13 August 2007

"Better Than Pita" Grill Bread (with how-to)

I have this strange fascination with flatbread. Maybe it comes from not having enough in my life. There was a time when I would have a piadina (Italian flatbread sandwich) almost every week; now I miss it. Sometimes I even think of the Roti Canai at Banana Leaf and my mouth waters. I just discovered that it's incredibly difficult to make, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to attempt it in the not-too-distant future. I can sense my future now... There's always delicious, flaky bread and it smells of curry. In the meantime, I have to satisfy myself with much simpler recipes, and I thought I'd stumbled upon hidden treasure when I saw this recipe for "Better Than Pita" Grill Bread from Gourmet Magazine. I don't think it was as flaky and airy as the one made in George's Downtown Cade and Diner in Indiana where the recipe originated, but I think that's the fault of our climate, again, developing the bread too quickly. (Instructions follow)
Grill Bread with Chicken Curry
Click on the link above for the recipe. You start out with all your dry ingredients and wet ingredients:

You'll come up with this dry, shaggy dough:

Knead it for 2 minutes, when it will come together slightly:

Let stand for 10 minutes then separate into balls and roll out.


Grill until it puffs a little and blisters. The recommended time is 2 minutes but I grilled them for longer because the charred bits add a lot of flavor. The bread doesn't burn easily, don't worry.

The verdict? There's not enough liquid in the recipe, so it tasted slightly doughy/ floury. Some commenter on the epicurious site added a whole egg instead of just 1 tablespoon, which I believe would help. The flat texture notwithstanding, it still made a great accompaniment to the chicken curry.

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