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
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Ingredients
- For the flatbread dough
-
2 1/2 cups
all purpose flour
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1/2 teaspoon
baking powder
-
1/2 teaspoon
baking soda
-
1/2 teaspoon
salt
-
1 teaspoon
sugar
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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
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Freshly ground pepper, to taste
-
3 tablespoons
good quality, extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
-
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.
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Preheat the oven to 450?F (230?C).
-
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.)
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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.
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Roughly shred the goat cheese over the baked crust and bake for another 5-6 mins.
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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.
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