Miniature Turkish Flatbreads from Savory Baking from the Mediterranean, by Anissa Helou

Before I get into the how-to portion of making your own Turkish flat bread, let me just say that this book is a treasure trove of artisan bread and savory tart recipes from one of my favorite regions in the world, the Mediterranean. Some of the great recipes you’ll find in this tantalizing tome? Syrian fatayer, Spanish bread sticks, Lebanese cheese triangles, a Greek style pumpkin-leek-walnut-cheese tart, Tuscan Easter bread with rosemary and raisins, and Sicilian sesame Grissini.

I dug into this book with gusto over my morning coffee, and I swear I could smell the stuff baking. The recipes are that diverse. Savory Baking from the Mediterranean is a must have for the die hard bread lover, and Mediterranean chow hound.

Now, on to the Turkish flat bread. I chose this recipe as an excerpt for the same reason I have chosen many others . . . it’s short on ingredients and super affordable. Not that I won’t occasionally be posting a more elaborate recipe, but I think folks are more apt to attempt something new if they are not afraid of a mistake costing them major bucks. Since bread making and ethnic cooking are both areas many people find intimidating, I figured the simpler the better in this situation. Here’s what you need:

½ tsp sea salt, 3 tbsp whole wheat flour, 1/3 cup bread flour, 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus a tad extra for kneading, warm water. 

 In a bowl, mix the flours and salt together and make a well in the center. Slowly add 1/3 cup plus 2 tsp warm water and knead until you have a ball. Move to a lightly floured surface and continue to knead for 3 minutes. Then, invert your bowl over the ball of dough and let the whole thing rest for 15 minutes. Then knead 2-3 minutes more, until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Divide into 10 equal pieces, and shape each into a small ball between your hands. Sprinkle your work surface with flour, and place the balls of dough on top. Cover with a towel that is wet but not dripping, and let rest for a half an hour. Roll out each ball, sprinkling with flour if necessary to a circle of 7 or 8 inches in diameter.

 Apparently, you can go larger and thinner if you have a special Turkish rolling pin called an oklava. Place the rolled out dough circles between floured baker’s linens or dry kitchen towels. Using a large nonstick pan over medium heat, cook each flat bread for about one minute on each side until they have small golden to dark spots bubbling up. Stack between clean kitchen towels as they are finished. You can either use immediately in a wrap or with a dip, or let harden to a cracker-like consistency which will keep for weeks. Apparently, you can refresh these hardened breads whenever you want by sprinkling each with a bit of water, folding in half and wrapping in a clean towel where you will let it rest for about thirty minutes. This, according to the book will make them soft and pliable again as if freshly baked. Who knew?I’ve written a few other bread pieces, for those who might be interested in exploring the art form further. One of them is designed to addressing rising bread prices in general, with strategies for adjusting your grocery budget and kitchen practices. The other is a how-to piece on making your own bread machine mixes ahead of time for efficient meal prep.

Photo Credits: Meg and Rahul, and Harper Collins, respectively.