Basil Flatbread With Roasted Tomatoes And Basil Oil Recipes

BASIL FLATBREAD WITH ROASTED TOMATOES AND BASIL OIL

Steps:

• Pour 1/3 cup warm water into large bowl. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over; let stand until mixture is foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Mix 2/3 cup flour and 1/3 cup room-temperature water into yeast mixture. Cover and let stand 20 minutes.
• Stir olive oil and salt into yeast mixture. Mix in 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until slightly sticky dough forms. Add basil. Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is too sticky, about 10 minutes. Oil large bowl. Add dough; turn to coat. Cover with plastic. Let rise in warm area until doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Punch dough down. Turn out onto floured surface. Divide in half; knead each piece just until smooth. Cover with towel; let rise until almost doubled, 20 minutes.
• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Roll out each dough piece on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer each to separate baking sheet. Brush top side with Basil Oil. Place bread, oiled side down, on barbecue. Grill until bottom is golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Brush top of bread with Basil Oil. Using tongs, turn bread over; grill until golden, about 1 1/2 minutes. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover loosely with foil; let stand at room temperature. Before continuing, prepare barbecue; use medium-high heat.)
• Brush breads with some Basil Oil. Arrange Roasted Tomatoes on breads. Loosely cover breads with foil; grill until heated through, watching closely, about 4 minutes. Drizzle with more Basil Oil. Cut each bread into 6 pieces.

TOMATO, BASIL AND EGGPLANT FLATBREAD WITH BLUE CHEESE

Steps:

• FOR THE FLATBREAD DOUGH: In a measuring cup, combine the water, sugar and yeast. Set aside until yeast is bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in olive oil. In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose and whole- wheat flours, salt and pepper. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
• Dump the mixture onto a lightly floured board or other work surface. With lightly floured hands, knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes, adding more flour just when the dough sticks to your hands or work surface. until the dough is smooth.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let set in a warm, draft-free place until it's doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
• Once the dough has doubled, punch it down and then divide it into 4 equal pieces. Knead each dough piece on a lightly floured work surface for 1 minute into a tight ball. Set dough balls on an oiled tray and refrigerate, covered, for 20 minutes or longer. (Dough can be made up to 1 day in advance. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.)
• FOR THE ROASTED EGGPLANT SLICES: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Soak the eggplant slices in cold water for 5 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Spritz 2 baking sheets with olive oil. Arrange slices in a single layer on the sheets and then spritz them with more oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes until lightly browned. Cool and reserve for use.
• TO ASSEMBLE THE FLATBREADS: Place a pizza stone on the lowest rack of the oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, press a ball of Flatbread Dough into a disc, then roll it in a thin circle about 1/8 inch thick.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly floured wooden pizza paddle. Spritz the dough with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with some cooked minced garlic (or roasted garlic paste). Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Add 3 to 4 eggplant slices, then 6 or 7 torn fresh basil leaves. Add 2 to 3 tomato slices. Top with 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese and a few twists of black pepper.
• Spritz with a little more olive oil, then gently slide the dough off the wooden paddle and onto the pizza stone. Bake 4 to 6 minutes, until the crust is crisp and golden brown. Remove flatbread with the paddle onto a cutting surface and slice.
• Repeat the process with the remaining three flatbread discs.
• TIP 1: If you prepare the dough and eggplant in advance and arrange all your other ingredients before starting, you can assemble each of these flatbreads in about 2 minutes, plus 4 to 6 minutes baking time.
• TIP 2: When it comes to toppings, less is more --- don't lay them on too thick. And get yourself a pizza stone and a wooden pizza paddle in order to handle and cook the thin crust properly.