YOGURT AND PISTACHIO SOURDOUGH

Inspiration for this delicious bread came from the one and only Elaine Boddy, through her book called EVERYDAY SOURDOUGH which you can find here. I made just a few modifications in the formula (she used walnuts, I wanted to incorporate pistachios), and the method, because I always leave the dough in the fridge overnight and bake first thing in the morning. Her book is absolutely full of great ideas, and I have reviewed it right after publication (check it out in this post).

YOGURT AND PISTACHIO SOURDOUGH
(slightly modified from Everyday Sourdough)

75 g sourdough starter at 100% hydration
240g water
125 g low-fat yogurt
500 g white bread flour
50 g pistachios, coarsely chopped
10 g salt

Mix all ingredients in the bowl of a KitchenAid type mixer fitted with the dough hook. Knead on low speed for about 4 minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl and let proof at room temperature for 4 and a half hours, with folds every 45 minute or so, no need to be precise.

After the last fold, keep it at room temperature for a full hour, shape as a round boule or batard, and place in a banetton. Leave for another hour at room temperature, then retard it in the fridge.

Next morning, bake at 450F straight from the fridge, slashing right before baking. Bake covered for 30 minutes, remove lid and bake for 15 minutes more. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This is one tasty bread! The yogurt makes the crumb softer, with a nice taste that goes well with the pistachios. Husband adored it, and so did I… Huge thank you, Elaine, for allowing me to publish this little variation of your recipe!

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MJUKKAKA, A SWEDISH SOFT FLATBREAD

Totally in love, I must admit… Huge thank you to Mimi, a food blogger and friend I’ve been following and learning from for so many years! Check her detailed post about it clicking here. If you want to make the real authentic version, a special rolling pin is a must, but you can probably get by with a dough rolling docking gadget of even the tines of a fork. I have a tough time resisting gadgets, as you may have noticed, so I got one (amazon is your friend, I suppose).

MJUKKAKA
(from Chef Mimi’s blog)

2 cups bread flour plus an extra tablespoon or two if necessary and more for rolling the dough
3/4 cup barley flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup water room temperature
1/4 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon canola oil plus more for oiling the bowl and cooking the flatbreads
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Whisk bread flour, barley flour, yeast, salt and sugar together by hand in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add water, yogurt and 1 tablespoon oil to the dry ingredients.

Fit a stand mixer with the dough hook and begin mixing at medium-low speed until dough just comes together. Increase mixer speed to medium and knead dough for three minutes. If dough is sticking to the sides or the bottom after the first 3 minutes of kneading, add an additional tablespoon of bread flour before continuing the kneading process. Continue kneading at medium speed until the dough is tacky but not sticky and clears the bottom and sides of the bowl, approximately 2-3 more minutes. Add an additional tablespoon or two of bread flour if dough continues to stick to the sides or bottom of the bowl during the kneading process.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for an hour at room temperature or until doubled in size. Transfer dough to a clean countertop and divide into 8 equal pieces, about 80 g each. Roll each piece into a rough ball. Cover with plastic wrap.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, use a rolling pin to create a thin circular flatbread (like a thin tortilla). If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, sprinkle a little flour on top. It’s okay if the dough is sticking to the work surface. Finish by rolling the flatbread a couple of times with a deep notched rolling pin. Brush off any excess flour from the top of the dough.


Using a dough scraper and your fingers, gently release the flatbread from the countertop. Add to a skillet with a little oil heated over medium heat. Cook the first side for 1 to 2 minutes, flip and cook the second side. Remove the flatbread from the skillet and transfer to a plate. Brush lightly with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt, if so desired (I omitted the butter).

Repeat the process with the remaining portions of dough. Eat immediately or wrap tightly and freeze once the flatbreads have cooled to room temperature

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I love the pattern that the rolling pin makes on the dough, and also how it prevents the bread from puffing too much during cooking. I used a dosa flat pan to cook it over the stove, but you can use cast iron and probably a griddle might work too. As to oiling the pan, what worked better for me was brushing oil right on the bread after rolling and brushing the excess flour off. I used a silicone brush and added a very light coating. I did not add more oil to the other side before flipping the bread, it was not necessary.

We had it for a weeknight dinner with several different goodies: smoked salmon with yogurt dill dipping sauce, ham, prosciutto, mortadella, mustard, hummus… It was simple and fun at the same time. I placed all flatbreads wrapped in foil in a very low oven (used our Breville small oven for that), and the bread stayed soft and warm through the whole meal. We did not bother slathering the bread with butter, but feel free to do so.

This one is definitely going into our rotation, and I hope you will give this recipe a try. Thank you so much, Mimi!

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AIR-FRYER CHICKEN SKEWERS

Super simple preparation, the air-fryer shines to produce moist and tender chicken in less than 30 minutes (not counting marinating time, of course). You can add different spices, just keep the basic oil, lemon and yogurt base.

