Flat Bread Your Way

A while back, I posted about making Naan. Well, I've worked with the recipe and made a few changes here and there in the technique, and experimented with adding other ingredients. I felt it only fitting that I share these super yummy changes with you!

The beauty of this bread is not only the ease of it, but the versatility. There are endless combinations of "add-ins" you can throw in there.

Some ideas:

• Cheese
• Sauteed Veggies like: bell peppers or onions.
• Garlic
• Pesto
• Olives
• Bacon
• Sun Dried Tomatoes
• Nuts and Seeds
• Various Seasonings
• I am even thinking of experimenting with a sweet flat bread by adding cinnamon and brown sugar, and maybe raisins and walnuts, too.

See what I mean? You can get really creative here.

I'll share what I did with this batch.

Italian Herb and Cheese Flat Bread

What You Need:

4- 4 1/2 cups flour (you can use bread flour, but all-purpose works well, too.)

1/4 cup white sugar

2 tsp salt

2 1/4 (or 1 packet) active dry yeast

1 cup warm water

3 TB milk

1 egg, at room temperature and beaten

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 cup shredded cheese of your choice

a bit of oil 

melted butter

What You Do:

1. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, the salt, and the yeast.
2. In a small bowl, combine the water, milk, and egg.
3. Pour the liquid into the flour mixture and stir well. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, incorporating it into the dough well. Toward the end, you will be kneading the flour in. You may not need the entire 4 1/2 cups, so don't add so much that it is stiff.
4. Knead for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
5. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, flip the dough over, and cover the bowl with a clean dish towel. Place in a warm spot to rise for about an hour, until it has doubled in size.
6. punch down the dough, and on a floured surface, knead in the cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder until it is well incorporated.
7. Divide the dough into 14-16 equal pieces and roll each piece into a smooth ball. Place the balls of dough on an oiled tray or large cookie sheet, leaving room for rising. Cover with your dish towel, and let it rise 30-45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
8. Heat your pan or griddle to around 325 degrees. 
9. Roll out one of the balls of dough into a 1/4 inch flat circle. Poke holes in it with a fork. Brush it with melted butter and place it butter side down in the pan. Brush butter on the top. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes, flip, and let it cook another 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan. (See pics below)
10. Repeat with remaining dough. I rolled and prepared one ball of dough while another was cooking.

I served this batch with spaghetti (In fact, it was the same recipe I used here). It complimented our meal very well!

Enjoy!