flatbread Archives - Sugar et al

If you follow me on Instagram, you might be familiar with my love for colourful, fruity sweet breakfasts by now. Parfaits, bruschettas, flatbreads, crepes, overnight oats and so on. I love food that is unconventional and yet simple to make so I make them often. Not only are they a great way of eating a variety of fruit but they also don’t make you feel guilty afterwards. Guilt free indulgence as we call it! Though I post these often, I’ve never bothered to put up a recipe because these are mostly made out of a mish mash of things from my refrigerator and I hardly ever measure anything. Now since I find quite a few of my followers asking for these recipes, I’ll post them anyway with approximate amounts. If you get the idea, it’s not that difficult to adjust the portions to your liking. The great thing is that they can double up as a healthy dessert or even a snack.

I used my pizza dough recipe to make the flatbread. You could use any kind of bread or flatbread. If I’ve made naan for dinner the previous night, I sometimes reserve a portion to top with fruits the next morning. If you want to serve it for a get-together, swap the bread for puff pastry and it’s still delicious. A dairy product (example yogurt, ricotta cheese, cream cheese)or a non dairy substitute (like coconut cream, nut butters etc) form the base/filling for my fruits. Then I balance the flavours by creating a sweet salty combination by either using spices and a pinch of salt, or broiling the fruit with a touch of balsamic vinegar or poaching the fruit in a flavourful infusion, either citrus juices or spicy concoctions. Then add some fresh green herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, thyme or oregano. Basically, make it your own.

I’m also taking this opportunity to apologise for the delay in putting up the Q & A Part 2 as promised. I’ve had too many outdoor assignments lately and it totally wears me out. On top of that school holidays can make life challenging enough. I’ll post it as soon as I can.

Sweet Breakfast Flatbreads
Serves 4

Flatbread (you can use this recipe) or your own pizza dough recipe or store bought flatbreads
3/4 cup Ricotta Cheese
Balsamic Figs (figs, quartered and broiled in a 200 degree C oven with a dash of balsamic vinegar for 10 minutes)
Strawberries, grapes, to serve
Fresh basil, to serve
Edible flowers (optional)
1 tsp Dukkah spices (home made or store bought) (Dukkah is an Egyptian condiment made of nuts, spices and herbs)

Trim the sides of the flat bread so you have a neat rectangle to work with. Spread ricotta cheese. Top with balsamic figs, strawberries grapes, basil and edible flowers.

Sprinkle with Dukkah spices. Enjoy!

This post is an entry into the Nuffnang ‘Fresh Recipe’ Network Competition, thanks to BRITA. Check out betterwithbrita.com for inspiration and exclusive recipes by Gary Mehigan’.

Where I grew up, a few decades ago, water was scarce. It was dear. Preserved and valued. Rains were celebrated and rivers worshipped. There were days when one had to go without tap water or make the most of the little that flowed out of the taps. On top of that, tap water was hard and not suited for drinking. Those who could afford a water purifier would get one. The rest would go through the tedious process of boiling gallons of water and storing them in bottles and pitchers for consumption later on.

Basically, at an early age I learnt the importance of having clean, filtered water at home. This experience led me to be grateful for the things that I have today. Running taps…clean, convenient inexpensive filtered water and a great base for cooking delicious food. No, I have never taken water for granted.

Water is vital in cooking. Not just the wonderful soups, curries, smoothies that comes out from our kitchen but also the innumerable ways water is involved in our daily cooking methods. Washing, simmering, soaking and so on. When I think of water as a primary and indispensable ingredient in a recipe, I think of the two-ingredient wonder that my Mother (or for that matter a lot of Indian parents) cooked and fed us often. Roti or flatbreads. Made with wholemeal flour and water and perhaps a solid arm workout. I picture my mother in the wee hours of the morning kneading her way through the elastic dough, adding filtered water, a little at a time from a jug that she filled up as soon as she entered the kitchen. That was first thing she would always do. The dough would then be divided into discs, rolled out, cooked on an open fire and served with curry.

The recipe I am sharing today is one that can be baked and eaten on it’s own. The dough is a like a pizza or Naan bread dough that is topped with crispy cauliflower florets, cranberries, onions, mint and a generous amount of Dukkah to perk up the flavours. Cranberries add a lovely bite and sweetness to the bread and mint gives it a touch of freshness. Dukkah is an Egyptian fragrant, spice and nut blend. It is available in some supermarkets and most farmer’s markets in Australia. It is also very easy to make your own and can be used in a variety of recipes. If you do not have access to Dukkah, you could use cumin or fennel seeds as a substitute. But in that case, add them to the dough instead of a topping. A sprinkling of feta is also great on the flatbreads.

Cauliflower and Cranberry Flatbread with Dukkah
Makes two10 inch by 5inch oval flatbreads

For the dough (makes 2 flatbreads)
1 1/4 cups filtered water
3 cups Plain Flour
2 tsp/7g/1 sachet dried yeast
1/2 tsp castor sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
Olive oil, for brushing
Semolina or Polenta, to dust

For the topping
1/2 cup heavy/thickened cream
A quarter of a cauliflower head, trimmed and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
10-12 small pickling onions, quartered
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tbsp. Dukkah
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
mint leaves, thinly sliced
salt and pepper, for seasoning

Make the dough: Heat the water till it is lukewarm to touch. Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the warm water and olive oil. Mix together and use your hands to bring it to a soft dough. Knead it on a floured surface to make it smooth and pliable. Return it to the mixing bowl that has been brushed with oil. Add the dough and turn to coat.
Cover with a damp tea towel. Set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes or until dough doubles in size. Punch down dough with your fist. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it gently for a minute. Halve the dough and roll it out to the desired portion and thickness.

Make the flatbread: Preheat oven to 220 degrees C. Place the cream, garlic, cauliflower, onions, cranberries, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir to combine. Spread the mixture on the rolled out dough evenly and sprinkle with dukkah. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top and puffed up. Remove from the oven. Garnish with fresh mint and slice into wedges. Serve warm.