Cumin, kalongi and chickpeas add a lovely spicy heartiness to these tender, fluffy flatbreads. They are fabulous on their own or will happily accompany most any savory meal.
I am sure it happens in every family. A new favorite recipe is somehow discovered and is made again and again. Then, over time, it is forgotten until a conversation sparks a memory and you think, “Hey, remember that baked Camembert dish we used to make?” We loved that dish! And you need to make it again. This month’s Bread Bakers theme, yeasty flatbreads, had that effect on me. I scoured the internet for inspiration and even found several recipes I would have loved to adapt and share, then I suddenly remember this one and had to make it again.
It’s been more than 15 years since Jamie Oliver’s second book, The Naked Chef Takes Off* was published but I still refer to it very occasionally for a couple of recipes, including the one he calls Chickpea Moroccan Flatbread. I have no idea whether actual Moroccans would recognize the recipe or make anything similar but I can tell you that it’s delicious. Over the years I’ve adapted it slightly, sometimes also adding fresh chopped chilies along with the chickpeas, varying the spices or brushing the finished flatbreads with melted butter. I can highly recommend those modifications. This bread is quick to make, needing only one rise, and adapts beautifully to whatever you want to throw in it.
Ingredients
4 cups or 500g strong bread flour plus extra for dusting
1 1/4- 1 1/2 cups or 300-360ml tepid water
1 (1/4 oz or 7g) sachet dried yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup or 130g cooked chickpeas (I use drained and rinsed canned ones most often but you can cook your own.)
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons kalongi (also know as nigella seeds) Jamie’s version calls for coriander.
1 teaspoon canola or other light oil
1/4 cup or 60g butter, melted and cooled
Method
Combine your yeast and sugar and add in about half a cup or 120ml of the tepid water. Leave to prove while you get on with the recipe. You are looking for the mixture to bubble up and become foamy. If it does not, your yeast is dead. Buy some new yeast and start over.
Mash your chickpeas roughly with a fork. No need to remove the skins.
Add your flour and salt to a large mixing bowl and make a well in the middle.
Pour the yeast mixture into the well. Sprinkle on your cumin and nigella seeds then add in the mashed chickpeas.
Start mixing the flour and chickpeas into the yeasty water in the middle, a little at a time, until you have a sticky dough. Add the rest of the water a little at a time, mixing more flour in as you go, until you have a homogenous dough.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is stretchy and springy, dusting with a little more flour as necessary. Form the dough into a smooth ball.
Oil the inside of a large bowl with the canola oil and put the dough ball inside. Slash the top with a lame or sharp knife to allow the dough to rise with ease.
When you are ready to griddle your chickpea flatbreads, punch the risen dough down and cut it into seven or eight pieces.
Start heating your iron griddle or heavy duty skillet and, on a lightly floured surface, roll the first ball out thinly with a rolling pin.
When the griddle is hot, lay the rolled dough on it, being careful not to touch the griddle and burn yourself. Cook on one side until little brown spots and bubbles appear and the dough releases itself from the griddle.
Meanwhile, roll out the next dough ball into a circle in readiness.
Remove the cooked flatbread to a plate and brush both sides with the melted butter. Keep warm while you cook the rest.
Add the next flatbread to the hot griddle and repeat process until all the flatbreads are cooked and brushed with butter.
Enjoy!
Many thanks to our Bread Bakers host this month, Mireille of The Schizo Chef. I am delighted to be making one of my old favorite recipes to share for this fun yeasty flatbread event! Have a look at all the other wonderful flatbreads we’ve got for you today!
- Chickpea Moroccan Bread by Food Lust People Love
- Emirati Khameer by The Schizo Chef
- Focaccia by Simply Veggies
- Garlic Naan by Seduce Your Tastebuds
- Grilled Bacon Onion Cheese Flatbread (Flammkuchen) by Magnolia Days
- Grilled Naan by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Homemade Naan by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
- Hönökaka - Swedish Flatbread by Passion Kneaded
- Kesra - Moroccan Flatbread by Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Man'oushe - Lebanese Flatbread by A Shaggy Dough Story
- Margherita-Style Grilled Flatbread by Cali's Cuisine
- Orange Herb Pitas by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
- Paneer Kulcha by I Camp in my Kitchen
- Roghni Roti by Sneha's Recipe
- Sausage Gravy Pizza with Peppers and Onions by Pastry Chef Online
- Simple Pita Bread by A Baker's House
- Spelt Biskers by What Smells So Good?
- Tigelle - Italian Flat Bread by Cooking Club
- Whole Wheat Pita Bread by G'Gina's Kitchenette
- Za'atar & Cheese Manakish - Levantine Flatbread by Ruchik Randhap
- Za'atar Spiced Khobez by Cook's Hideout
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here.
Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com
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