Yiayia Maria used to make all kinds of things with her one bread recipe. We were often treated to paximadia, dinner rolls, loaves of bread to slice, kaltsounakia, and flat breads with different spreads and seasonings. We have tried repeatedly to replicate Yiayia's recipe for bread, but have not mastered it yet. However, we found that this already made dough that we bought at the bakery was similar in texture and size when we baked it to what we expected from Yiayia's recipe. So, we thought that we could make a variety of things with this dough, just like Yiayia Maria!
After working with the dough to make dinner rolls, we realised this was better off as a flat bread, since it did not rise quite as much as we wanted or needed for the other foods. But, for a flat bread, this was perfect! Our guess is that this dough was more similar to pizza dough which is much less rich than a traditional bread recipe. That did not stop us, though. we made flat bread anyway!
When trying to decide what kind of flat bread to make, we tossed around the ideas of using oregano, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, or just some sesame seeds. We couldn't decide what flavour or which spices, and then we decided to just keep it simple with a nice flavour, and we chose to use Zatar (Za'tar). This is a Middle-Eastern spice that is as versatile as our beloved Montreal Steak Spice. It can be used on or in any savoury dish, and is sold in many different venues. Zatar is a mixture of spices, including (not limited to) oregano, thyme, and sesame seed. There are different varieties that use other spice varieties with these basics, the variety changes with each part of the Middle East.
Our container of Zatar was a gift from a Persian friend, Nicki. She loves Greek food, and likes to share her culture with us through food. This is great to have a foodie-friend, because that is one way to find out about interesting things like this seasoning. Anyway, Nicki was thrilled to learn that we make our own bread, and we are adventurous in our recipes. She insisted that we taste bread the same as it was while she was growing up. And, one day, she brought her mother's homemade bread, a bottle of olive oil, and a container of zatar so we could taste one of her comfort foods. She put some zatar in a bowl and mixed in the olive oil to make a paste. Then, like butter, she spread it on each chunk of bread that she broke from the loaf. For each one of us, we were each given a chunk of bread (hand-torn from the loaf) with zatar spread. From the first bite, it was delicious. And, after four of us ate a loaf of bread, Nicki promised that she would bring us some zatar to keep. She kept her word, and now, we use it on our own flat bread! And, here is what we do:
For this recipe, you will need the following:
about 1 pound of home-made or store-bought pizza dough or bread dough
3-5 teaspoons of tatar seasoning (this can be bought in any Middle Eastern, Persian or Armenian market)
2 TBSP olive oil (or any vegetable cooking oil)
Start by rolling out the dough. We made ours circular, like a pizza. Make sure that thickness of the dough is even all the way around so you don't have lumpy flat bread. Roll the dough to be about 3/4 inch thick and in the shape you desire. Ours were round, but you could make rectangles or spares if you like.
Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes after rolling it flat. You want the dough to shrink if that is going to happen before adding the seasoning.
Now, generously brush the dough with some oil. You want to make sure the entire top of the bread is coated, so the seasoning will stick to all the oily spots. Then, sprinkle the seasoning over the bread. You will note that we have done this all by hand, but there are multiple ways to coat with oil or sprinkle seasoning. Just make sure that the entire top surface is coated and covered.
Bake the bread in the oven until it is golden brown. We placed our flat breads on a pizza stone that had been heated in a 450 F oven. To make the bread an even, golden colour, we baked for 16 minutes. But, remember, ovens vary!
Allow the bread to cool for a moment before cutting or eating. We used a pizza cutter to make four wedges for two of us. These may be small enough to count one per person, or you can decide how to split it up. It is the joy of being together to break bread that really mattered to us.
"Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart..."
Book of Acts, 2:46
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