Herbed Flatbreads
Make use of the season’s fresh herbs with these simple, unleavened skillet flatbreads.
It’s June and the perennial herbs are abundant. I haven’t made these herbed flatbreads in years, but funnily enough, when I looked back through my photo timeline, I found that I most often made them in June. Tis the season.
These simple, unleavened flatbreads are great for all sorts of purposes. Top them like pizza. I’ve stuffed them with chicken salad or a mix of salsa, cheese, meat, and veg like a tortilla. I’ve enjoyed them as-is, or with a spread of pesto. Since they are inspired by the flatbreads of the Levant, they are also delicious with kofta (meatball) or falafel.
I’ve kept the instructions loose here because you do not need to be constrained by flour type or herbs. I have used several types of flours, including many gluten free mixes. Rice flour based mixes can be tricky, but I’ve made them work. Chickpea flour makes an excellent dough. Buckwheat flour has an overwhelming flavour so I suggest cutting it with something else. I made the batch in these photos with a fairly course spelt.
Ingredients
21/2 cups flour of your choice
1-1 1/2 cups boiling water
Roughly 4-6 tablespoons fresh herbs, finely chopped
Course salt of your choice
Instructions
Finely chop a handful of fresh herbs. Chives, cilantro, oregano, thyme, basil, dill, parsley, garlic chives, and garlic scapes are just a few that I’ve tried. You can make breads that are just one herb or make a mix with whatever you have on hand. Every combo I’ve tried has come out tasting good.
In a large bowl, add about 1-1 1/2 cups boiling water to 2 ½ cups flour. How much water you need depends on the type of flour, so start with 1 cup and keep adding in small amounts until the dough comes together. Gently knead into a ball. Cover to sit in a lightly oiled bowl for about ½ hour.
Divide the dough into 12 parts. Roll the first piece flat and cover with finely chopped herbs.
Roll up on one side of the flattened dough until you’ve made a tube or snake shape. Pinch the ends to hold the herbs inside and roll up the tube into a coil or snail shape.
Next, roll over the flat side of the coil with a rolling pin to make flattened circles. Herbs will stick out through the dough and your “circles” do not have to be perfect by any means. These are rustic breads.
Heat a few teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet and fry the bread on medium-low until the underside is golden brown. Then flip and brown the other side. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
Rather than preparing all of the dough at once, I roll and prepare the next bread while I am frying the first one. This saves space, but if you want to prepare all of the breads first before frying, I suggest stacking them with a piece of parchment paper to keep them from sticking to each other.
Storage
If you can’t get through all of the dough in one go, you can freeze the dough balls to make later. I also freeze the extra flatbreads and microwave for a few seconds to defrost.
These sound delicious! I've wondered what to do with my herbs and will try these!
Ooh, I’m excited to try this! Do you have experience freezing them after frying?