Chewy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, these garlic & coriander flatbreads are so versatile (and sooo good!)
Do you remember taking science classes in school?
It seems like a lifetime ago now, but I vaguely recall mixing different substances together and checking for chemical reactions by heating over a bunsen burner – do they even have those anymore? – I’m showing my age, aren’t I? ← don’t answer that…
Although I never really made the connection while at school, I get it now – if you swap the word “substances” for the word “ingredients”, you get…
Baking.
The magical, sometimes mystical, and always delicious world of baking, is all about the chemical reactions…
In this instance: a leavening agent (yeast) + food (flour) + moisture (water) + warmth (um, yeah, just warmth…) = yummy freshly baked bread. Warm from the oven (or in this case, pan) and slathered in melted butter – it’s alchemy at its very best!
I know a lot of people out there are scared at the prospect of working with yeast, but I promise you, it’s worth getting over your fear – there is nothing better than pulling a warm loaf of bread from the oven, knowing that you made it yourself!
And the taste. Mmm, the taste…
It’s hard to describe, just how good freshly baked bread tastes – I wish there was some way I could hand you all some through the computer screen – boy, wouldn’t I be popular … but it’s just so soft, fluffy, yeasty, and all round delicious – you’ll never want to go back to store bought again!
To keep the scare factor to a minimum, I’ve used fast-acting or instant yeast for this flatbread recipe. Instant yeast is a great product for taking a lot of the stressful guesswork out of bread-making. Simple to use, it produces great results without the worry of needing to reactivate the yeast with water before using it. You just combine it with the dry ingredients ← it really is that easy!
Most fast acting products are a combination of dried yeast and dough improvers such as Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C). Dough improvers help to strengthen your dough, making it rise faster and more easily – which helps to produce light, airy and more consistent results. I usually use this brand which I’ve found in all major supermarkets, and if you are in the US, I’ve heard a lot of great things about this brand.
For this recipe, the yeast is combined with flour, salt, butter and a little yogurt for extra flavour, tang (and protein!) Once cooked, the flatbreads are covered in melted butter, flavoured with a good heap of garlic and chopped coriander (cilantro for those further afield) although you could change up the toppings if you like – everything works well with these flatbreads – tomato sauce … mozzarella … oregano … rosemary … pesto…shall I go on?
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups (250g) strong white bread flour, plus extra for kneading
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fast acting instant yeast
- 1 tablespoon butter softened
- 2 tablespoons greek yogurt
- 150 ml cool water *
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 teaspoons garlic puree
- 2 – 3 teaspoons chopped coriander cilantro
- Olive oil for frying
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt and yeast. Add the softened butter, greek yogurt, and most of the water (hold back a little in case you don’t need it all…)
- Using a wooden spoon, stir everything together until a dough begins to form, add a little more water at a time if needed – you are looking for a soft, slightly sticky, yet manageable dough.
- Use your hands to finish working everything together, then transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead for 5 – 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, stretchy and pliable.
- Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough into it. Cover with a tea towel (or lightly oiled cling film) and leave to rise until at least doubled in size (mine took a couple of hours, it will depend on the warmth of your room).
- Tip the dough back out on to a floured surface, continually fold the dough inwards until all the air has been knocked out again. Divide the dough into six equal pieces.
- Roll each piece out with a rolling pin into a circle about 4.5 – 5 inches in diameter, place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a baking liner and allow to relax for 30-45 mins (the flatbreads will begin to rise again).
- Mix together the melted butter, garlic puree and chopped coriander in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan over a medium-high heat. Carefully peel each flatbread from the paper and fry for 3-4 mins on each side until they are golden brown and puffed up (I could fit two at a time into my pan). Remove from the heat and brush with the garlic & coriander butter before serving.