AIR-FRYER CHICKEN SKEWERS
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

3 boneless chicken breasts, cut in 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup yogurt, low-fat or full fat
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon agave nectar
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
1/2 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
1 red bell pepper, cut in squares
olive oil spray

Make the marinade by whisking vigorously the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, yogurt, and agave nectar. Add the Herbes de Provence, pepper and salt, mix well.

Place the pieces of chicken in a bowl and add the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes to 4 hours.

Soak wooden skewers in water while you marinate de meat. Make sure to you skewers that fit inside your air-fryer, or cut them in the appropriate length. Remove chicken from the marinade. Thread pieces of chicken and a couple of red bell pepper pieces in each skewer.

Turn fryer to 400F or as high as it will go. Spray the basket with olive oil, place the skewers inside, spray some more olive oil over them. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove them to a baking dish and cover with foil for 5 minutes. Uncover and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Another one for our rotation. Our fryer held 7 skewers with no issues, but smaller fryers might force you to cook in batches, so keep that in mind. If onions are not a problem for you, thread some together with the red bell pepper for even more flavor. You can also take this preparation heavily into Middle Eastern territory by incorporating cinnamon, turmeric, allspice, whatever you feel like.

We enjoyed ours with simple white rice and broccoli.
A perfect meal for a Wednesday evening!

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FOOD PROCESSOR FLATBREAD WITH SESAME SEEDS


One of my default recipes that I go back to every time is the old Fine Cooking food processor’s pizza dough (click here for post from 2009!). It always works, it is fast, convenient, and I have it memorized, so whenever I want pizza, I mix the dough early in the morning, stick it in the fridge and come back hours later. I might change slightly the composition of flour, adding spelt or whole wheat if I feel like it but the basic procedure is the one from the blog. It got me thinking that the same approach could work for a slightly more complex type of dough, one that includes yogurt, but does not quite go into the direction of the Indian naan. I am super happy with the outcome, and urge you to give it a try…

FOOD PROCESSOR FLATBREAD WITH SESAME SEEDS
(from The Bewitching Kitchen)

250 grams (about 2 cups) bread flour
1½ teaspoons instant yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
¾ cup plain, full-fat yogurt
2 teaspoons agave nectar
1/4 cup of water (you might not need the whole amount)
olive oil, za’atar, Herbes de Provence, sesame seeds (to taste)

Mix the yogurt with the agave nectar and reserver.

In a food processor, combine the flour, yeast and salt, then process until combined, 2 to 3 pulses. Add the mixture of yogurt with honey, process, and with the machine running, drizzle the water. Stop when the contents in the bowl start for form a cohesive dough. Process for about 60 seconds, adjust with more flour or water if needed. Ideally the dough should be slightly sticky.

Remove the dough from the processor, form as a smooth ball, and leave it to proof at room temperature for 90 minutes.

Heat the oven to 450F and place a baking stone on a rack to heat. Divide the dough in two equal portions, then stretch them into oval shape on a piece of parchment paper. Brush with some olive oil, sprinkle your spice mixture of choice, then sesame seeds. Transfer the flatbread into the oven, still on the parchment paper, and bake until puffed and golden, about 15 minutes.

Remove to a cooling rack, and enjoy once it cools down a bit.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I made a small batch, with only 250g flour, because I was testing the food processor method, but it ended up really perfect for the two of us. Even four people could be happy with the two flatbreads, although in that case I guarantee you won’t have leftovers. I liked the za’atar version the most, hubby preferred the one with Herbes de Provence. Your kitchen, your choice!

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INCREDIBLY SIMPLE APPLE CARPACCIO

I love to bake but we rarely have dessert at home. Only dinner parties will find us enjoying sweets after a meal. Still, when it is your perfect match’s Birthday, it is nice to close the meal with some sweetness. We wanted something light, no heavy laminated dough, no cake, no pie. I stumbled on this recipe by accident, simplified it quite a bit and we absolutely loved it! At the end of the post, I will give you a suggestion to turn it into a verrine, in case you do not want to go through the trouble of slicing the apples so thin.

APPLE CARPACCIO
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 apple (I used honey crisp)
1/3 cup pistachios, toasted
1/2 cup full-fat yogurt
honey to taste
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
lemon juice

Cut the pistachios in small pieces, mix half with the yogurt, add honey to taste. Reserve the remaining pistachios.

Quarter the apple, core it, but do not peel it. Slice it super thin, ideally using a mandolin. Spread the slices over a plate, squirt lemon juice all over.

Place a dollop of yogurt in the center of the slices, top with pomegranate seeds and reserved pistachios. Drizzle with a little bit of honey and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: This was delicious, refreshing and light. I highly recommend it if you want to serve dessert but keep it on the light side. If you don’t own a mandolin and don’t want to go through the effort of cutting the apples by hand, dice the fruit and layer on a little glass. A layer of apple, some lemon juice, yogurt-pistachio layer, more apple, and top with the yogurt mix, finishing with pistachios, pomegranate seeds and a drizzle of honey. It will be a different serving style, but equally delicious.

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