Flat Bread

These paper-thin flatbreads are rolled through a pasta machine, brushed with extra-virgin olive oil and baked until crisp and golden. A finishing sprinkle of flaky sea salt and optional piment d’Espelette gives them a savory, slightly spicy finish. They’re excellent served with dips, cheese or charcuterie.

Flat Bread

Yield: 16 flatbread sheets, about 3 x 15 inches
Prep Time: About 45 minutes, plus 2 hours rising
Cook Time: 12–15 minutes per batch

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup warm water (110–115°F)
• 1 package (1/4 ounce / 7 grams) active dry yeast
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• ½ cup room-temperature water
• 3¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ¼ cup clarified butter, at room temperature
• Canola oil, for the bowl and plastic wrap
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
• Maldon salt or fleur de sel, for finishing
• Piment d’Espelette, optional

Instructions:

1. Combine the warm water and yeast in a small bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes, then stir to dissolve the yeast.
2. Combine the egg with the ½ cup room-temperature water, then stir into the yeast mixture.
3. Combine the flour, kosher salt and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add the clarified butter, followed by the egg and yeast mixture. Mix until the dough comes together around the dough hook.
5. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth. Fold the edges underneath to form a round.
6. Lightly oil a large bowl with canola oil and place the dough in the bowl. Brush a piece of plastic wrap with canola oil and press it directly against the surface of the dough. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
7. Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and brush the parchment lightly with olive oil.
8. Set a pasta machine to its widest setting and lightly flour the rollers. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces, keeping the pieces you aren't working with covered.
9. Lightly flour one piece of dough and flatten it with the heel of your hand into a rectangle about ½ inch thick. Trim one end to create a straight edge.
10. Pass the dough through the pasta machine twice at the widest setting. Continue rolling it twice through each progressively narrower setting, lightly flouring as necessary, until the dough is paper-thin. The original recipe rolls the dough to the second-to-last setting.
11. The sheet should be approximately 36 inches long. Trim the ends, cut it in half lengthwise and then in half crosswise to make 4 sheets approximately 3 x 15 inches.
12. Arrange 3 sheets on a prepared baking sheet and repeat with another piece of dough.
13. Lightly brush the flatbreads with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with Maldon salt or fleur de sel and, if desired, piment d’Espelette.
14. Bake for 12–15 minutes, switching the positions of the pans and rotating them halfway through baking, until crisp and golden.
15. Cool the flatbreads on the baking sheets set over cooling racks. Repeat with the remaining dough.
16. Serve the flatbreads whole or break them into pieces. Store completely cooled flatbread in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Tip: Roll the dough as thinly and evenly as possible. The pasta machine makes this much easier and helps produce uniformly crisp flatbreads.

Source: Thomas Keller — Bouchon