Yoghurt Flatbread (with Turkey Mince Patties)

I've been collecting flatbread recipes for yonks, some made with plain flour, many with self-raising flour, and even the occasional one made with dry (dried) yeast.  I've made a yoghurt/flour one before, with not-so-great results.  Clearly, I needed to have another go at it.  Finally I got myself sorted, and came up with this mélange of a recipe gathered from here and there.  That one time I did make it, it was disappointingly bland and heavy, so I was out to improve my game.  

This time, I wanted to make it delectable.  I think I succeeded!  Mr P. was a big fan, but he is a confirmed bread and carb lover from way back.  I used the quantities given for the yoghurt and flour by Anna Polyviou (a well-known Aussie pastry chef/tv personality/sporter of a hot-pink mohawk).  She uses her simple dough (literally yoghurt and flour) as a pizza base; I used it as a starting point for my flatbreads.  I made up some turkey mince patties to go with, so I'll add that recipe too, though you can have these breads with whatever you fancy.

herby and ready for anything you fancy :=)

Makes 4 pieces: 

ingredients:

200g./7 oz self-raising flour

200g./7 oz plain Greek yoghurt (plus 1 extra Tbs if needed)

1-2 tsp dried herbs (chives, etc)

30g./1 hefty ounce parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1/4 tsp each of various seasonings - like dried garlic granules, black pepper, chilli flakes, etc

1/2 tsp garlic salt flakes  (see, I wanted more)

1/2 tsp sea salt flakes

1/4 tsp smoked paprika and/or 1/4 tsp Tuscan seasoning

Turkey Mince Patties:

500g./18 oz turkey (or chicken or beef) mince

1 large egg

1/2-1 cup panko breadcrumbs  (I used about 3/4 cup)

sea salt flakes and ground black pepper, to taste

dried herbs  (you choose) - and maybe 1-2 tsp

1 tsp of umami powder, or chicken stock powder

dried chilli flakes - 1/2 tsp maybe

toasted sesame oil - a good dash

and a dash of Worcestershire sauce - 1/2-1 tsp

ground cummin - 1/2 tsp or so

sesame seeds, enough for the top of each patty 

flour!

could this be? ... oh yes it is - yoghurt :) 

parmesan cheese

Method:

Place the flatbread ingredients into a large bowl, and combine together  (add the extra Tablespoon of yoghurt if needed)

Pat/knead into a rough dough, cover with plastic wrap and - Quite Important! - let it sit in the fridge for at least half an hour to an hour

Take it out of the fridge, flatten it out, and cut into 4 pieces around 3mm thickness (i.e. very thin!)

Grab your grill pan, brush over 1-2 Tbs oil (I used EV olive oil), let it heat it up, and cook each flatbread for 3 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for another 3 minutes

Serve with the turkey patties, some lettuce, avocado, tomato slices, relish, yoghurt etc

Turkey Smash patties:

Place ingredients (except the sesame seeds) into a mixing bowl, combine together (with your hands is best), form into patties (about 1.2cm/half an inch thick), then scatter over some sesame seeds, and either bake on a lined tray, for about 15 minutes at 185C/365F, or grill on the grill pan/BBQ or stovetop in a frying pan

chives

Notes:

The dough can easily be doubled, if you are feeling like a big carb hit

Grate the cheese yourself if you can, as it gives a delightful hint of cheesiness

ingredients gathered

into the bowl ...

pat your dough together - not much kneading needed :)

flattened out and ready for the grill pan

and get Mr P. to cook 'em for you

looking good I reckon

crispy, and charred and bloody good!

ingredients for turkey patties ready for mixing

I made 8! of the seedy little devils

and here they are - baked

serve with a bit of salad, relish and yoghurt (or sour cream)

Lemon Soda Bread

I can't believe this recipe has been sitting in my drafts for just over a year!  I made this bread for Cookbook Club last May; and the recipe is from Anna Jones's Easy Wins.  Mm, I might have to make this one again, because it was delicious.  And it's citrus season, so lemons abound.  

I like to buy local honey, not that I use a lot, but I do want to support our local apiarists.  We have several just in our little neighbourhood!  And we often see honesty stalls when going on country drives.  We were down the coast one time, well in the hinterland really; there was a stall but I didn't have enough 'real money' on me, so sadly I had to leave that jar there.  Now I make sure there is enough coinage sitting in the car for such harrowing emergencies :=)

looking good and crunchy

Makes one beautiful round:

ingredients:

400 mL/13.5 oz milk, or oat milk

3 lemons, unwaxed if possible, otherwise scrub them well under warm water

350g./12.5 oz plain flour

350g./12.5 oz wholemeal flour

2 tsp bi-carb soda (baking soda)

