Amazingly Simple Flatbread

How many times have you looked at the ingredients in a loaf of bread? How many times could you NOT pronounce half of them and wondered...it takes THIS MANY ingredients JUST to make bread?!?!

Actually, bread in itself is pretty simple to make. Many of the ingredients you see in store bought bread, are used for stabilizers and flavorings. The stabilizers keep the bread fresh longer, especially since many are sliced. The flavorings ensure as it sits, the flavor doesn't die down. Think tasting a fresh donut vs a day old one 🤮 Another reason people don't always make their own bread, its TOO complicated and they don't understand or have the ingredients required. What if I told you, all you needed were 4 ingredients that almost EVERYBODY has in their home? This particular bread, is a Flatbread from Tunisia. It's actually one of the first recorded Flatbread that resembles something you're used to calling Flatbread today. It was carried throughout the Mediterranean by the nomad Tunisian Jewish population and inspired other versions of Flatbread along the way. The specific Flatbread I'm talking is called Rougag. It's made from (drum roll please) FLOUR, OIL, SALT AND WATER! THAT'S IT!

I promise that's all you need, and I bet you probably have at least 2 of these ingredients in your current pantry and one in your tap. Now, one thing you'll notice, there's no yeast. So does that mean we're making Communion wafers? 😟 Nope! Then how is it going to be light and fluffy?! Well, I'm glad you asked Sherman. Come along as I break it down. What exactly did people used to do to make the light fluffy bread before they figured out how to capture yeast? They captured...(second even more dramatic drumroll) HOT AIR!

Well since you're begging me to explain this, I guess I'll let you in on the secret. This was accomplished by folding and layering the dough. The more folds and layers, the lighter and fluffier it will get. Each layer captures some of the hot air during the cooking process. In essence, they are like a hot air balloon. Each fold captures air and rises to separate from the one below it. Now truthfully, you only need 2-3 folds to get a really nice texture, but you can do as many as you want. With that being said, the recipe was created with All Purpose or AP flour. So if you decide to use a heavier flour like Einkorn or Whole Wheat, you'll have to create a TON of folds since Einkorn is much heavier due to the hulls still being in the flour. SO, without further delay, let's make Rougag!

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Rougag

Yield: 4 Pieces

Ingredients

2 1/2	Cups	All Purpose Flour
1	Cup	Water (separated into ¾ c & ¼ c)
1/2	Tsp	Sea Salt
1	Tbsp	Olive Oil

Directions

1. Combine Flour, ¾ C water and sea salt in Stand Mixer with Dough Hook. Turn on lowest setting and mix until incorporated and smooth without being tacky or dry. 5-7 Minutes. If dough begins to dry, add remaining water. DON’T OVERMIX!

2. Roll dough into a log and cut into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and coat with oil. Set aside and let rest for 10-20 mins.

3. Stretch dough out into a thin circle. Then take each side and fold into the center to form a square.

4. Next lightly roll the dough out to an 8 in square with a rolling pin or by hand pressing on a hot Griddle or Grill pan, place the bread on one at a time. Once brown spots and bubbles are formed on one side, flip over and repeat, then set aside. Serve Immediately!

One last advantage to this low ingredient bread for less than the price of a SINGLE LOAF of bread, you can now make a TON of bread! That's what I call an Inflation Deflator! Let's break bread together again soon!

Chef