AHHH! You are CRAVING homemade bread but ran out of yeast…don’t worry, make a flatbread! You see flatbreads in restaurants all the time, but rarely in the household setting…so give your family something new! The veggies become sweet and basically melt into the cheese flavored bread. Don’t have asiago? Try some parmesan or any other hard cheese you have laying around! If you over cook it, don’t worry either – it just becomes a cracker! It’s a great recipe to have in your repertoire. Make the dough ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator, but just make sure to allow it to warm up a little bit before rolling out.
4 cloves garlic (minced)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup asiago cheese (shredded)
1 cup water (or milk)
1 stick butter (room temperature)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ large onions (thinly sliced)
1 ½ red bell peppers (thinly sliced)
In a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and butter over low heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook slowly, for around 10 minutes. It will be aromatic and the oil will darken (the red pepper flakes make it slightly reddish). Turn off heat and allow it to completely cool.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, add the flour. Mix in the baking soda, salt, and asiago cheese.
Add the stick of butter, the cooled garlic oil/butter, water, and the 3 tablespoons of oil to the dry ingredients. Mix until dough comes together. Remove the dough from bowl and knead for a few minutes, or until it feels smooth.
Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes. Refrigerating it will make it easier to roll out before grilling.
Preheat your electronic countertop grill (I use a Panini press).
Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and unwrap from the plastic wrap. On a cutting board, cut slices off of the dough ball. Roll out the slice to roughly the size of a salad plate (6 inches in diameter with ½ centimeter thickness). Top the flatbread with a generous helping of sliced onions and peppers.
Spray the electronic countertop grilling surface with nonstick spray. Put the flatbread on the grill and close the top. Allow it to cook for 5 minutes, or until the veggies are caramelized and bread cooked. Remove from the grill and repeat for the rest of the dough. This recipe will make 6-8 flatbreads.
Serve warm.
Enjoy!
