frugal zeitgeist

The ultimate frugal staple: Quick flat bread

Posted on 04. Jul, 2008 by Forest in Recipes & Food

Although I would not recommend it, you can live for quite a while on just bread and water alone (although, you may result looking like the skinny pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean). I think this fact qualifies bread as important and, for some people, an essential staple.

Bread, however, is pretty darn expensive at my local stores.  Thus during my journey to save money and breathe frugality, I decided that it was important to learn the art of bread making.

Over the years I have tried many yeast based recipes and often had trouble getting a decent taste.  Plus, the long rising process was always frustrating…. Like all great things, this extremely quick, frugal and easy recipe was spawned from a conversation whilst drunk.

Speaking with a Mexican lady I asked, “How do you make tortilla’s?” (I know this was somewhat racist and assuming of me!!). She answered that it was simply flour and water. So I started there, slowly refined the dough and ended up with a perfect recipe- ideal for wraps and pizza.

Enough rambling. Now onto the recipe:

Equipment:

Large bowl
A pair of hands
A fork
A rolling pin or something similar.
Shallow frying pan
(easy hey!)

Ingredients: Creates around 5 medium-thickness flat breads
1 cup white flour
1 cup wholewheat flour
Some flour for rolling surfaces
1/4 cup oil
1 tablespoon Baking Powder
1 cup luke warm water
1 teaspoon sugar (I use unrefined brown sugar)
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Dough Preparation:

1. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and a teaspoon of oil in bowl.
2. Slowly add the water and mix with a fork, until the mixture starts to form a moist, but not too sticky dough.
3. Lightly flour a flat, clean surface and put the dough out onto it.
4. Kneed the dough for a couple of minutes until it creates a nice firm ball.

That’s the dough…. It can be used almost instantly or stored for a couple of days in the fridge, no problem.  Or freeze it to use for weeks later.

Cooking:

For thin flat breads (Tortilla style).

1. Lightly brush a flat pan with oil and put on high heat.
2. Grab a golf ball size lump of dough and warm it up in your hands.
3. Press the ball into a floured surface and then start to roll (I use an old glass snapple bottle) all around from the center-out.
4. Roll as thin as you can.
5. Place the dough into the hot pain and very lightly brush the top with oil
6. Cook for about a minute and then flip, cook for a further minute (may need a little longer on each side).

Pita style:

• Follow the thin bread recipe, but grab a little more dough and remember, do not roll out too thin.

Small Pizza:

1. lightly flour your hands
2. Grab a lump of dough a little smaller than a tennis ball
3. Squash that dough with your hands into a flat disc.
4. Using your hands work the dough thinner until you have the desired thickness for your pizza (You can roll if hands do not work for you)
5. Top with sauce, cheese and ingredients and cook at medium heat in the oven until ready.

Let me know what you think and how this works out for you.

(Pictures will be added soon)

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3. Cheap Healthy Recipes – Wholemeal Raisin Bread
4. Banana Bread Recipes
5. Garlic Bread Recipes

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