Flatbread

[Graham & Brenda]

We have seen - and tasted, fresh cooked flatbreads at local events recently. (The people who make them come from Verteuil, Charente). They start as 10cm or so squares and the chap puts them into a very hot oven like a pizza oven, whereupon they "pop up" or inflate as they cook - it only takes minutes.

We'd like to make some at home but the recipes I have seen all seem to call for this incredibly hot oven. Does anyone have such a recipe that will work in an ordinary household oven please?

Thank you,

 

[Missy]

I am sure you could get away with a normal household standard oven turned on 'full blast'. The hottest highest setting you have. Mine goes up to 280C.

Let the oven really warm/heat up to that temperature first, before you put anything in.

Make sure that your bread is 'oven'ready, open door quickly, put bread in and quick sharp shut the door. The minimal amount of time that ovendoor is open the more success you will have with your bread. 10 minutes (or so, I let my nose guide me on that) later its done.

I make paratha and naan breads in my oven. These kind of indian breads are usually cooked in special tandoor ovens. The bread puffs up well.

Results are edible and (I am blushing!) commendable!.... I just need to contemplate the lack of crumbs left by a hungry household!....

[Afy]

The Tandoor probably has a lower temperature. It is wood burned...

 

Incendetally the Tandoor is incredibly easy to build, though it takes some getting used to for using it. I could help you buiold one if youre interested... ping me off line. I am punjabi afterall...

[Graham & Brenda]

A kind offer Afy but I should say that might be an overkill for what I had in mind. Thanks anyway.

 

[Fridgeman]

Hi Graham

Did you mean 10mm rather than 10 cm?

are these breads indian or italian type breads?

if indian they are about 4mm thick when cooked whereas the italian breads are more like 10/15 mm thick

 

[Graham & Brenda]

Hi Fridgeman,

Roughly 10cm square by about 5mm thick, before cooking. They don't taste like pitta or naan - but they are very tasty!!

 

[Fridgeman]

Hello Graham

 

mmmmmmmmmmmmm...................... interesting........... 10cm square never seen it, mind you bread can be any shape you want, 5mm before cooking, then how thick once cooked?

did it have dimples in the surface, or any herbs or olive oil on it?   or seeds, could be focaccia or turkish flat breads, both very tasty, did the bread have uniform air bubbles through it or some large bubbles? or maybe it was panini, was it floury on the surface or shiny, was this the only product they where selling that might give us a clue or it may have been Syrian bread that's very flaky and normally very thin though so I do not think its that, what could it be, next time you go why not ask them what its called or from which country it originates?

Gosh I feel like a detective, just need the cigar and the shabby mac..........Colombo!!!!!!!!!!    

Bonne chance

 

[Graham & Brenda]

They are called fouées -found this on Google - it explains it well.

http://www.unimedia.fr/homepage/grezille/Nos_dossiers/Troglo/la_recette_de_fou%C3%A9es.htm

 

 

[Fridgeman]

Hi Graham

you may well be correct, but I have a feeling the flat bread is FOUGASSE, which I should have thought of before as I have cooked it many times, it can come plain, with orange juice or grattons (crispy bits of pork)

It is a Provencal flat bread which traditionally is leaf shaped then slashed through and opened up

A very tasty bread