The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook (287 page)

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Most flatbreads call for a fairly short list of ingredients, but many require long preparation times or unusual equipment. Our recipe had to be soft and tender yet chewy, with a slightly wheaty, mellow flavor. And it had to be easy enough for home cooks to make while dinner is cooking. We started with a combination of bread flour and whole wheat flour and used a food processor to combine the flour with yeast, warm water, olive oil, sugar, and yogurt. We kneaded the dough for 10 minutes and then allowed it to rise for just 45 minutes to an hour. We cooked the bread in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, then brushed it with butter and sprinkled it with salt before serving for a flatbread worth making at home.

MAKES EIGHT 6- TO 7-INCH BREADS

This type of flatbread is akin to naan, a soft and chewy Indian flatbread used to sop up curries. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can mix the dough by hand following the instructions in
“TEST KITCHEN TIP NO. 119 HAND-MIXING METHOD FOR DOUGH”
. Only one flatbread will fit in a skillet, but you can speed up the cooking process by using two skillets.

1.
Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, combine flours, yeast, sugar, and salt together on low speed. Add water, yogurt, and oil and mix until shaggy dough forms, about 30 seconds. Replace paddle with dough hook and knead dough on medium speed until smooth and glossy, about 8 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed. (If, after 4 minutes, more flour is needed, add additional bread flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough clears sides of bowl but sticks to bottom.) Transfer dough to large, lightly greased bowl; cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough has doubled in size, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

2.
Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and, if it is sticky, sprinkle very lightly with flour. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces and form each piece into round ball. Roll each ball into 4-inch circle, let rest for 10 minutes, then roll into 6-inch circle. If using sesame seeds, brush tops lightly with water, sprinkle each round with ³⁄
₄
teaspoon seeds, and gently roll over with rolling pin once or twice so seeds adhere to dough.

3.
Five to 10 minutes before cooking flatbreads, heat 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Working with 1 dough round at a time, gently stretch about 1 inch larger, and place in skillet. Cook until small bubbles appear on surface of dough, about 30 seconds. Flip bread and cook until bottom is speckled and deep golden brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Flip bread over again; cook until bottom is speckled and deep golden brown in spots, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer rounds to wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Brush with melted butter and season with kosher salt, if using. Wrap breads loosely in clean kitchen towel and serve warm. (Leftover bread can be wrapped tightly in aluminum foil and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. To reheat, place unwrapped bread in a 300-degree oven for 15 minutes.)

Follow steps 1 and 2 to make and shape dough. Thirty minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Bake dough rounds on baking stone until bread is puffed and golden brown on bottom, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer rounds to wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Brush with melted butter and season with kosher salt, if using. Wrap breads loosely in clean kitchen towel and serve warm.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Pissaladière, the classic olive, anchovy, and onion tart from Provence, is easy enough to prepare, but each ingredient must be handled carefully. We made the dough in a food processor and kneaded it as little as possible to create a pizzalike dough with the structure to stand up to the heavy toppings. Bread flour worked best because its higher percentage of protein translated to a more substantial chew. Using a combination of high and low heat to cook the onions left them perfectly browned and caramelized. A bit of added water kept them from clumping on the crust. To protect the black olives, anchovies, and fresh thyme leaves from burning in the oven, we covered them with the onions. We preferred chopping the anchovies to keep them from being overpowering, but diehard fish lovers can add more as a garnish.

See “SHAPING PISSALADIÈRE” illustrations that follow recipe.

MAKES 2 TARTS, SERVING 8 TO 10 AS FIRST COURSE

If you don’t have a baking stone, bake the tarts on an overturned and preheated rimmed baking sheet set on the lowest oven rack. If desired, you can slow down the dough’s rising time by letting it rise in the refrigerator for 8 to 16 hours in step 1; let the refrigerated dough soften at room temperature for 30 minutes before using.

DOUGH

CARAMELIZED ONIONS

OLIVES, ANCHOVIES, AND GARNISHES

1. FOR THE DOUGH:
Pulse flour, yeast, and salt in food processor (fitted with dough blade if possible) until combined, about 5 pulses. With food processor running, slowly add oil, then water; process until dough forms ball, about 15 seconds. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter and form it into smooth, round ball. Place dough in large, lightly greased bowl; cover tightly with greased plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 1 to 1¹⁄
₂
hours.

2. FOR THE CARAMELIZED ONIONS:
While dough is rising, heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until shimmering. Stir in onions, sugar, and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and have released their liquid, about 10 minutes. Remove lid, increase heat to medium-high, and continue to cook, stirring often, until onions are deeply browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Off heat, stir in water, then transfer onions to bowl and set aside.

3. TO SHAPE, TOP, AND BAKE THE DOUGH:
Thirty minute before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, set baking stone on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, divide in half, and cover with greased plastic. Form 1 piece of dough into rough ball by gently pulling edges of dough together and pinching to seal (keep other piece covered). With floured hands, turn dough ball seam side down. Cupping dough with both hands, gently push dough in circular motion to form taut ball. Repeat with second piece of dough. Brush each piece lightly with oil, cover with plastic, and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut two 20-inch lengths of parchment paper and set aside.

4.
Coat fingers and palms generously with oil. Hold 1 piece of dough up and gently stretch it to 12-inch length. Place dough on parchment sheet and gently dimple surface of dough with fingertips. Using oiled palms, push and flatten dough into 14 by 8-inch oval. Brush dough with oil and sprinkle with ¹⁄
₄
teaspoon pepper. Leaving ¹⁄
₂
-inch border around edge, sprinkle ¹⁄
₄
cup olives, 1 tablespoon chopped anchovies, and 1 teaspoon thyme evenly over dough, then evenly scatter with half of onions. Arrange 6 whole anchovy fillets, if using, on tart and sprinkle with ¹⁄
₂
teaspoon fennel seeds, if using. Slide parchment with tart onto pizza peel, then slide onto baking stone. Bake until deep golden brown, 13 to 15 minutes. While first tart bakes, shape and top second tart.

5.
Transfer tart to cutting board and remove parchment; let cool for 5 minutes. While first tart cools, bake second tart. Sprinkle tarts with parsley, if using, and cut each tart into 8 pieces before serving.