Roasted Garlic Flatbread
We eat a ridiculous amount of cheese at our house. This massive cheese consumption directly correlates to our constant need for crackers. At first we purchased them at the grocery store, sampling various brands and flavors, but these boutique-sized boxes never lasted through the night. We then tried buying crackers in bulk, but it was just too hard to shell out fifteen dollars at once for what is really little more than flour and water. Crackers were causing quite the conundrum.
We finally solved the problem by simply making our own. Crackers are surprisingly simple and inexpensive to make. Once you know how to make the dough, you can toy with the flavors. Rosemary, seeds and spices all work beautifully. To pair with cheese, I make a basic dough sprinkled with sea salt so the cheese can stand out on its own.
Unlike many cracker recipes, this one does not contain yeast. It’s perfect for people with yeast phobias or little time on their hands. No activating, no proofing…practically no way to screw it up!
Roasted Garlic Flatbread
Adapted from Crisp Rosemary Flatbread, Gourmet July 2008
1 head of garlic
1 cup flour
¾ cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ cup water
1/3 cup olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop the top third off the head of garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap the head in a piece of foil and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the cloves are soft and light brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. Squeeze half the garlic cloves from their peels into a bowl and mash with a fork. Save the other half of the garlic for another use.
Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees.
Stir together flour, mashed garlic, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center, then add water and oil and gradually stir into flour with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Knead dough gently on a work surface 4 or 5 times.
Divide dough into 3 pieces and roll out 1 piece (keep remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap) on a sheet of parchment paper into a 10-inch round.
Slide round (still on parchment onto preheated baking sheet and bake until pale golden and browned in spots, 8 to 10 minutes Transfer flatbread (discard parchment) to a rack to cool then make 2 more rounds on fresh pieces of parchment. Once cooled, break into pieces.
