Flaky Bread Recipes

FLAKY BREAD

Steps:

• Whisk kosher salt and 3 cups flour in a large bowl. Drizzle in melted butter; mix well. Gradually mix in 3/4 cup water. Knead on a lightly floured surface until dough is shiny and very soft, about 5 minutes. Wrap in plastic; let rest in a warm spot at least 4 hours.
• Divide dough into 10 pieces and, using your palm, roll into balls. Place balls on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest 15 minutes.
• Roll dough into thin rounds, brush with room-temperature butter, and roll up into ropes (see step-by-step instructions, below). Working with 1 coil at a time, roll out on an unfloured surface to 10" rounds no more than 1/8" thick. Stack as you go, separating with sheets of parchment brushed with oil.
• Heat a large cast-iron griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Working 1 at a time, brush both sides of a dough round with room-temperature butter and cook until lightly blistered and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer bread to a wire rack and sprinkle with sea salt.
• DO AHEAD: Coils can be rolled out 1 month ahead; wrap tightly and freeze. Cook from frozen (add 1-2 minutes to cooking time).

DILL FLAKEY BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, pastry flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Create a well in the center and add 3/4 cup water. Mix until you have a shaggy dough.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead, adding additional flour as needed, until smooth, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
• Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into 6 balls. Keep them covered with plastic wrap when you're not working with them. Using your hands, spread 1 tablespoon butter on a large work surface, top one of the balls of dough with another tablespoon of butter and pat out into a flat circle. Put the buttered dough ball on top of the spot of butter on the work surface. Using a flat hand, gently massage the dough in circular motions (as if you're washing a window) to flatten it out into a very large translucent circle. It's ok if it tears and is not perfect just try to get it as thin as possible!
• Top with a sprinkling of the dill and then roll it out into a long, skinny log. Roll the log into a coil and transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Roll out the coils into 7-inch-round circles by placing them between two pieces of wax paper and flattening with a rolling pin. The dough will probably want to stick to the wax paper, but it's ok if it tears while you're peeling it off. Alternatively, you can stick the rolled-out coils in the fridge for about 30 minutes, which will make them slightly easier to handle.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook one at a time until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Serve hot!

KEEMA PARATHA (FLAKY BREAD WITH SPICY MEAT FILLING)

Steps:

• Place flour in large bowl.
• Add 1/3 cup of the water all at once; work it into the flour, using your hand.
• Continuing to mix with your hand, keep adding water, a tablespoonful at a time, until mixture cleans sides of bowl and becomes a non-stickly, kneadable dough.
• Gather dough into a ball; place on lightly floured work surface.
• Clean hands thoroughly, then knead dough, adding flour as necessary to prevent it from sticking to surface, until smooth and somewhat elastic, about 10 minutes.
• Place in a clean bowl; let stand, covered with plastic wrap, at room temperature 30 minutes.
• (Dough can be made up to 3 days in advance; store, tightly wrapped in plastic, in refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before rolling out.) While dough is resting; heat dry non-corrodible heavy medium skillet over high heat for 3 minutes.
• Reduce heat to medium-high; add ground beef.
• Saute beef in its own fat, breaking up any lumps with wooden spoon, until no longer red (about 3 to 4 minutes.) Add onion, chilies, cumin, and garlic; cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has evaporated and meat is beginning to brown, about 4 minutes.
• Stir in flour, lemon juice, and optional salt and coriander until well combined.
• Remove from heat; let cool completely.
• (Filling can be made up to 24 hours in advance; refrigerate, tightly covered. Bring to room temperature before using.) When filling is cool divide into 8 equal portions.
• Roll dough into a rope about 8 inches long; cut into 8 equal pieces.
• Keeping remaining dough covered, flatten one piece, on a lightly floured surface, into a 4-inch round with the palm of the your hand.
• Place one portion of filling in center of round.
• Bring edges of dough up over filling to enclose it completely; pinch to seal.
• Press lightly but firmly to flatten into patty.
• Dust patty with flour; roll out on lightly floured surface to 6-inch round, dusting as necessary with flour; round should be about 1/8 inch thick.
• Fill and roll out remaining patties, placing rounds as they are completed on baking sheets or other flat surface; do not allow rounds to touch.
• Keep covered with plastic wrap.
• Heat dry heavy medium skillet over high heat for 3 minutes.
• Place one round of dough in skillet; cook until underside is spotted with brown, about 2 minutes.
• Turn over; cook until second side is spotted with brown, about 1 minute.
• Brush surface or paratha with oil.
• Turn; brush second side with oil.
• Cook paratha, turning several times, until lightly puffed and well spotted with brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Repeat procedure with remaining rounds of dough, stacking and wrapping them as they are cooked in clean kitchen towel.
• Serve immediately.

