Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Roasted Tomatoes and Whole-Wheat Flatbread

I am not a fan of sun-dried tomatoes. However I decided to take a little of my own advice and try making something on my own if I don't like it. Maybe it's really great, and I just don't like it because I had a couple bad experiences with over processed products. I had beautiful grape tomatoes on hand. I haven't bought grape tomatoes for months. I think I overdosed on them a while back while we were having a million salads. I really like them, but I have been buying roma and tomatoes on the vine lately. These little guys just seemed like more work than they were worth. After an appropriate separation period, I guess I was ready to have them back in my life, as they caught my eye again last weekend. It's amazing to me how perfectly waxy they look raw. Nice, firm texture. Love it when produce is at its peak.
After quickly halved and tossed in olive oil, they were ready to lay out and roast.
My little sunbathing beauties were getting their tan from the oven, 225 degrees for a little over 2 hours. They smelled fantastic while baking.
In the meantime, I had made this whole wheat dough on Sunday because I couldn't find any good-looking pita or lavosh at the grocery store. I couldn't stomach the idea of spending $4 on a package of pita that already looked hard. I wanted whole wheat, I wanted healthy, I wanted fresh. The only option was to make it myself. Basically the same recipe as my pizza dough, and pretty much the same process. I was worried because my dough seemed a little dense. For me, this needed minimal kneading, but a nice long rise time. Sometimes the rise time does what kneading can't. The fermentation process smoothed out this dough and it came together beautifully. I used a pizza cutter and cut the dough into about 10 pieces. Then I rolled each into a small ball.
Then press the ball flat into a disk and roll it out paper thin.Pick it up gently and drop it onto a large skillet coated with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with kosher salt if you like.Cook over medium heat, browning on both sides. Basically like cooking a tortilla, but they are thicker, definitely bread.
Enjoy the bread with hummus, Italian white bean dip, pesto, or use as bread for wrap sandwiches. And just like that, my tomatoes were done. Given that it was late night, I haven't tried them yet, but I think I will use them in salads or into a sauce while cooking meat, supposedly they are great to snack on. They are resting in a little olive oil in the fridge right now. More to come on where they end up!Whole-Wheat Flatbread Pita Dough
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or King Arthur white whole wheat flour
1 cup of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of instant yeast, or 1 pkg active dry yeast
1/2 cup white wine
1/2-3/4 warm water
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt

If using active dry yeast, proof the yeast in the warm wine/water mixture using the smaller quantity. Once proofed and foamy, transfer the bowl of a stand mixer. Continue by adding all ingredients except salt. If using instant yeast : Combine all ingredients with the lower quantity of water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. If the dough looks dry, add the additional water a little bit at a time with the mixer running. Add the salt once the dough pulls together. After a shaggy ball has formed, switch to the dough hook attachment and knead for about 5-10 minutes. No need to overknead, dough will not look smooth. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl or sealable bag. Leave on the counter to rise for about 2 hours. Refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge and let come to room temperature. Cut into about 8-10 pieces and roll into balls. (about the size of a plum to an orange) If dough is resisting forming a cohesive ball. cover the balls with a towel and let stand for about 30 minutes. Once ready, press down with flour and roll out as thin as possible. Cook in a large skillet sprayed with olive oil over a medium flame until browned on both sides. Stack finished breads between two towels to prevent them from drying out. Note: Flatbreads will not pop like commercial pita, so if you want to use them for sandwiches, wrap your finished breads around the filling instead of trying to split them in half.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You really do inspire me to want to bake some bread. I envy you the San Diego temperatures as you know how I feel about the oven and the air running at the same time. Something about our carbon footprint! Maybe cooking these on the cooktop will give me a new plan!
Love,
MOM