chives flatbread.

A while ago, I was in a mood in which I wanted to make a lot of things that used yeast. But since bread recipes often call for a lot of flour, I picked this spring onion flatbread to work with.

Or rather, "I picked this spring onion flatbread with which to work."

I still can't consciously end a sentence (in writing) with a preposition. Funny, just yesterday my brother was going on about weird ways of speaking. Let me clarify.

Actually, for those of you who just want to know about the flatbread, scroll on down to just before the recipe. There, you shall find a lovely paragraph describing this yum flatbread.

When I used to read food blogs (or anything, but food blogs had it the most), I used to dislike reading "yummy" and "yum," which don't give a hint to how the food was actually good. And my adjectives need to have purpose! But look, I just used yum. Maybe it's because it's early, and my mind is literally blank or maybe because it feels like forever since I've written a blogpost. But I just used yum. I. don't. know.

Ok, on to more important things.

Like my brother's babblings! Yesterday, during dinner, he was like, what if people just stated fragmented sentences with such confidence and closure that it would sound like the person had just made a comment until you realize it didn't make sense whatsoever. Kay, example (where I am attempting to thwart his efforts at making a point .. I don't know what that point was, to be annoying, maybe? I dunno, it doesn't matter).

Brother: I feel like.

Me: Not talking?

Brother: I think.

Me: No, you don't.

Brother: That blender is.

Me: STOP.

Except it went on for quite a time longer. And then he said, what if someone just did that a lot, and then randomly actually completed one of the sentences, but at that point the other person was already in the habit of completing the other's sentences that he interrupted the speaker?

Have I thoroughly confused you in trying to explain this?

Okay. That means it's time to move on to ... Chives Flatbread!

My first thought when I read this recipe online was of Cookwise, the cooking bible by Shirley O' Corriher. The piece of literature goes into detail about the science behind cooking and also explains the results of changes in recipes. For example, there was a table that explained that maybe your cake rose and then collapsed because you put too much baking soda. You're only supposed to put max 1 tspn baking soda per cup of flour. And other really interesting stuff like that.

The browned spots are reminiscent of homemade roti.

What I remembered specifically was the table that showed the effect of different spices and flavorings on yeast. For instance, cardamom increases the activity of yeast, but only when used to a certain limit. However, onions tend to decrease the activity of yeast. I questioned what I should do, because this blog's flatbreads seemed to turn out successfully. Then I decided to trust the recipe; also, it's flatbread, so it's not like it needs major rising or it's being baked or anything. And also, I compensated by adding a teeny bit of cardamom, to kind of balance out the negative effects of the spring onions.

Oh, and I didn't have scallions, so I used chives from my garden. Yay, fresh herbs! Chives are really easy to grow, by the way.

The final result? Delicious. It was a very simple recipe. I was planning on serving the flatbreads with falafel and cooked little chicken patties (both homemade). as well as tzatziki, lettuce & tomato.

The recipe was so easy that I was able to prepare the dough an hour or two before dinnertime, let it rise, and then quickly roll them out and cook them on a dry pan over stovetop and directly serve. Make sure whatever you serve them with is not delicate, because if you can't roll the flatbread thin enough, it will be pretty bready. Hence, these would work wonderfully for a gyro sort of meal that went heavy on the seasoning. Mmmmm.

Make them whenever you fancy! It is so easy to make a quick and healthy meal from these. Just be sure to use them all the first day, or wrap them really well and reheat to serve the next day.

Chives Flatbread

slightly adapted from here.

• 450 grams all-purpose flour 
• 1 packet (2 1/4 tspns) instant dried yeast 
• as many chives as you desire, chopped (at least 3 generous tablespoons) 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 1/4 cups warm water 
• 1/8 tspn ground cardamom, completely optional 

1. In a stand mixer, combine the dry ingredients - flour, yeast, chives, and salt (& cardamom, if using).
2. Add warm water and mix to form a soft, but not too sticky dough. 
3. Use the dough hook and mix for 5 minutes. Alternately, knead the dough for about five minutes. 
4. Return the dough to the stand mixer bowl, spray or dabt he dough with a little oil, as well as  where the dough touches the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, a hand towel, and allow to double in size in a warm place. 
5. Once doubled, turn dough out of the bowl, lightly punch it down, and break off pieces to roll into rounds of desired size on a floured surface. 
6. Cook on a dry pan over stovetop. Each side should take 1 - 2 minutes to cook through. 
7. Fill with fillings of choice - falafel & grilled chicken are excellent options, along with lettuce, tomato, and a sauce, such as tzatziki. Eat as fresh as possible.