Lebanese Bread Pizzas Recipes

LEBANESE MOUNTAIN BREAD

Steps:

• Place 1/2 cup flour, yeast, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Pour in warm water. Whisk together thoroughly, 2 to 3 minutes. Cover bowl and let sit until mixture gets bubbly, 30 to 60 minutes. Drizzle in olive oil; add salt and 1 cup flour. Mix together until mixture forms a sticky (not wet) dough ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If mixture seems too wet, add a bit more flour.
• Lightly flour a work surface. Knead dough until it is soft, supple, and slightly elastic, about 2 minutes. Pour a few drops of olive oil in a bowl. Transfer dough ball to bowl and turn to coat surface with oil.
• Cover bowl and place in a warm spot. Let dough rise until it has doubled in size, 60 to 90 minutes. Transfer dough to work surface and knead to remove air bubbles, about 1 minute. Transfer to zip top plastic bag; refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
• Lightly flour a work surface; dough may be sticky so make sure you use enough flour to keep dough from sticking to the surface or your hands (but less flour is best). Break off a piece of dough slightly smaller than a golf ball. Roll into a smooth ball. Flatten and roll out into a circle about 1/8-inch thick.
• Invert a smooth mixing bowl on work surface; lightly flour the bottom. Lightly stretch the dough and place dough circle on the floured surface of the inverted bowl. Gently stretch dough evenly down the sides of the bowl, working your way around the edges, until it is very thin and translucent, or as thin as you can get it without tearing it.
• Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Flour your hands and carefully remove dough circle from bottom of bowl. Transfer to hot skillet. Cook until blisters form and begin to brown, about 45 to 60 seconds per side. Transfer to a dish and cover, using dish inverted over it to allow bread to steam and stay moist and supple.

LEBANESE OLIVE PIZZA

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 225 C (425F).
• Spread tomato paste even over leabanese bread and top with grated mozzarella, followed by evenly spaced olives.
• Sprinkle herbs over the top.
• Bake in oven for 10 - 15 minutes (check after 10, it doesn't take long).
• Allow to rest a few minutes before cutting and serving.

LEBANESE BREAD PIZZAS

Steps:

• Pre-heat fan forced oven to 180°C.
• Place cubed sweet potato in microwave safe bowl and cover with hot water. Cover bowl and cook in microwave for about 4 - 5 minutes or until just tender. Stir half way through cooking.
• Lay out Lebanese breads on ungreased oven trays and spread tomato paste or pizza sauce onto them.
• Wash silverbeet well and slice out centre vein. Chop roughly and line the bottom of the pizzas with as much or as little as you like.
• Drain sweet potato and place cubes evenly on pizzas.
• Place as much pepperoni and ham as you like on each pizza. (I usually use about 8 slices of pepperoni for each one).
• Next goes the tomato wedges.
• Place the cubed feta in the gaps on the pizzas. (You can layer the feta and tomato on the pepperoni if there isn't enough room).
• Sprinkle the top of each pizza with pizza cheese.
• Bake in oven for about 15 minutes or until the top browns slightly.
• 1 pizza per person as a general rule. Keeps well for a couple of days in the fridge and can be reheated in the microwave.
• TIP: It's also nice to just spread garlic butter on the bread and toast in the oven.

LEBANESE PITA

Steps:

• Sift the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar together. Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture. Pour in the lukewarm water. Mix by hand on a floured work surface until the dough comes together. Then knead the dough for 10 to 15 minutes until smooth and the dough bounces back when you push into it. Drizzle the dough with olive oil and place in a warm spot covered with a damp towel. Let rise until the dough doubles in size; depending on the temperature, it could take 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and lay a baking tray in the oven to heat.
• Once the dough has doubled in size, cut the dough into 10 to 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and then flatten each using a rolling pin. Use flour on the work surface so that it doesn't stick. Place 3 to 4 flattened pita on the hot tray and close the oven door immediately. Bake until puffed up, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

RUSTIC FLATBREAD PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and stir in mushrooms and garlic; sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Cook and stir until the mushrooms have given off their juice and the juice has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set mushroom mixture aside.
• Heat 1 more tablespoon olive oil in a separate large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, and place asparagus into the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until asparagus pieces are very well browned (almost but not quite burned in spots), about 8 minutes. Remove asparagus from skillet and set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium, and cook bacon in the same skillet until crisp, about 10 minutes; stir often. Drain excess grease as the bacon cooks, for crisper pieces.
• Remove bacon pieces and place on a paper towel-lined plate; blot with paper towels to reduce grease.
• Place the flatbread crust onto the prepared baking sheet, and spread marinara sauce over the crust.
• Spread the mushrooms and garlic evenly over the pizza.
• Spread asparagus over the pizza.
• Arrange bacon pieces on the pizza.
• Sprinkle mozzarella cheese all over the pizza, followed by Asiago cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the cheeses are melted and bubbling, 12 to 15 minutes.