Everyone loves flatbread. There are literally hundreds of different recipes that never get old and most importantly, this bakery good is exceptionally delicious. This is because bread is revered in the Balkans. While many other peoples consume poor imitations of bread when sitting down at a table, there are dozens of tasty local recipes that mesmerize foreigners. The Greeks are no exception. Here are 2 recipes for scrumptious Greek flatbread:
Plain Greek Flatbread
Ingredients: 1 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 packet fresh yeast, 1/2 cup cool water, 2 tbsp olive oil.
Preparation: Dissolve the yeast in a small container with the cool water and a spoon of flour. Let it become effervescent. Sift the remaining flour, mix it with the salt and put it in a heap. Make a well in it, put the olive oil and yeast inside. Knead a soft dough. Let it rise for an hour in a large container covered with oiled foil.
Divide the risen dough into 6 pitas, kneading each one again. Leave them to rise again for 10 min. Then roll them out into round pitas 3/16" thick and with a diameter of about 6″. Leave them for about 15 min., this time on top of oiled foil.
Bake them in a preheated 450°F (230 °C) oven for about 15 min. Once you take them out, smear them with olive oil and sprinkle with crushed garlic if desired.
Greek Flatbread with Rosemary
Ingredients: 1 packet dry yeast, 1/2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 cup warm water, 4 cups flour, 2 tbsp salt, 1 cup warm water, 1 tbsp olive oil, fresh rosemary.
Preparation: Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 1/2 cup warm water. Let them sit for 15 min. Dissolve the salt in the other 1 cup warm water.
In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and make a well in the middle. Add the yeast and olive oil. Knead a soft dough. Form the dough into a ball and let it rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours.
Toss the dough and hit it into the table for about 5 min. Make small balls about the size of an egg. Let them sit for 10 min. Roll them out to 3/16" thick. Bake in an oiled tray in a preheated 390°F (200 °C) oven for 4 min. on each side.
Smear with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary. These pitas have a long shelf life and you can store them in paper bags in the fridge. If you decide to do this, don't smear them with olive oil after baking, just wait for them to cool. Before consumption, crisp them for 2 min. on each side and they'll turn out as if freshly baked.
Comments