Well, I am not sure if unleavened skillet bread counts as baking bread or not (you might remember it was one of my New Year's Resolutions), but I tried it this week for the first time thanks to my new copy of Mangoes & Curry Leaves
This has been a week of firsts - eating Natto on Monday, making skillet bread on Tuesday, and yesterday, complete irrelavant to food, I rode a COTA bus for the first time. People in big cities are probably laughing as they read this, but I am from farm country. There was no such thing as public transportation. Even when I was old enough to ride my bicycle on the road, it was a 3.5 mile jaunt to the nearest store of any sort. I still have trouble looking both ways before I cross a street, even after years of urban living. Like Americans who are hit by cars in Britain because they look the wrong way when crossing, I occasionally stroll into a busy street in mindless bliss. Would you believe? I've only been hit by a car once. But! I digress.
Because I like to assist newcomers and visitors to our fair city, and because Husband and I have only one car, and because I live and work on the bus line, I thought it was time I buck up and become the urbanite I've claimed to be. People are always grousing about public transportation in Columbus, and, while it might not be the most efficient or far-reaching system in the country, the bus was on time, clean, and delivered me to my destination in about twice the time it would have taken me to drive. During this time, I did not shout any epithets at passing drivers, nor give any salutes, nor yell at moronic talking head on the radio, nor get cut off/swerved into/shouted at, etc. I just listened to my MP3 player and finally got around to reading The Soul of a Chef
What other firsts lie in wait for the days, weeks, and months ahead? That remains to be seen. Let's get back to the flatbread, shall we?
The recipe in the book is called "Cumin-flecked Skillet Breads," but we here at Chez Widow had, unfortunately, just run out of cumin, so I added a little smoked pimenton (the good stuff) and then a smattering of nigella seeds, because I had just purchased them at Patel Brothers. I kind of hesitate to post the recipe, as I'm no flatbread expert, and it isn't really my recipe, but maybe you will make it, see how easy it is, and then go out and buy this fantastic book. The flatbreads have a subtle heat, which you can adjust to your liking, and they are tasty fresh out of the pan with a little salt; I placed them in a warm (170 degree) oven once out of the pan, and they stayed nice and crisp whilst I got on with the curry. The recipe is provided in the extended post . . .
Nigella-Flecked Skillet Breads - adapted from Mangoes & Curry Leaves
2 cups atta flour, and then some, for rolling
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp nigella sees
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp hot melted ghee
1 cup hot water
more ghee for sauteing the breads
Combine the dry ingredients, then add the ghee (I did this in the mixer); add the water and mix well, using the dough hook. I had to stir a little by hand to get it into a bowl, and then kneaded it using the dough hook for 5 minutes, and then by had for 4 minutes, until it was smooth. Wrap in plastic and allow to rest for 1/2 hour or up to 8 hours.
Cut the ball in half, and then cut each half into eighths. Roll each into a ball, flatten with your palm, and then roll out on a lightly floured surface, to about 1/8". Allow to rest briefly while you heat your pan.
Heat a skillet, with a tsp or 2 of ghee, over medium high heat; add the bread, reduce heat to medium, toss for a few seconds, and then flip. Cook 4 minutes and flip again, cooking for another minute. It took me a few tries to get the hang of it, and then I could do 2 in a skillet while making our curry.
