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and yeast
- Add the yogurt to the bowl with the flour and stir
- Add about 80% of the water and mix well with a fork. The dough will look shaggy. Use the remaining water a little at a time if the mixture hasn’t formed a ball after kneading it in the bowl for a minute and if there is still loose flour in the bowl. The amount of water needed will depend on the weather and the type of flour and yogurt you’ve used – they all affect the moisture level of the dough. Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes
- Add the salt to the dough and knead it on a lightly floured surface until the ball has become smooth in texture (about 10 minutes). Resist the urge to add additional flour. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm room until it has doubled in size, about 2 hours
- Divide the dough into four equal parts and roll each part into a ball. With your fingers, press out each ball, one at a time, into a flat circle, then proceed using a rolling pin to roll each disk into 6 – 8-inches (15 – 20 cm) in diameter. Continue with each dough ball and cover them with plastic wrap or a clean dishtowel for 30 minutes
- Heat a large flat skillet to medium heat. Cook each flat bread for 4 minutes on each side. Do not use any oil in the pan (Don’t worry, the flatbread will not stick to the pan.). If air bubbles form while cooking, press them down with a spatula
- After cooking, depending on how you plan to enjoy these flatbreads, you may want to garnish them. If so, here are a few ideas: Brush each flat bread with melted butter or olive oil with or without finely minced garlic, and sprinkle on any chopped herbs (e.g., rosemary, cilantro, parsley, oregano, basil, za’atar, etc.) or spices (e.g., cumin, smoked paprika, garam masala, a tandoori blend, etc.)
Greg Nelson Cooks 
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