These are among the simplest and most satisfying foods to prepare and to eat. People have been making flatbread for as long as they could prepare grains—as far back as ancient Egypt—baking the dough on hot stones or clay ovens.
Some— like pillowy Pita or buttery Naan—are leavened with yeast, which contributes flavor and a little chewy bite. The flatbreads in this chapter are even easier to make since they cut out that step. Yet pulling them out of the oven is impressive and thrilling: You can’t beat this effort-to-payoff ratio.
Don’t mistake the straightforward technique as a lack of versatility. Of the recipes that follow, some are essentially free-form crackers, crisp and wafer thin: see Olive Oil Matzo or Norwegian Flatbrød. Others, like their yeasted counterparts, are soft and perfect for wrapping around savory fillings, from Flour Tortillas and Corn Tortillas to lesser-known ones like Injera and Lefse. All are easy to tweak: See Easy Ways to Customize Any Cracker or Flatbread as a springboard.
REHEATING FLATBREAD
Of course flatbread is at its best when eaten immediately after cooking, but that’s not always possible. The crisp ones will keep just like crackers, but many others are meant to be soft; if you reheat these in a hot oven without wrapping them in anything, they’ll dry out and become tough and brittle, so you have to take care.
The best method for reheating soft flatbreads is to stack them on top of each other, wrap the whole package tightly in aluminum foil, and put it in a 400°F oven for 10 minutes or so, until they’re hot. If you’re at all worried that they’re going to dry out (or if they weren’t that moist to begin with), soak a paper towel in water, wring out any excess, then drape it over the stack of breads before wrapping in foil. If you only want to reheat one piece at a time, a quick spin in the microwave (15 to 20 seconds) gets it soft and steamy in no time, especially if you cover it with a paper towel.
Another way to reheat flatbread is to grill it, which also adds a wonderfully smoky flavor. Flatbreads that are already cooked aren’t in danger of sticking (see the Chapati variation on page 378 for instructions on grilling raw dough), but to add flavor and encourage browning, you can brush the bread with a little oil. Don’t walk away from the grill; these go from browned to charred in a matter of seconds. Once they come off the grill, stack them (wrapped in aluminum foil if you like) to keep them warm before serving.