Chewy Italian flat bread bakes right on the barbecue - recipes

Sunset, June, 1988

Chewy Italian flat bread bakes right on the barbecue

You can start from scratch or use purchased frozen dough Cook these big wheels of seasoned bread over hot coals. The thin rounds, flavored with fresh Italian herbs or pungent Indian spices, bake in minutes over the barbecue to yield fragrant, chewy bread. You can make the bread in about 3 hours, or stretch the process over 2 days. Or gain time by using purchased frozen bread dough for the base. Serve the rounds as a first course with cheese and salad. Or barbecue the meat, then follow with breads cooked on the same grill.

Grilled Italian Herb Flat Bread 2 1/3 cups warm water (110|)

1 package active dry yeast 1 2/3 cups whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon regular salt

About 1 cup olive oil

About 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves or

1/4 cup dry basil leaves

3/4 cup chopped fresh oregano leaves

or 2 tablespoons dry oregano

leaves

3/4 cup minced parsley

Kosher or regular salt In a large bowl, mix 1 2/3 cups of water and yeast; let stand until yeast softens, about 5 minutes. Stir in whole-wheat flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature 4 hours or up to next day. (If desired, skip the standing and continue; flavor will be slightly milder.) Add remaining 2/3 cup water, 1 teaspoon regular salt, and 3 tablespoons oil. If using an electric mixer, add 1 1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour and stir or mix slowly until ingredients are moistened. Beat on high speed until dough is stretchy, about 2 minutes. Then add 3 cups all-purpose flour and stir with a heavy spoon until well moistened. Scrape dough onto a floured board and knead until smooth and not sticky, adding flour if required, 5 to 10 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl; turn dough over. If using a dough hook, add 4 cups all-purpose flour and mix at low speed until ingredients are moistened. Then beat at high speed until dough pulls cleanly from sides of bowl, about 3 minutes. If dough is sticky, add all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough releases from bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place until dough is about double, about 1 hour. Or chill overnight. Knead with dough hook or on a lightly floured board to expel air bubbles, and divide into 6 equal balls. On a floured board, roll each ball (keep remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap) into about a 10-inch-diameter round. Drizzle 1 side with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle about 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dry basil), 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (or 1/2 teaspoon dry oregano leaves), 1 tablespoon parsley, and kosher salt to taste. Roll lightly to press seasonings in. Turn round over onto a piece of floured foil; repeat seasoning and rolling process on second side. Place foil-supported round onto a 12- by 15-inch baking sheet. Shape and season remaining dough, stacking each piece on top of the first. (If made ahead, cover and chill up to 3 hours.) About 45 minutes before cooking, cover the firegrate of a barbecue with a solid, single layer of charcoal briquets. Mound, ignite, and let burn until coals are just covered with gray ash, about 45 minutes. Spread into an even layer; put grill in place 4 to 6 inches above. Coals are ready when medium (you can hold your hand at grill level only 4 to 5 seconds). Lift a piece of foil supporting a bread round; flip dough onto the grill and peel off the foil. You can cook 2 pieces of dough at a time on a 22- to 23-inch grill. Cook, turning once, until bread is speckled gold on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes total. With a spatula, remove bread and cook remaining dough rounds. Serve hot or cool. Makes 6 rounds (10-in. diameter), 2 or 3 servings per round. Per serving: 262 cal.; 15 g protein; 40 g carbo.; 13 g fat; 0 mg chol.; 124 mg sodium.

Grilled Indian Mint Flat Bread Make grilled Italian herb flat bread (recipe precedes), omitting basil, oregano, and parsley. Sprinkle each side of each round with 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, 1/2 teaspoon cumin seed, 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander, and lightly with kosher or regular salt and cayenne to taste. Makes 6 rounds, 2 or 3 servings each. Per serving: 258 cal.; 5 g protein; 32 g carbo.; 13 g fat; 0 mg chol.; 123 mg sodium.

Quick Grilled Flat Breads Instead of making the dough for grilled Italian herb flat bread (recipe precedes), use 3 loaves (1 lb. each) frozen wholewheat or white bread dough, thawed. Cut each loaf in half. Shape, season (Italian or Indian), and bake as directed. Makes 6 rounds, 2 or 3 servings each. Per serving: approximately the same as the homemade bread, depending upon seasonings.

PHOTO : Fazol Poursohi bakes Italian flat bread in an adobe oven at his Circolo Restaurant in San

PHOTO : Francisco. We use the barbecue