Name: Spiced Skillet Flatbreads
Yield: Makes 8 flatbreads
Ingredients: 3 cups all-purpose flour (or all-purpose gluten-free flour); 1 teaspoon fine sea salt; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon Hawayej; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 cup ice cold water; Oil for frying

When it's warm or I'm feeling lazy the last thing I want to do is heat up my oven to make bread or do any laborious kneading. This no-knead flatbread is dead simple and ready in a hurry; I’ve even made it for breakfasts when I was sick of the usual waffle and pancake routine. The basic bread is made with Hawayej, a Yemenite curry traditionally used in soup. It's endlessly variable, and takes to your spice of choice like a blank canvas, see the variations for more fun ideas!

Spiced Skillet Flatbreads

Christian Leue

Servings/Yield

Makes 8 flatbreads

Ingredients

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3 cups all-purpose flour (or all-purpose gluten-free flour)
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon Hawayej
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup ice cold water
Oil for frying

Directions

Sift the flour, salt, hawayej, and baking powder together into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle evenly with the water and oil and stir everything together to form a soft dough that is well incorporated.
If the dough is really wet and sticky, add a bit more flour. If it's crumbly and doesn't come together, add a bit more water. Do not knead or over mix or the bread will be tough instead of fluffy. Cover with a clean cloth or plastic wrap and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
Cover the bottom of a skillet with a thin layer of oil and heat over medium heat. On a floured surface cut the dough into 8 pieces and roll them into balls, then roll them out with a pin or hand pat into rough circles about 1/4" thick.
Fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until browned, adding oil as needed (maintain a thin layer in the pan to help cook the breads evenly). Transfer cooked breads to a rack with a paper towel underneath to drain and cool.
One of my favorite ways to serve these (pictured) is topped with sliced avocado, a crispy fried egg, za'atar, peperoncini, and a grating of Parmigiano.