FLAKY BRIOCHE

Steps:

• Dough: Combine milk and yeast in a small liquid-measuring cup. Set aside until yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine flours, salt, and sugar. Add yeast mixture and 4 eggs; mix on medium speed until dough is smooth, about 6 minutes. Add room-temperature butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition. Continue mixing until dough is smooth and shiny, about 3 minutes more. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently into a ball. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Butter Package: Arrange cold butter in a single layer on a piece of plastic wrap and loosely wrap. On a sturdy work surface, use a rolling pin to beat until butter is slightly softened, then roll out to a 5-by-8-inch rectangle, adjusting plastic as necessary. Refrigerate until chilled, about 20 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 7-by-18-inch rectangle. Place chilled butter package on bottom half of dough, leaving about a 1-inch border on three of the sides. Fold top half of dough over butter to cover, then pinch edges together to seal. Tuck overhanging dough edges under to form a neat package. Roll out dough once more to a 7-by-18-inch rectangle. Fold top third of dough down towards center, then fold bottom third on top (like a business letter). This completes a single turn. Rotate dough package 90 degrees and repeat rolling and folding process. Wrap well in plastic and refrigerate about 45 minutes. Perform two additional single turns on dough. Wrap well in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Brush two standard 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with room-temperature butter. Roll out dough to a 14-by-14-inch square. Lightly brush top 3 inches of dough with water. Starting at opposite long edge, roll dough into a tight spiral, pressing to seal end. Cut log into 6 equal pieces and space evenly in prepared pans, cut-sides up. Lightly brush sides of dough pieces that face each other with water. Loosely cover with plastic and let rise in a warm spot until dough is light and full of air and has expanded to nearly fill pans, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until loaves are puffed and lightly golden, about 35 minutes. Brush with beaten egg and continue baking until deep golden brown and an instant read thermometer inserted into center reads 205 degrees, 5 to 10 minutes more. Let cool in pans 5 minutes, then unmold onto a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.

3-INGREDIENT FLAKY FLATBREAD

Steps:

• Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and slowly add 2/3 cup water, mixing with your hands or a wooden spoon, until a shaggy dough forms. Knead dough in bowl until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Transfer dough to a clean work surface. Wipe out bowl and grease lightly with oil. Return dough to bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and let rest 30 minutes.
• Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Using a bench scraper or large knife, cut into 6 equal pieces. Shape into balls, cover, and let rest 15 minutes more.
• Grease a large cookie sheet or the underside of a rimmed baking sheet with 1 Tbsp. butter. Line another rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
• Place 1 piece of dough on prepared cookie sheet. Pat down to a flat oval with your fingertips, then smear 2 Tbsp. butter over dough. Press and slide dough outward with your fingertips, stretching to a very thin oval, about 12x10".
• Starting at 1 long end, roll dough over itself to create a long tube about 1" wide; flatten slightly. Starting at 1 short end, roll into a coil like a jelly roll. Transfer to parchment-lined sheet; cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining dough. Freeze, covered, 15 minutes.
• Working one at a time, turn coil on its side and flatten to a disc with your palm. Using a rolling pin, roll into a rough oval about 8x4". Transfer to freezer. Repeat with remaining coils and freeze until ready to use.
• Heat 1 Tbsp. butter in a griddle or large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add 2 pieces of dough, reduce heat to medium, and cook flatbread until bottom is golden brown with large bubbles forming underneath, about 3 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until second side is golden brown, about 1 minute more. Repeat with remaining dough, adding 1 Tbsp. butter before each batch.