Flat Out: Flatbread

Flatbread, pancakes, Welsh cakes--griddled breads give me problems. I either burn or undercook them. There is no middle ground. There is, however, old poetry from 2010.

Syrupy Solution to a Sticky Situation

A frying pan holds everything

you ever could desire

as you pour the batter sings—

Quick!  Turn down the dial.

Domestic chores don’t bring much joy

but this time you’re excused

because you treat tasks like your boys

you’ve left us all confused.

You once again return to me

from your wander-days,

but if you want some help from me

you must lift a spoon to stay.

We evermore sing little songs

as stirring cools your nerves

and though they never right the wrongs

pancakes still occur.

I was commissioned to make flatbread.

Sourdough Tortillas

http://www.examiner.com/article/52-weeks-of-cheechako-sourdough-week-5-sourdough-tortillas

2/3 cup fed teff sourdough starter

1 cup white rice flour (plus more, a lot more, for rolling)

1 cup millet flour

1 cup amaranth flour
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1/3 cup canola oil

almost 1 cup very hot water

In a large bowl, stir together the starter, flours, xanthan gum, and salt. Stir until the starter balls up into pebbly chunks.  Pour in the canola oil and work that in (like adding liquid to piecrust, same concept).  Add the water in 1/4 cup increments, stirring well after each addition.  Mix until the dough coheres. Cover and let rest in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

Around ten minutes to go in rising time, preheat a dry cast-iron skillet or griddle to medium-high heat (the higher end of medium-high).  On a well-floured surface, form the dough into balls.  With a well-floured rolling pin, roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. 

Transfer to the skillet and cook until firm, about 2 minutes on each side.  Flip when either the bottom has black spots (if you like char) or when the top has begun to buckle.  Cook through and plate up or rack 'em to cool before storing.

Since I have a small skillet, I could only fit two or three small tortillas per batch on the pan. The original recipe says it yields 12 tortillas, but I had more like 20 because I made smaller ones.

I made a super-quick chilli: blitzed onion, garlic, veg broth, spices, pumpkin, kidney and pinto beans.

Fantastic with flatbread and spinach!

Parting shots:

Wednesday was chocoholic city and protein party. I made chocolate vegan Shakeology cookies from 12 Minute Athlete (check out her workouts!). Protein powder is a strange, strange beast when concentrated like that.

 I also got buzzed on batter with my modification of The Holistic Ingredient's Beetroot, Quinoa and Chocolate Muffins. Midafternoon, I wanted the taste, not the effects of Queen Jennie sorghum whiskey. See 4 eggs, I see 1 cup water and 4 teaspoons of chia seeds, which means half of that water got replaced with half a cup of whiskey. Boozy beets, indeed.

 As if Shakeo cookies and whiskey muffins weren't enough chocolate, I made a batch of Cocoa Quinoa Bars with hempseeds and cacao nibs again.

Breakfast shot: pureed leftover maple cinnamon persimmons I accidentally defrosted (I thought it was pumpkin curry soup in that jar!) and spinach, over grapefruit, topped with coconut peanutbutter, cinnamon, and turmeric. To the right, that's the oft-hyped hot water with lemon (what, wellness peeps go bananas over this; the apple cider vinegar cleanse is a similar deal). The granola-looking-foodstuff on the left is leftover destroyed flapjack I rescued, and I had about half of that container. The rest is for a similar deal on Friday.

Ciao,

Q