For The Love Of Flatbread

I am a flatbread aficionado. There’s just something about the, often chewy, texture that I find very appealing. If given the choice, I will pick a flatbread over almost any other kind of bread. Chicken salad on whole wheat bread or a pita? I’ll take the pita version, please.

A few weeks ago I picked up a package of square, whole wheat pitas from Whole Foods. The next day I was raiding my refrigerator, looking for a snack, when a flash of snacking brilliance occurred. I toasted the pita, spread it with plain, Greek yogurt and then applied a liberal sprinkling of spicy sea salt (salt with dried chili peppers, black pepper, paprika, dehydrated garlic & onion, cumin, ginger and basil – a “spice grinder” concoction I found in the $1 area of my local grocery store, believe it or not). The warm pita combined with the cool tang of the yogurt and spicy saltiness was heavenly. It instantly became my go-to snack…and then the package of pitas was gone. I had seen pitas in my local grocery store a week earlier, but apparently the bakery hadn’t decided to make them again that week.

So what’s a hungry girl with a mighty craving to do? Make her own. Luckily, fate was kind and I had just found a recipe for Yogurt Flatbread from the Little House by the Dunes blog. They are a cross between pita and naan, with a toothsome texture and slight tang from the yogurt in the dough. In a word, scrumptious! I served them for dinner the day I made them with sauteed chicken and vegetables. My whole family loved them, even my picky eater. He is very fussy about food, so it says a lot that he really liked this flatbread. The recipe makes plenty so I had leftovers to make my beloved spicy yogurt treats the next day.

Another great flatbread option is Tibetan Flatbread. This recipe was posted by the husband of my friend, Belle, several years ago. I have made it many times, adding different spices and vegetables to the batter. Instead of a lot of flat, individual rounds this recipe makes a thicker “cake” that can be cut into wedges. Quick, easy and very tasty.

There are all kinds of flatbreads. In fact, I have a book dedicated to that specific food, “Flatbreads & Flavors” by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. The authors take you on a culinary tour around the world, exploring flatbreads and their traditional accompaniments in many different cultures. It’s a fascinating book by two of my favorite cookbook authors. The recipes take my flatbread obsession to a whole new level!



Do you like flatbread? If you do, what are your favorite kinds?

This post is linked to Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish Reads