Nigella Seed Flatbreads

Tear and share flatbreads

These flatbreads are cheap and easy to make and far better tasting than the shop bought ones. Unlike a traditional loaf, which has to be kneaded and left to prove several times before baking, these require much less time and effort. They can also be eaten as soon as they are cooked and taste best when still warm and soft, straight from the pan.

I first saw how easy it is to make flatbreads at a Moroccan cookery workshop I attended while in Marrakech several years ago. The Dada (the name given to the local female chefs who cook in the traditional Moroccan way) used only her hands to make the dough and shaped it into perfectly flat, round circles before cooking on a hot griddle.

When making my own version of flatbreads this week I decided to add Nigella seeds to the dough. I loved the subtle oniony flavour they gave the bread and it worked very well with the spicy vegetable soup I had made for lunch. However, you do not have to add the seeds if you would rather go for plain ones.

Due to time constraints, I used a rolling pin instead of my hands to flatten out and shape the dough balls into thin sheets. This meant meant that they were not perfectly round (the Dada would not have been impressed!) But it is a much quicker method and they were still delicious, so much so that I have made them again this weekend (and yes, I used a rolling pin again! ).

Below are instructions for two different types of flatbreads. Option 1 is for making bread using plain white flour and baking powder. Option 2 is the recipe for wholemeal ones. Both methods are the same regardless of the ingredients used. However I found that the wholemeal dough did not bubble up as much as the white one when I dry fried it.

Ingredients

Option 1- White Flatbreads

  • 275 grams of plain flour
  • 2 tbspns olive oil
  • I tspoon nigella seeds
  • 1/2 tspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 tspns baking powder
  • 150 ml freshly boiled water

Option 2 – Wholemeal Flatbreads

  • 275 grams of wholemeal self raising flour
  • 2 tbspns olive oil
  • I tspoon nigella seeds
  • 1/2 tspoon salt
  • 150 ml freshly boiled water

Method (Same for Options 1 and 2)

  1. Weigh out all the dry ingredients and mix together in a large bowl.
  2. Boil the water and pour 150mls into a measuring jug. Then add the oil.
  3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and gently pour the water and oil, mixing it together with a wooden spoon, to form a soft dough.
  4. Use your hand to knead the dough in the bowl for several minutes until you have a smooth ball.
  5. Cover the bowl with cling film or a clean tea towel and allow dough to rest for 30 minutes.
  6. Take dough and divide into 5 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.
  7. Dust the work surface with a little flour and flatten each ball.
  8. Roll out into thin disc shapes (around 1 cm thickness) and place onto greaseproof paper, keeping them separate to prevent them sticking together.
  9. Heat a dry non stick frying pan or griddle (do not add any fat to the pan.)
  10. Once the pan is hot, dry fry each flat bread for about two minutes on each side. As the dough cooks you should see it turning lighter in colour and bubbles forming on the surface.
  11. When the underside has gone a freckled brown, flip it over and cook the other side.
  12. Remove from pan and dry fry the rest. To keep the flat breads warm whilst you are cooking, cover with foil or a clean tea towel.
  13. Enjoy!

White Flatbreads

Wholemeal Flatbreads

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