I am a dunker. How about you? When it comes to eating soup, I have to have something to dunk into the liquid to eat along with it. I love a spongy bread or biscuit that will soak up some of the soup liquid without falling apart. I recently saw an episode of Jacques Pépin's show, More Fast Food My Way, where he made a quick Tibetan Flatbread on the stove in a frying pan. It looked so good that I knew I was going to have to try it. *Random Side note: I love Jacques Pépin and just want to reach through the TV screen to hug him. I just think he is adorably wonderful.* When I was getting ready to make the kabocha soup that I told you about in my last post, I decided that it would be the perfect meal to eat the flatbread with, since it looked like it would make a great dunking bread. The dough takes only about a minute to mix up,
and then you put it in a cold frying pan with some olive oil already in it,
spread out the dough, and then add a few tablespoons of water around the edges to help the bread steam, and then stick a lid on the pan and let it cook for about 10 minutes over medium-high heat.
Then you flip the bread over and cook the other side for about 5 minutes.
When it's done, pull it out and let it cool on a plate for a few minutes.
Then cut it into wedges and serve!
The texture of this bread is fabulous–springy, soft, and slightly chewy. The flavor is very light, which is great for dunking since the bread flavors don't overpower the flavors of what you are eating it with. I used half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour in my dough so that it would be a bit healthier (and I love the flavor and texture that my favorite King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour gives to stuff).
The bread paired perfectly with the kabocha soup.
It soaked up just the right amount of flavor, without falling apart, and was very satisfying.
Mmmm, I think I need to make some more of that bread. But what to make with it? Maybe some pumpkin curry? Or chicken orzo ginger soup? Or maybe some veggie chili? Too many choices!
Tibetan Flatbread
Adapted from Jacques Pépin's More Fast Food My Way, Episode 221, Bread Flip
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. water, separated
1 Tbsp. olive oil
** Please note, steps 1 through 3 are all done before you ever turn on the stove!
1. Combine the flours, baking powder, and salt with 1 cup water to form a gooey dough.
2. Add olive oil to a cold 12-inch saute pan. Then add the dough, dip a rubber spatula in the oil and use it to spread the dough out a bit.
3. Pour the 2 tablespoons of water around the edge of the dough and cover the pan with a lid.
4. Put the saute pan on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high. Cook for 10 minutes over medium-high heat.
5. Flip the bread over and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
6. Let the bread cool briefly, cut and serve.
* It's not too late! You have until this evening at 10:00 Pm PST (Friday, June 19, 2009) to enter to win a set of my favorite measuring spoons! (Go here for instructions on how to enter).
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes, I'm a dunker. This bread definitely looks dunk-worthy!
This looks terrific and my husband woulod love it. Now, I have to find a way to make it gluten free. Where there is a will, there is a way…..I hope.
chaya– If you figure out a way, I'd love to hear about it!
This looks really yummy, I think I'll take a stab at it later this week! Thanks!
This is such a perfect recipe for me in Tokyo! Since I don't have an oven, I miss out on a lot of baking, but this is great! I will definitely be giving this a try. Thanks!
My daughter spent her Peace Corps years in Morocco where she came to love flat bread ( with any and everything). So we're going to give this a try!
Ditto to what Tokyoterrace said!
Also, I'm definitely a dunker but I get bored with the bread selections available to me. This looks great!
tokyoterrace and Sarah– I can totally sympathize with the no oven plight, having lived in Japan and done the same thing! I'm going to to come up with some more recipes that will work in your kitchens!
I am totally a dunker and am eating soup right now at my desk. I wish I had that bread to dunk in it! I am going to try making it this weekend. Does it last a few days?
this sounds yumm and sort of like Indian Flat breads :) Haveing it with soups tempts me :)
Meg– Like lots of breads it's best fresh, but yes, it will last a couple of days!
Hiya,
Tried making this earlier today, but it got stuck to the pan and burnt horridly :( When do you turn on the heat? Exactly after you've covered it? I preheated my oil, maybe that's why it stuck, and also, I didn't use a non stick pan (I don't have one that large)…help!
Zo
Zo– Bummer! You put the oil in, and then the dough (and pat it out), all while the pan is still cold. Then you pour the water in, cover it, and turn on the heat. You may want to check it while it's cooking, just in case your pan is getting too hot during the process as well. Depending on your stove, you may want to turn it before the 10 minutes are up. You don't need a non-stick pan…that's just what I grabbed! I hope that helps!
I'm a sucker for breads like this. It looks so good!
fuji mama, i'm a pure dunker too!! sloppy slurpy 100% dunkin' ;) love this flatbread…wish i had some to scoop up my Covent Garden soup xx
La Fuji Mama..you are one of the most fun and creative mommie i know! and because of that..I have chosen you to have this award The "Creative Mom Blogger Award" which you can see at my site…=)..
keep cookin'!
This is the first time I've heard of Tibetan flatbread and it looks delicious, especially with the soup. But I imagine it's very versatile and would go with so many other things. Do you think it could be 'stuffed' like naan? I'm saving this immediately!
Adding exactly when you turn on the heat and how high the heat should be would be a big help here. You omitted those things from your recipe. Kind of impossible to try this without those elements noted.
Lisa Li– Thank you for your feedback! No one is perfect! I specify in my post and in the recipe in steps 2 and 3 that the dough and oil are put into a cold pan. The recipe notes in step four that you cook everything on medium-high heat. I have gone back and clarified that steps 1 through 3 are done all before the stove is ever turned on. Thanks!
I made the Roasted Kabocha Squash soup and this bread to go with. My pan heats up really hot with the lid on so I sortof burnt the first side but it still turned out very yummy and extra crispy. It looked just like yours. Thanks!
Angie– So glad it worked out for you, thanks for letting me know!