Herbed Flat Breads

When I saw a flatbread recipe in the May 2008 issue of Bon Appetit, it reminded me of the great homemade bread that they use for gyros at a local Coney Island from where I sometimes pick up dinner on my way home from work. The Bon Appetit recipe used Indian spices, but I changed the recipe to give it an Italian twist by using the fresh herbs from my garden.

There is no yeast in these little breads and they are surprisingly quick and easy to make! They taste wonderful hot out of the pan with a little crispiness. We enjoyed them at the picnic - they are perfect for toppings! Next time I plan to try to cook them on the outside grill.

Here I have one topped with apricot jam and goat cheese. Stick it in the toaster oven for a couple minutes to crisp up the bread and melt the cheese. They work great with other toppings, too: caramelized onions, pesto, or tapinade.


Herbed Flat Breads

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
1 teaspoon garlic
chopped fresh rosemary
olive oil for frying

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, soda, garlic, and rosemary in a bowl. Add the yogurt and mix with a fork until small clumps form. Knead the dough in the bowl with your hands until it just comes together into a ball of soft dough, adding more flour or yogurt if needed.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead for one minute until just smooth. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll into balls. Use a well floured rolling pin to roll each ball into a flat circle of about 4 to 5 inches.

Heat a large sized skillet over medium heat and brush with olive oil. Working in batches, cook the flatbreads until golden and puffy, about 3 minutes on each side.

When just out of the pan, I brushed the top of each bread with a mixture of olive oil, fresh rosemary, and a little salt. Serve fresh, or reheat for a few minutes in the oven to give them a little bit of crunch.