Fire It Up - Andrew Schloss [177]
INGREDIENTS:
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
¾ cup warm water (110 to 115°F)
½ cup plain yogurt
1½ teaspoons ground toasted cumin seeds (see Know-How, below)
1½ cups bread flour
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
About 1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons cracked toasted cumin seed
1¼ cups Grilled Tomato Chutney
DIRECTIONS:
Mix together the yeast and ¼ cup of the warm water in a large bowl until the yeast is dissolved.
Mix together the yogurt, cumin, and remaining ½ cup water in a medium bowl and add to the yeast mixture, stirring until well blended. Add the bread flour and stir vigorously for 2 minutes. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature until bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Stir in the oil, sugar, and salt and enough of the whole-wheat flour to make a kneadable dough. Knead on a clean work surface, using additional flour to keep the dough from sticking, until the dough is smooth and elastic, between 5 and 10 minutes.
Wash out the large bowl and coat it lightly with oil. Turn the dough in the oiled bowl to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. While the dough is rising, prepare the chutney.
Light a grill for direct medium-high heat, about 425°F.
Divide the dough into four pieces. Roll each into a ball and flatten into a ½-inch-thick disk. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes. Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll each disk of dough into an oval about 9 inches long and ¼ inch thick. Coat each bread with oil and stack on a plate to transport to the grill.
Brush the grill grate and coat with oil. Put the dough on the grill so the disks are evenly spaced, cover, and cook until grill-marked and charred in spots on the bottom and puffed on top, about 2 minutes. Turn with tongs and cook on the other side until browned and spotted with char, about 1 minute. Remove to a plate, brush with butter, and sprinkle with the cracked cumin. Serve with the chutney.
KNOW-HOW: TOASTING AND CRACKING WHOLE SPICES
You will need to toast about 2 tablespoons cumin seeds to prepare the ground toasted cumin and cracked cumin for the bread and chutney. Toast the seeds (or any whole spice) by heating a small, heavy skillet (such as cast-iron) until very hot. Add the seeds, remove from the heat, and stir until the seeds are aromatic and lightly colored, about 1 minute. You can use the same heavy pan (after it has cooled down) to crack or crush the seeds by carefully pounding them on a solid flat surface (like a butcher block) with the bottom of the pan.
FLATBREAD
Khubz Za’atar
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
Khubz, the Arabic word for bread, is better known as pita in North America. Real khubz is baked in a wood-fired stone oven, which blisters and crisps the surface. The effect is impossible to get in a home oven, but a hot grill works great.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup warm water (110 to 115°F)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt
1¼ cups whole-wheat flour
1½ cups bread flour, plus more for kneading
1 tablespoon Za’atar
DIRECTIONS:
Combine the water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl, stirring until mixed. Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, the salt, whole-wheat flour, and bread flour and stir into a kneadable dough.
Turn onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Add more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands or the work surface. Try to add as little flour as possible. Coat a large bowl with the remaining tablespoon of oil and add the dough, turning to coat it with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise