Heirloom Tomato Flatbread "Pizza"

By Heena • July 29, 2010 • 0 Comments

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Heirloom Tomato Flatbread "Pizza" — 1 of 3 Photo by Heena

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Author Notes: I love my tomatoes as simple as can be - salt, pepper, some good olive. But some days, you need a little more heft and substance. Enter this fabulous flatbread "pizza". Inspired from Indian naan, the dough is quickly put together and in an hour, you can have a fresh homemade base to show off your beautiful heirloom tomatoes. A crisp crust, melting goat cheese, heirloom tomatoes, basil and olive oil - how can you you go wrong? Do make an effort to get the ajwain (or carom/caraway seeds) that goes into the dough - you can find it easily at an Indian store. Along with the garlic, it adds that something extra to the crust. The trick to drain the tomatoes to avoid a soggy crust is a great tip I picked up from 101cookbooks.com. - Heena

Serves 2

For the flatbread dough

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ajwain (carom/caraway seeds)
1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup yogurt
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil

For the flatbread pizza

4 large heirloom tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
6 ounces (170 gm) fresh goat cheese
10-12 fresh basil leaves, slivered
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons good quality, extra-virgin olive oil

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sprinkle over the sugar, ajwain and garlic. Make a well in the center and add the egg and yogurt. Start stirring, incorporating flour as you go till it all clumps together. Add the milk a little at a time and knead to get a smooth dough. Apply the oil and keep dough covered with a damp cloth for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 450⁰F (230⁰C).
Divide the dough into two. (Use one half and freeze the rest for later. Or double the ingredients for the pizza and make 2 of them.) Flour your work surface, form the dough into a ball and flatten with your hand. Roll out the dough into a circle, oval or a rectangle, as you would do for your thin-crust pizza. Prick the dough all over with a fork.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the rolled out dough on the sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 8 mins. (You can also use a pizza stone.)
Prep the tomatoes while the crust bakes - the key is to get excess moisture out so you don't get a soggy crust. Line the counter with a double layer of absorbent paper towels. Slice the tomatoes and spread them in a single layer over the towels. Sprinkle with salt. Place another layer of paper towels over the tomatoes and press lightly. Leave the tomatoes till ready to use.
Roughly shred the goat cheese over the baked crust and bake for another 5-6 mins.
Layer the prepped tomatoes over the cheese. Sprinkle over the basil and season with freshly ground pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil. Bake for another 5-6 mins. Cut into wedges and serve hot.