How do you make flat bread more flexible ?

[BADGER.BRAD]

Hello All,
Someone once told me there was an added ingredient you could add to flat bread to make it more flexible ( So you could fold it ) Has any one any idea what this is ? Anyone got any other added ingredients to make the basic flour and water mix more sexy ?

Thanks all

Brad

 

[just jim]

I think I noticed Glycerine as one of the ingredients on the back of our packet of flatbread.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Why would you want to? Just cut the slice in half. That way you are only biting through 2 layers of bread, rather than the top and bottom layer and the folded bit. Seems like you actually want to make eating bread harder?

 

[Night Train]

How are you making your flatbreads?
The ones I made last time were like chapatis in that they were soft and flexible so could be torn or wrapped around other food.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Oh.................the OP isn't about sliced bread....?

 

[Night Train]

I use Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's flat bread recipe.

250g plan flour
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon rapeseed or olive oil
150ml warm water

Sift flour into large bowl, add salt.
Add water and oil and form into a dough with your hands.

Turn out onto a floured surface and kneed for 5 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
cover the dough ball with an upturned bowl and rest it for 15 minutes.

When ready to cook and eat, roll the dough into a sausage shape and cut into eight balls.
Flour a surface ad roll each ball into a disc about 2-3mm thick using plenty of flour.
Rest the dough again for 2-3 minutes.

Place a heavy iron pan, or griddle, over a high heat and get it really hot. Then turn the heat down a bit.
Shake excess flour off a dough flat bread and lay it on the hot pan for a minute or two until the dough looks 'set' in top and has started to lift away from the pan. Flip over and cook for another 30-40 seconds.

Lay the flat bread on a warm plate and cover with a tea towel to keep in the heat until ready to serve.

They will be soft and warm but if they go cold they will stiffen up.
They can then be 'recycled' by tearing into bits and brushing with a little oil and crisping them in a hot oven to make dipping chips or croutons.

 

[ttcycle]

Are you kneading it properly? That's my immediate thought as when you knead it the gluten starts to develop and makes the bread springier?

 

[BADGER.BRAD]

Cheers everyone for the replies, much appreciated. My flat bread is made to a very basic recipe of flour and water and normally but not always rolled flat and cooked on a very hot frying pan. As I tend to make extra stew/curry/spag bol or chillie to take to work with me in the winter months I use the bread just as a method of making these go a little further. Sometimes I use them as a Pizza base. By cooking them that way I can cook the bread fast when I wish to use the extra frozen meals rather than having to heat the whole oven up. Your comment Comedy Pilot is quite relevant although you at first got the wrong end of the stick this is what I do for ease of transport if I'm just using the bread to dip in the meals. But I had an interest in try to use the bread to make raps which failed miserably when the bread just split ? You may have a point TTcycle about kneading the bread as I tend not to spend much time on this, I'll put a little more effort in next time.

Thanks again All

 

[ttcycle]

You could always try and buy a strong white bread flour as well as that has a higher gluten content but that's less of an issue with flat breads.

Just give your dough a good knead, it might make a difference.