Tangy Stuffed Flatbread Recipes

TANGY STUFFED FLATBREAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine yogurt with 1/4 cup water, the cumin and salt. Add two cups of flour, a cup at a time, mixing well to make a dough that is soft but not sticky. Add a little more flour if necessary. Divide dough into two balls, cover and allow to sit at room temperature 15 to 30 minutes.
• Preheat a grill to a medium, not searingly hot, temperature. (Medium is as hot as some gas grills get.) Be sure the grates are clean and lightly oiled.
• Mix the cheeses, egg yolk, parsley and chili together in a bowl.
• On a floured board, roll out the dough into two rectangles, about 7 by 14 inches and 1/8-inch thick. Spoon half the filling over half of each rectangle, then fold dough to make a turnover that is roughly square. Press down with a fork on all the edges to enclose filling. Place the filled breads on a baking sheet to transport them to the grill.
• Grill breads uncovered on the cooking grate for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until crisp and lightly browned. Watch carefully so they do not burn. The flatbreads should be moist but not doughy inside. Serve at once, cut into sections.

MIDDLE EASTERN CHICKEN FLATBREADS

Steps:

• For the dough: Whisk together the flour, yeast and 2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl. Combine 2 1/4 cups lukewarm water and the oil in a second large bowl. Add the water mixture to the flour mixture, and combine them with your hands until the dough comes together into a rough and shaggy ball.
• Knead the dough on a flour-dusted work surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Clean 1 of the large bowls, and lightly coat it with oil. Place the kneaded dough in the bowl, brush it with oil, cover and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Position an oven rack in the bottom position of the oven, and put a pizza stone or baking sheet on it. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Transfer the dough to the work surface, and punch it down. Cut it into 12 even pieces. Shape each into a ball. Evenly space the dough balls on the work surface, cover and let rest for 20 minutes. (To make ahead, after shaping the dough into balls, wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, then let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling.)
• Working with a few balls at a time, roll each out into a thin round (about 1/8 inch thick), flouring the work surface and rolling pin as needed. Sprinkle a pizza peel or wooden cutting board with semolina or cornmeal, and put 1 or 2 pieces of rolled dough on top. Shake the peel back and forth to make sure the dough rounds are not sticking, then slide them onto the hot pizza stone and bake until they puff up and are just golden on the bottom but still soft and pliable, about 3 minutes. Remove the dough with tongs, press any bubbles down and let cool. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough. (The parbaked flatbreads can be topped and baked at this point or cooled, stacked, wrapped and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 months.)
• For the topping: While the flatbreads bake, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and bell peppers, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, and stir for 1 minute (add a splash of water if the mixture sticks). Add the remaining 4 tablespoons oil, the chicken, cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, cinnamon, red pepper flakes and allspice, and continue cooking, breaking up the meat, until cooked through, about 5 minutes more. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook for 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat, and stir in the yogurt, lemon juice and parsley . Let cool completely. (The topping can be made a day ahead and refrigerated.)
• For the sauce: Whisk together the yogurt, 3 tablespoons water and a large pinch of salt in a small bowl.
• To assemble, bake and serve: Brush each parbaked flatbread generously with oil, and top with about 1/4 cup of the topping. Bake them, 1 or 2 at a time, on the hot pizza stone until the bottoms are golden and crispy, about 5 minutes, rotating the flatbreads 180 degrees halfway through so they cook evenly. Drizzle the flatbreads with yogurt sauce, sprinkle with salt and parsley, cut into slices and serve.
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FETA-STUFFED GRILLED FLATBREAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl, whisk together 2 cups warm water and the honey. Sprinkle yeast over warm water. Stir to dissolve. Gradually stir in whole-wheat flour. Stir about 1 minute. Let mixture rest, uncovered, 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle salt over mixture. Stir in yogurt and 1 tablespoon oil. Stir in 2 cups all-purpose flour, then add more a little at a time, until dough is too stiff to comfortably stir. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle in additional flour as needed to yield a smooth and only very slightly sticky dough.
• Let dough rise at room temperature in a lightly oiled bowl, loosely covered with a dish towel, until doubled in bulk, about 2 to 3 hours. Alternatively, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
• In a blender or food processor, purée basil leaves, 1/2 cup oil, a large pinch of salt and the garlic. Scrape mixture into a bowl.
• Divide dough into 8 equal portions. If you let your dough rise at room temperature, chill dough balls for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. (If you refrigerated the dough overnight, you can skip this second chilling if the dough still feels cool.)
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 dough ball to a 6-inch circle (keep remaining balls on a baking sheet loosely covered with a dish towel). Brush top of circle with basil oil and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon oregano and 2 tablespoons feta. Fold edges of dough over the center of the filling and press together to seal, so filling is no longer visible. Use hands or a rolling pin to reroll dough to a 6-inch circle. Repeat with remaining dough balls.
• Brush both sides of dough rounds with olive oil and grill for 5 to 6 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until each side has grill marks. The bread is ready to be flipped when it begins to puff and bubble. Sprinkle with salt while hot and serve with remaining basil oil for dipping. Note: Measurements for dry ingredients are given by metric weight for greater accuracy. The equivalent measurements by volume are approximate.

