Crispy flatbreads - A lunch must try

For this first recipe, I wanted to share something that I eat several times a month. It's so versatile that it goes well with most condiments. It's also very easy to adapt to the type of cooking that appeals to you most. It's a relatively easy recipe that requires just a few ingredients and a little patience. I tried to be as concise and clear as possible, with images that best illustrate my points. I tend to dislike recipes that only show beautiful Pinterest photos, where the main cooking ideas are unclear.  Enjoy!

Ingredients - For 6 flatbreads

• 375g T45 flour

• 250ml soy milk

• 15ml liquid cream (I use Flora 31%, but the fat content doesn't really matter here. You can use any cream you like)

• 10g melted butter (I also use Flora unsalted butter)

• 5g salt

• 5g sugar

• 10g fresh baker's yeast

• Neutral oil for cooking 

Step 1 - The Dough

This step can be done either in a stand mixer or by hand. I'm going to do it by hand here so that it's accessible to most people reading this recipe.

1. Put your fresh yeast at the bottom of your bowl. I like to start with this to make sure it doesn't come into contact with the salt and sugar. This is because sugar and salt are hygroscopic, meaning they attract and retain water from their environment. When they come into direct contact with fresh yeast (which is alive and contains a lot of water), they absorb water from the yeast cells, which dehydrates the cells and can kill or weaken the yeast.

2. Next, add the flour and other ingredients. 

3. Start mixing in the bowl by hand. Generally, as long as all the flour is not incorporated, I continue mixing in the bowl, and then move on to my work surface. 

4. At this stage, your dough will be very sticky. If you are using a stand mixer, mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes. The goal is to create a gluten network. By hand, the process is more complicated, but can be done without too much trouble. The idea is to take your dough and slap it against your work surface for about 5 minutes. This is a relatively vigorous process, I admit. The more you knead it, the more gluten will form and the smoother your dough will look. Obviously, the goal with flatbread is not to have as much gluten as in certain types of bread (e.g., brioche), so a few minutes should suffice. 

5. Then shape your dough into a ball and place it back in a clean, lightly floured bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. 

In these photos, you can see the dough forming. We start in our bowl, where we obtain a very sticky dough without much gluten structure. The last photo shows the dough after it has been kneaded on the work surface, with a more developed gluten structure.

Step 2 - Rising 

1. Once your dough is shaped into a ball in your bowl, you will let it rise for the first time. This should be done in a warm room for 2 hours. Personally, I use my proofing chamber, which I set to 28 degrees, but the warmest room in your house will suffice. In any case, the dough should double in volume, so if this is not the case after 2 hours, you can leave it to rise for longer. 

2. Turn your dough out onto your work surface. You should have around 600/620g of dough after rising. I divide it into 6 equal pieces. 

3. I shape my dough balls as neatly as possible. I then leave them to rise for 30 minutes, under the same conditions as for the first rise. Cover the balls with plastic wrap to prevent the surface from drying out. 

Dough balls rising

Step 3 - Shaping the flatbreads

1. Your dough pieces should now have grown to about ¼ of their original size.

2. You can shape your flatbreads by hand (which I prefer), or use a rolling pin. I like to use my hands so I have more control over the size and shape. I like them thick, so I stop at a diameter of about 15cm. 

3. Once the flatbreads are shaped, I leave them on my work surface for another 30 minutes to rise some more. 

Step 4 - Cooking

1. Heat a generous amount of oil in a small frying pan. You need to be generous to get maximum crispiness.

2. When cooking your flatbreads, play around with the temperature as much as possible. If the oil is too hot, the flatbreads will be overcooked. Don't hesitate to lower the temperature, then raise it again.

3. Cook for about 1 minute on each side. The flatbreads will puff up very quickly.

4. I then place them on paper towels to absorb the excess fat. 

Other tips/ideas for flatbread:

- This flatbread can be used as a side dish, for dipping in sauce. But personally, I like to use it as a dish in its own right. With toppings on top.

- For example: cream/sauce on top, grilled mushrooms, pickles, Parmesan cheese if you eat it. You can top it with whatever you like. Get creative!

-To make them look even better for your guests, you can always coat them with some oil. They will be very shiny!

- I find that they lose their crispiness after a day, so I recommend eating them on the same day.

Her are some useful links that could help you with some technical movements; - To develop the gluten network by hand - Min 10) - To shape the dough balls

I hope you enjoy this recipe and that you can make it at home :)

Thanks for reading!