2 tsp sea salt flakes

150g./5.3 oz butter

2 tsp honey or maple syrup

1-2 tsp of lemon juice (optional)

or try oat milk

Method:

Turn on your oven to 180C/360F to heat up

Line a baking tray with baking paper, flour (and a scattering of cornflake crumbs if so inclined)

To make the buttermilk:

Grab yourself a jug, add the milk, and then stir in the juice and zest of 2 of the lemons - give it a really good stir

Set aside for 10-15 minutes to allow it to thicken up (the oat milk won't thicken tho', so don't worry if you're using that, it's fine)

To make the dough:

Haul out a large mixing bowl, place both flours, the bi-carb soda and one teaspoon of the sea salt into it, and give it a good whisk

Now make a well/divot in the middle of the flour mixture, and pour in the buttermilk mixture 

Stir until there are no floury patches (but not too violently), then go in with your hands and form into a shaggy dough - be gentle!

And tip it out onto a well-floured surface, shape into a rough but relaxed round, and then place on your lined tray

Make a large cross with a knife on top of the dough, and brush with some extra milk

Then bake for about 40 minutes till nicely golden-brown all over

While it's baking, make the lemon-honey butter:

Get yourself a small bowl, and mash up the butter with the zest of the other lemon, and the honey or maple syrup

Add the other teaspoon of sea salt (or part of it) to the mix, and beat that in too  (add the lemon juice here, if  using)

Now check your bread, give it a tap on its bottom (it should sound hollow when done), and leave it to cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes or so

Slice and serve lavishly spread with the butter

(Will keep for a couple of days, wrapped and in an airtight container, or sliced and in the freezer for a few weeks or so)

Ye olde Bi-carb soda

Notes:

I got 150 mL/5 oz of lemon juice from 2 lemons; you can just squeeze and drink down the juice of the other lemon!

zest those lemons

Dino overseeing the zest-fest

making the buttermilk

mixing up the dough

shaping it onto your lined tray

you can add the extra lemon juice here, if you like it tangy!

golden and crunchy

Dino says: "it's time to eat"

just a wee smidge of butter :=)

honey

Pineapple Coconut Scones

Mr P. loves his carbs!  Even though his waistline does not.  We have been on a low-carb eating plan for a couple of years now, and we have both lost some of the avoir dupois from our waists.  Luckily for me, I am not a huge fan of breads or pasta so I didn't mind cutting down on the carby stuff.  Poor Mr P. though ...  Carbs are his bread and butter - literally :=)  (Or should that be metaphorically?)  If you were a baker, for instance ...

I'm always on the lookout for interesting scone recipes since I have been part of Tandy's annual scone blog-fest on her blog Lavender and Lime.  I can't remember how I came upon this particular scone recipe.  It's from a blog called Amy's Healthy Baking; she uses all sorts of low-fat, dairy-free, gluten-free ingredients.  I did not go down that route :=)  (Nor did Dino the baby dinosaur - hehehe).  

Dino watching over the (remaining) scones :=)

ingredients:

180g./6.5 oz./1.5 cups wholemeal flour - I used half wholemeal and half plain, but use whatever you have

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

28g./1 oz. butter, cold and diced

120g./4.2 oz. plain Greek yoghurt

3 Tbs/45 mL pure maple syrup

55 mL/3 Tbs + 2 tsp milk - use your fave; I used regular cow's milk  see Notes

 1/2 tsp coconut extract (or use extra vanilla if you'd rather)

1/2-1 tsp vanilla extract

70g./2.5 oz. diced or crushed (tinned) pineapple, well-drained and chopped into (very) small pieces  see Notes

12g./2.5 Tbs/0.5 oz shredded, unsweetened coconut

Method:

On goes your oven to heat at 220C/425F

Grab a baking tray and baking paper, and line the tray

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl

Use a pastry cutter (really useful) or a fork or your fingers to combine the butter into the flour, till you have fine crumbs

Then you will stir in the yoghurt, maple syrup, the 3 Tbs of milk, and the 2 extracts

And gently fold in the pineapple and shredded coconut

Pat the dough (tenderly) into a rough round (in the mixing bowl), and then place it onto the baking tray  (mine was quite a wet dough)

Then shape it into a 2cm/0.75 inch high mound on the tray, and brush with the extra 2 tsp of milk

With a sharp knife, cut the mound into 8 triangles (leaving them closely packed on the tray) 

Bake for 18-21 minutes till lightly golden on top

Leave 'em sit on the tray for a few minutes to cool, then place on a wire rack

Serve warm, with lots of butter!

Notes:

NB. I am using 15 mL tablespoons in this recipe (= 0.5 oz.)

