My Basic Flat Bread Recipe

Basic flat bread has become a staple in our household, we always have some on hand in the freezer.  We use it for homemade gyros, sandwiches, personal pizza and I've even had it as the bun for sausage.  My flat bread recipe was taken from a ToYoube video, but I can't remember which otherwise I would link it here.

I did have to modify it a bit and convert volume to weight.  The smaller weights are trickier with scales, I've always read, so generally I do also use teaspoons and tablespoons but I can provide the weights here as well.  I remember it took a couple tries before I finalized it, but now I've been using this recipe for quite some time and we've been very happy with it.

240g hot water (115-118ºF or 46-48ºC)

370g all purpose flour

1 tsp instant yeast (~3g)

1 Tbsp olive oil (~13g)

1 tsp salt (~7g)

Combine and mix all the dry ingredients before adding to the wet in a mixing bowl, I normally use a spatula until no dry spots are left, then on a KitchenAid mixer using the dough hook, mix for about 5 minutes on medium-low setting 2.  If you don't have a mixer it would be kneading by hand for about the same amount of time, I presume.  Form into a ball and place into an oiled bowl, covered, for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled.

Empty the dough onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 equal pieces.  I try to keep the round shape from the bowl then using a bench knife or bowl scraper, divide it like a pie into 8 pieces, adjusting if necessary to make them all about the same size.  My note says about 80g each, but I normally just eye it up.  Form each piece into a ball by pulling the corners in, then turning it over and rolling it in a cupped hand.  Set them aside and cover with a greased plastic film for 10 minutes.  (Sometimes I skip the cover, doesn't make much of a difference since the outside should be a bit oiled, anyway.)

While waiting, preheat a dry, non-stick pan to very hot; your stove may vary so adjust as necessary.  Again, on a lightly greased surface and rolling pin, roll the dough into a round shape about 1/8 inch thick (3mm).  Carefully transfer the dough using the rolling pin to the pre-heated pan.  Right away while that first side is cooking, roll the second flat bread out and by the time you're done the one in the pan should be about ready to flip.  After a few minutes remove to a cooling rack and cover with a towel.  You're looking for good browning and 'leopard spotting,' but the pan is hot so be careful not to burn.  Repeat this process until complete.

They are delightful to enjoy right away or, once cooled completely, freeze them to preserve the freshness.  They thaw quickly, still fresh and pliable for whatever you may need.

Thank you, delcatto!  This was interesting, let me know if I left anything unclear.

Solstice Fire Pit & Fougasse

It wasn't much of a firepit, but last night I did have a small fire to commemorate the summer solstice.

When I started the wind was 9-10 miles per hour, normally the top of my limit for having a fire since usually the winds lessen steadily after sunset.  But last night the winds were to increase as night came, blowing in some very hot weather for the next few days for us.  Anyway, I got an early start and pretty much just burned the fallen branches and sticks that had accumulated, not even taking the cover off the firewood rack.  It didn't take long until the bigger stuff had burned down and began smoldering.  Smoke was starting to blow everywhere so I had to put the lid on it, which I rarely ever do but it works well to suffocate it at times like this.

Today I tried a new recipe picked by my wife from King Arthur's Big Book of Bread, an Olive-Rosemary Fougasse.

The dough felt good, but was a bit sticky so my first attempt at shaping leaves leaves a lot to be desired.  It came out very tasty, crusty outside with a light and airy crumb.  Not bad, and I may try this again with different flavors.  The recipe called for semolina as the bench flour, so I got some for the first time and I like it a lot.  I may try it for pizza and peel instead of parchment paper next time.

I have another recipe from the book that I may try tomorrow, an everyday wheat bread.  I still use the frozen, store-bought bread dough for my work sandwiches, and sometimes my own flatbread, but I need a good sandwich bread recipe in my repertoire.

No Potatoes But Tall Tomatoes

It appeared we may have one potato plant coming up, but a quick search online indicated it was only a weed.  We didn't want to buy a huge bag of seed potatoes for this small experiment so we just let some from the grocery store grow 'eyes.'  These don't seem to be growing, but when I've had to put old potatoes in the compost bin they've grown in there before.  Oh well, we tried and may try something different next year.

The tomato plants, meanwhile, have outgrown their covered cages but have not been vandalized by any critters.  The main problem is when the fruit is growing, so we needed a new plan to keep them protected.

The old wooden ladder, some stakes and bird netting is what we came up with.  Hopefully it will be effective.  Note the two sunflowers on the right.

Vacation & Aeration Narration

My vacation continued through Tuesday but I didn't get a whole lot done those last several days, and I didn't feel one bit guilty.  I did get the windows washed and some of the tree trimmed, and I'm sure other small things, but mostly I sat, put my feet up, and relaxed.  It was very nice.

Tuesday morning I had the lawn aerated for the first time since we got the house.  I probably should have done it sooner for the sake of the front lawn.  I discussed with the workers the new terrace and patched areas in front, and so those did not get plugged but did get overseeded and fertilized.  They were unable to get some of the side of the house and the little strip of grass between our front yard and neighbor Dave's, so I will have to do that manually, probably in the fall by this point.  Also, they advised against raking up the plugs and to just let them break down naturally.

Now I have to water the whole lawn lightly for 21 days for the seeds to germinate.  After that, water less frequently but for longer to soak in and get to the roots.  Ideally, I should have an awesome lawn by the end of summer, but realistically it's going to take a lot of work and multiple years, I think.

The back yard is still really nice and mostly lush but for an area or two that needed attention, but the front is sparse and filled with weeds.   The city seeded the terrace and patches in front, and their "grass" seed is at least 50% other-than-grass seed.  I've been trying to knock down the weeds with a spot treatment as it will be some time now until I can treat the whole lawn, when the new grass is more established.

Is that more than you wanted to know about our lawn?  Well, if you're up for more yard updates with big pictures I'll see you after the break.