GRILLED FLATBREAD

I have been making this flatbread for a long time now and it always turns out good! Like soft, roll-able, perfectly chewy flatbread that goes with pretty much everything you want to wrap it with. We usually eat these with the Shawarma that  I make and we cannot think of replacing this bread with another. I love a good Pita bread but I love this one a little bit more. If you having been looking for a perfect vehicle for all your wrap needs, look no further! This is it!

This recipe comes from the brilliant Mark Bittman and you can never go wrong with his recipes. I recently found a copy of his extensive How To Cook Everything cookbook at our local thrift store for under a dollar! I can never pass on a deal like that. Thrift stores shelves have such hidden cookbook gems! Actually, I have found quite a few amazing books over there. Most of them are in near-perfect condition.

Flatbreads like these are so easy to pull off. You only need the basic ingredients on hand and it's done in under an hour and a half, including the rising time. I use it plain while making Shawarma but Mark suggests a sprinkle of za'taar over it. He calls it the Grilled Lebanese Flatbread. I am sure it tastes fabulous on it's own. I usually make Pita Chips with leftover Pita bread with za'taar on top. I love the flavor it imparts.

GRILLED FLATBREAD
Makes 8

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
Extra virgin olive oil

Method: In a large bowl, combine salt, sugar, yeast and 1 cup warm water. Set it aside until it foams up,about 5 minutes. Add the flour and mix well until combined. Sprinkle warm water by the tablespoon and mix if you feel your dough is dry. Cover and let rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.
When the dough has puffed up, knead it for 5 minutes on a floured surface until smooth and silky. Divide into 8 pieces and roll out each one into an approximate 6 inches in diameter. Brush one side with olive oil and cook on a hot grill, oiled side down on medium high heat . Brush some more oil on the second side and flip when bubbles begin to appear. Cook the second side for an extra 30 seconds.
Serve it immediately or at room temperature.

* I rolled mine out thinner. If yours is a seasoned grill, you can make it without the oil as well. 

Our kids love this bread! They eat it plain as well as filled. I made these last night because Ian had been asking me to make Shawarma for a while. Now that we have all the time in the World, why not make use of it? You can get the kids to help you in the kitchen when you make bread. They will find it very exciting, especially when the yeast foams up and when the dough doubles in size. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

CHOCOLATE & ORANGE LEOPARD BREAD

This bread has been on my mind for atleast 3 years now. Everytime I've seen it, I wanted to try making it at home. Somehow, it got pushed until yesterday. There are so many different ways that you can make such breads and this is the most easiest pattern. Atleast that's what I think.The delight & excitement that I felt while slicing into it was incomparable! I really felt like a little child then. I must also mention that this recipe is eggless and does not use any food colouring!

This bread is sweet,not very sweet but it is sweet if you compare it with storebought bread. I somehow felt that it's a cross between a cake & bread. The entire process of making this bread using this recipe was fun for me. I feel it would make a perfect activity for kids especially on a rainy /snowy day. Talking about snowy day...we are having a snow storm right now. Just when it touched 68F the other day and after 3 weeks of good weather...when the trees and plants have started to sprout! Hmm...that's how our sweet Minnesota is...unpredictable! I still remember the weather on Ian's First birthday party. It's usually pretty hot in July but that day, it went down to 40's! We had the party outdoors in a park and all of us ended up wearing jackets!

Getting back to this wonderful bread...try it on a day when you need a 'pick-me-up'. It will definitely make your day! I don't know how it will taste if you omit the orange from this recipe. Initially, I did not want to but after tasting it, I felt that it was a good addition. It could be because I like orange in my baked goodies. I do not enjoy fruit filled chocolates though. I can never get myself to like them.

When you read the instructions below, it can look a bit confusing at first. It's one of the simplest things to make in reality. You make one dough, divide it into three. Then you are basically rolling them and wrapping them around each other to form a sausage shape. Then you further roll them into long ropes, cut it, stack it and bake. You don't even need an egg wash for the top! It gets golden as it bakes.

CHOCOLATE & ORANGE LEOPARD BREAD
Makes one loaf

Ingredients:
1 cup warm milk
2 tablespoons (25 g) cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons (15 g) yeast
2/3 cup (70g) sugar, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons orange zest
3 cups (375 g) all purpose flour

Dark chocolate paste:
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon milk

Light chocolate paste:
2 teaspoons cocoa
1 teaspoon milk

Method: In the bowl of your standmixer using a dough hook, whisk together warm milk, cornstarch, yeast, 2 tablespoons sugar and set it aside for 6-8 minutes till it turns frothy. Add the melted butter,orange zest, vanilla extract and turn on the mixer on low speed. Add the flour by the cup and let it mix on medium high speed until it forms into a dough. Turn off the mixer and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Then turn the mixer on high speed and knead for 8 minutes. Divide the dough into two equal portions. Let's name it A & B. Divide B two equal portions. Now you are left with three dough balls. A, B & C.

Make the dark & light chocolate paste by mixing together the given amount of cocoa and milk  in a small bowl. Tint dough B with dark paste and dough C with light paste. You may have to knead the dough for 2-3 minutes by hand to get them in a uniform colour. Wrap A, B & C in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, take out the dough balls and further divide each into 7 equal portions. So now you have 21 dough balls.

Using your hands, roll out the light brown dough into hot dog shapes, about 4 inches long. Set them aside.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the dark brown dough into a flat oval and wrap each of them around the light brown hot dog shapes. Use water to seal the edges.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the white dough into a flat oval and wrap each of them around the dark & light chocolate rolls. Use water to seal the edges.

Now you have 7 tri-coloured rolls. Using your hands, roll each of them into atleast 14-15 inch long ropes and cut them into the two. You will be able to see the beautiful pattern now.
Transfer them into a lined 8 X 5 inch loaf tin by stacking them on top of each other. Cover it with a tea towel and let the dough rise until doubled, till the top of the tin.
Preheat the oven to 375F and then reduce it to 350F as you put the bread in. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let it cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then unmould the bread and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
Slice and enjoy!

I've tried my best to simplify the instructions. If you have any questions, do let me know in the comment section below.
We really enjoyed the bread. Ian was the only one who didn't like it. I am guessing he didn't like the chocolate-orange combination. Other than that, I must say it was a success! Zara calls it the Tiger Bread! :-) I cannot wait to try other designs now. It's really an exciting process, you should try it to experience it!