Use whatever milk you fancy, tho' I think a full fat milk is best

Divide the milk into the Tbs and the tsp amounts

The recipe says to drain the (tinned) pineapple well; but you could get away with a light pressing thru a sieve, I think :=)

ingredients gathered

cut the butter into the flour mixture

stir in the yoghurt etc

and fold in the pineapple and coconut

a kinda (moist) loose dough! Pat it onto the tray, and cut 8 triangles

golden and warm and delicious

see the pineapple peeking out?

Mr P. about to hoe in - with a wee bit of butter

Dino the dinosaur keeping an eye on the rest!

Oh, and did I mention it's my birthday?  Yep, Mr P. and I are on a short break, doing a bit of an art gallery tour.  We headed west and south to Armidale, where the nightly temperature is minus 2!!  My Queenslander bones are a wee bit frozen :=)  Then heading back to the coast to check out another gallery, then home!

c. Sherry M.

Zucchini And Brown Butter Bread

Here we have another of the delightful Alice Zaslavsky's recipes from her book The Joy of Better Cooking.  I made one of Alice's cakes for Cookbook Club recently, while others had made some of her zucchini fritters, and this lovely bread.  We queried why Alice had called it Zucchini and Brown Butter Bread, 'cos there ain't no brown butter involved.  Nevertheless, it's really tasty, and good for you, natch - all that zucchini!  

Has anyone else noticed that brown butter seems to be all the rage these days?  I've almost never made it or used it - maybe back in High School days in Home Ec.  In my first year at High School, we had to do sewing (can't remember what they called it), and it took me pretty much the whole year to make the apron we had to use the following year in Home Ec.  Hilarious!  A handy/crafty woman I am not.  

Our teacher was Mrs. Kounikoff, a Russian lady of formidable aspect and heavy accent.  She clearly thought I was a hopeless case, though I was pretty good at embroidery.  Yep, makes no sense.  At least my cooking was up to scratch.

grab some butter to slather on

Serves 6+:

ingredients:

400g./14 oz/3 cups zucchini, coarsely grated 

1 tsp sea salt flakes

150g./5.3 oz butter, melted

100g./3.5 oz/1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

3 spring onions (scallions), sliced finely

3 Tbs parsley, chopped as you like it

125g./4.4 oz/½ cup plain, thick, Greek yoghurt

2 large eggs, beaten with a fork or whisk

300g./10.5 oz/2 cups self-raising flour

180g./6.4 oz/1 cup instant polenta (cornmeal)

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg or 1 rasp of a whole nutmeg

a few grinds of fresh black pepper

1.5-2 Tbs EV olive oil

40g./1.4 oz/¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

Extras:

very thinly-sliced zucchini strips to decorate the top of the loaf

zucchini flowers for the top (very optional)

a few big sprinkles of salt for the top

Method:

On goes your oven at 160C/320F, while you butter and line a 20cm/8 inch square cake tin or 2 loaf tins or whatever floats your boat, shape-wise

Grab a large bowl, line it with a very clean tea-towel or muslin, throw in the grated zucchini, sprinkle with the salt and let it sit and ruminate for 10 minutes to release its green, salty juices

Then you're going to squeeze the squishy green mess thru the tea towel/muslin till it's pretty dry  see Notes 

Tip the drained zukes back into the bowl (sans liquid), and now add the butter, cheese, spring onions and parsley and stir together

And then stir in the yoghurt and beaten eggs  - see Notes

Now grab another bowl, and stir in the flour, polenta, nutmeg and pepper

Stir half this flour mixture into the zuke mixture and stir together

Then stir in the other half of the flour mixture - be gentle when doing this as you don't want to activate the gluten too much

Pour the batter into the cake tin(s), drizzle on the olive oil, and smooth out the top with a palette knife/spatula

Lay the extra zucchini slices over the top (if using), and drizzle a bit more oil on them

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes, then take it out so you can sprinkle on the pepitas and salt (and flowers)

Now bake for another 35-40 minutes till a skewer comes out clean from its cheesy, veggie-laden heart

Leave it to cool for ten minutes in the tin, then onto a wire rack to cool right down

Slice thickly, and slather with lots of butter!

If any left, whack into an airtight container in the fridge; this can be toasted the next day for extra oomph

Alice says you can use pumpkin instead of zucchini, and add olives and roasted capsicum strips for extra flavour

Notes:

Don't do what I did, and keep squishing till there's no liquid left at all!  I went wild :=)  I ended up with 150mL/5 oz of green zuke juice which I put into a bag, and into the freezer for future dishes

I ended up adding about 80 grams extra yoghurt as my mixture was too dry after my hefty, over-keen squeezing of the zukes

squeeze out that juice!

and pop into the freezer

ingredients gathered

give it a good stir

and stir again

see?  Pretty darn dry (my bad) till I added extra yoghurt

ready for baking

and done!

a beautiful bottom

can't wait to eat it

turned out pretty well, I have to say :=)

c. Sherry M.