Flatbreads and Flavors or Big Book of Casseroles

Flatbreads and Flavors: A Baker's Atlas

Author: Jeffrey Alford

Flatbreads & Flavors
A Baker's Atlas

Sweet Persian Bread

nane sheer / Persia

These breads are more like cookies than flatbreads, but they are so simple and delicious we had to include them. They are made with milk and flavored with brown sugar and vanilla. We should warn you that they can be somewhat hard-to-the-bite once they've cooled, so enjoy them as they are customarily served, with a cup of hot tea or coffee, and dunk the breads to soften them. They are also delicious dunked in hot milk for a milk-and-cookies-style snack.

2 cups hard unbleached white flour, or more as necessary
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk, or more as necessary
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

You will need a medium-sized mixing bowl, two small (10- by 14-inch) baking sheets that can fit side by side in your oven, a rolling pin, and a sharp knife or pizza cutter.

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Whisk or stir together. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk and vanilla extract. Stir the flour into the milk until a soft, kneadable dough begins to form. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour; if too dry, add a little more milk. Turn out onto a lightly floured bread board and knead for 2 to 3 minutes.

Dust two 10- by 14-inch baking sheets with flour. Divide the dough in half and roll out each piece to the size of the baking sheets (the dough should be less than 1/4 inch thick).

Place in the center of your oven, and immediately turn the heat down to250°F. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven. Working with one sheet at a time, turn out onto a large cutting board, and cut into 3- to 4-inch squares while the bread is still warm; it will harden quickly as it cools.

Makes approximately 2 dozen 3- to 4-inch square thin flatbreads.

Three-Color Focaccia

focacels alla pugliese / Italy

Focaccia is a flatbread traditionally cooked on the hearth, often in a skillet covered with hot embers. Nowadays it is more often baked in an oven, though a skillet is still used, as in this recipe.Focaccia comes in many forms; all tend to be thicker than most pizza and to carry their flavor in the dough rather than on the top surface. In the north of Italy focaccie are made with wheat-flour doughs and usually flavored with herbs. The potato-based dough used in this focaccia from Puglia, in the south, produces a dense-looking tender dough. This version of a focaccia recipe in Carol Field's classic The Italian Baker has the colors of the Italian flag: the red of sun-dried tomatoes and the green of sage and parsley, all floating in a pale dough -- a pleasure to look at as well as a satisfying snack or accompaniment to soup.

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 teaspoons dry yeast
4 to 5 cups hard unbleached white flour or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups chopped cooked peeled potatoes (about 4 medium potatoes)
1/2 cup potato-cooking water (or spring or tap water)
3/4 cup packed flat-leafed parsley, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup packed fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
Olive oil for brushing
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

You will need a large bread bowl, a medium skillet, a blender, a large bowl, and four heavy ovenproof skillets or metal pie plates 8 to 9 inches in diameter.

Place the warm water in a large bread bowl and add the yeast and 2 cups flour. Stir to blend, then stir 100 times, about 1 minute, in the same direction to develop the gluten. Let this sponge stand, covered, for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet, and fry the onions over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Puree the potatoes in a blender with the potato cooking water or spring or tap water. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the onion, parsley, sage, oil, and salt.

Add 1/2 cup flour to the sponge and stir well. Then add the potato mixture and stir thoroughly. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir well. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead for 10 to 12 minutes, dusting both your hands and the kneading surface generously with the remaining 1 to 2 cups flour at intervals as you work, until the dough is no longer sticky, but soft and tender to the touch. Clean the bread bowl, oil lightly, and transfer the dough to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 to 3 hours until at least doubled in volume.

Gently punch down the dough, and cut it in half. Set one half aside, covered with plastic wrap.

Cut the remaining dough in half. Form each piece into a ball. Generously oil two 8- or 9-inch cast-iron skillets or pie plates. Place a ball of dough in each skillet or pie plate. Press down on the center of each ball of dough and gently press it out toward the edges. Let rest for 5 minutes, then press each bread out again until it reaches or comes close to the edges of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.

Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 400°F.

just before the first batch of focaccia has finished rising, shape the remaining dough into 2 loaves. (Alternatively, refrigerate the remaining dough, well sealed in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days. Uncover and bring to room temperature before shaping and baking.)

When the first breads have risen, brush the tops gently but generously with olive oil. Press your fingertips firmly into the dough to create deep dimples an over. Lightly sprinkle each one witht 1/8 teaspoon sea salt. Bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 375°F and bake for another 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Turn the breads out onto a rack and let stand for at least 10 minutes to firm before slicing. Turn the oven temperature back up to 400°F, and bake the remaining breads. Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges.

Note: If you use dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, soak them in warm water for 30 minutes, drain, and pat dry before using.

Makes 4 round breads about 8 inches across and 2 inches thick.

Flatbreads & Flavors
A Baker's Atlas. Copyright © by Jeffrey Alford. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

Epicurious.com

This is one of the most interesting and beautiful cookbooks ever published.

Books about economics: Wine Politics or The New Elk Hunters Cookbook and Meat Care Guide

Big Book of Casseroles: 250 Recipes for Serious Comfort Food

Author: Maryana Vollstedt

Bubbling cheese, golden bread crumbs, tender vegetables, and succulent meats - what's not to like about casseroles? Comfort food just doesn't get any cozier, or more convenient. Now, thanks to Maryana Vollstedt, busy cooks don't have to call up Mom in order to make delicious one-dish meals for family and friends. The Big Book of Casseroles boasts over 250 recipes (including low-fat and vegetarian dishes), plus handy planning, freezing, and storage tips. For hot-from-the-oven dinners equally at home in the dining room or on the kitchen table, cooks need look no further than The Big Book of Casseroles, because serious comfort food never goes out of style.

Publishers Weekly

Vollstedt's (What's for Dinner?) reliable collection of robust food encompasses many ethnicities (Seafood Lasagna, Baked Tandoori Chicken on Lentils, Spicy Beef Enchilada Casserole). Recipes are clearly written and carefully worded, and chapters are divided easily by ingredients (seafood, poultry, etc.). Many dishes rely heavily on cheese and other dairy products (California Casserole uses 2 cups of sour cream and 4 cups of Monterey Jack; Italian Potato Casserole incorporates 2 cups of mozzarella and 1/3 cup grated Parmesan), but Vollstedt compensates with a chapter on low-fat casseroles that includes Spinach, Parmesan Cheese, and Rotini with Pine Nuts, Brown Rice and Broccoli, and Greek Meatballs in Tomato-Yogurt-Mint Sauce made with ground lamb. Vollstedt stretches the definition of casserole to incorporate Tangy Baked Shrimp, Turkey Loaf and Baked Sweet Potatoes (the latter two are cooked separately but served together) and a whole chapter of gratin recipes. An introduction with instructions for making the basic components, freezing casseroles at different stages and reducing fat and calories rounds out this solid effort. (Jan.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Internet Bookwatch

Don't expect color photos here, but the dishes are quite simple to put together and contain a complexity in flavors which challenges the traditional image of the overcooked and under-flavored casserole result. From Beer Beef Stew with Parslied Buttermilk Dumplings to Baked Tandoori Chicken on Lentils, Big Book of Casseroles is filled with appeal.