TURKISH SPICY MEAT-FILLED FLATBREAD

Steps:

• Prepare a hot fire (475°F) in a wood-fired oven.
• To make the dough, sprinkle the yeast over 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl and stir to dissolve the yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil and combine using your hands or a stand mixer. Add the yeast mixture plus the remaining water. Knead for 5 minutes using a dough hook or by hand on a floured board (adding flour if needed when kneading by hand) until the dough is smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Place the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat it with oil. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes, until doubled in size.
• To make the filling, toss the olive oil, onion, and eggplant together and sprinkle with salt. Spread on a baking sheet. Place on the floor of the oven and cook until the eggplant is soft, about 7 minutes. Stir in the 1/2 teaspoon salt. In a small cast-iron skillet in the oven, sauté the lamb in a small amount of olive oil and cook until brown, about 5 minutes. Discard any fat. Remove from the heat and stir in the pomegranate molasses, tomato, spices, and pine nuts. Add lemon juice to taste.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces on a floured board and roll into balls. Flatten each ball into a 5-inch disk. Stretch the dough into a thin disk about 6 inches across. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place one-fourth of the meat filling in the center of each disk and spread to about 1 1/2 inches from the edge. In 4 to 5 increments, fold the dough up toward the center to contain the filling. Lightly brush with olive oil and lightly dust with salt.
• Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until beautifully golden. Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve hot.

TURKISH STUFFED FLATBREAD (GOZLEME)

Steps:

• Place lukewarm water, shortening, salt, sugar, bread flour, and yeast in a bread machine in the order listed. Run Dough cycle. Remove dough from the machine at the kneading, 20 minutes.
• Divide dough into 5 pieces and roll them into balls. Place on a floured surface, cover with a slightly damp cloth, and leave to rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt oil and butter for filling in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until onions soften, about 10 minutes. Add spinach and garlic and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Roll dough circles into flat rounds, 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Fill one half each circle with spinach mixture, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, then fold the other half over and seal the edges.
• Preheat a griddle or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Brush one side of each gozleme with oil and place on the hot pan; cook until base is golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Brush top side with olive oil, turn, and cook until golden, another 2 to 3 minutes.

TANGY STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. Finely chop pepper tops; set aside. In a large saucepan, cook whole peppers in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; set aside. , In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and chopped peppers over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Remove from the heat. Stir in the rice, Parmesan cheese, 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce and salt. Spoon into peppers., Place in a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Combine the tomato sauce, water and remaining Worcestershire sauce; drizzle over peppers. , Cover and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until peppers are tender. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.