So much about 2020 made it a terrible year, but one great thing that came out of it for me was appreciating this flat bread recipe,” says chef Poppy O’Toole. “It’s so, so simple. I’m one of those people (like my mum) who heads to the shops almost every day because I’ve forgotten something on the big shop.
“During the height of lockdown, we weren’t able to do that, but discovering how easy it was to make a flat bread meant that lunch was always sorted. Easy flat bread. Hummus. Dips. Perfection. But also a flat bread to use in so many ways.”
Easy flat breads
Makes: 4
Ingredients:
250g/9oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
250g/9oz Greek yoghurt (or 125ml/½ cup warm water + 2 tbsp vegetable oil, if you’re vegan)
1 tsp onion seeds, poppy seeds or sesame seeds
1 tsp baking powder
Salt and black pepper
Method:
1. This is literally so easy… in a bowl mix all the ingredients – flour, yoghurt, seeds, baking powder and seasoning – into a dough. Knead for about three minutes, to a soft but not sticky ball. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave for 10 minutes to rest.
2. Cut the ball into four equal pieces and use a rolling pin to roll each one out to a thin round. You’re aiming for them to be about 12cm/5in in diameter – but don’t worry if they look rustic in shape. Set aside the rolled-flat flat breads on a lightly floured surface.
3. Place a large, dry frying pan over a high heat. Leave it to get hot, then throw in the first flat bread – no oil, no butter, nothing… just dry, hot heat.
4. Once bubbles start to form in the dough (about 30 seconds) and you’ve got a little bit of char on the underside, flip over the flat bread and cook the other side for about 30 seconds, to get a little bit of char there, too. Keep warm while you do the same with the remaining three flat breads. That’s it, remove from the pan and serve (or cool and tightly wrap to store).
Recipe extracted from ‘Poppy Cooks: The Food You Need’ by Poppy O’Toole (published by Bloomsbury, £16.99; photography by Louise Hagger), available now.
