Where it's mini Turkish or even yeasted Moroccan, flatbread is on the rise

Flatbread, the latest American food trend is quick, versatile and healthy - and not new at all.

Sometimes called the original bread, flatbread has been a culinary staple for centuries. In Mexico it is a tortilla. In Ethiopia, it's injera, Those who live in India eat naan, roti or chapati. And in Israel they enjoy matzoh.

In the United States, flatbread - named because it contains little or no leavening to make it rise during baking - is a fast-growing part of the nearly $14 billion bread industry.

Flatbreads can be found everywhere from grocery store shelves to fast-food menus and fine dining restaurants. They come in dozens of different varieties, from crisp cracker-like sheets to soft, easy-to-roll discs. Consumers can eat flatbread made with whole grains or flavored with sun-dried tomatoes.

It wasn't long ago that the only flatbreads available were pita pockets and tortillas.

Cookbook author Naomi Duguid co-authored Flatbreads & Flavors in 1995. At that time, flatbread was still seen as something ''a bit marginal'' and ethnic, she said. But as chefs began to put flatbread in bread baskets, it became far more common.

''Now you can go into any grocery store and there's going to be a whole group of breads you could call flatbread,'' she says. ''We've moved from the conception that bread has to be a loaf.''

Flatbread has become so popular that new product launches in the U.S. went from 12 in 2005 to 51 in 2006, says Joanna Peot, spokeswoman for Chicago-based market research firm Mintel International Group.

Papa Pita, a 25-year-old company based in Utah, has seen double-digit sales growth in recent years, said a company spokesperson. The company sells to all major grocery stores in Utah and 17 other states. Most of the

Flatbreads at a glance

* AREPA: (Venezuela) Made from cornmeal, it is typically split open and stuffed with cheese, meats or other fillings.
* BAMMY: (Jamaica) Fried cakes made with grated cassava and soaked in coconut milk before frying.
* CHAPATI: (India) Usually spread with ghee - clarified butter - or dipped into curries.
* FOCACCIA: (Italy) Soft and thick, it resembles pizza crust.
* INJERA: (Ethiopia) A slightly sour, spongy bread used as both a plate and a spoon when eating stews.
* LEFSE: (Norway) Made with mashed potatoes and used to wrap sandwich fillings.
* LAVASH: (Middle East) Available hard, like a cracker, or soft, like a tortilla.
* PITA: (Middle East) Puffy, round bread that is cut in half and pulled open and filled.
* SANGAK: (Iran) Large enough to feed an entire family.
* TORTILLAS: (Mexico) Comes in corn or flour varieties. Good for tacos and enchiladas.
* YUFKA: (Turkey) A thin, round flatbread made from wheat flour.

The Cook's Thesaurus

Greek and Middle Eastern restaurants in the area also serve their flatbreads.
Healthy eating trends explain most of the growth. These unleavened breads typically have less sugar and little or no fat.

Versatility is another reason for the popularity. Flatbread handles a turkey sandwich as easily as a smear of hummus. It also works for numerous Latin American dishes and as the base for the all-American pizza.

And unlikely as it may seem, fast-food chains have helped fuel growth. Wraps and other flatbread sandwiches have been appearing on numerous menus, including those at Quiznos and Arby's.

Bruce Bakh, owner of Pars Market, sells several different varieties of flatbread at his Middle Eastern store at 3949 S. Highland Drive, in Holladay.

Lavash, sometimes called Armenian cracker bread, is the most popular.

"If you are on the run and want to roll something, this large, soft bread is definitely the best," he said.

But few people are disappointed when they purchase the market's sangak - one piece of this Persian flatbread is $2.29.

"Probably 85 percent of the people who try it come back for more," Bakh said. "It smells and tastes so good."

And that's something that is always trendy.

Injera

This sour, spongy bread is a staple of Ethiopian cooking and is served at nearly every meal. Typically made with a sourdough starter and allowed to ferment, the recipe below is streamlined for American kitchens.

2 cups teff flour or whole wheat flour (not stone-ground flour)*
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 cups club soda
2 tablespoons clarified butter

In a large bowl, whisk together teff, all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt and club soda. Stir wet mixture into flour mixture to make a smooth, thin batter. Strain to remove any lumps.
Grease a large frying pan with a tight fitting lid with butter and warm over medium-high heat. Pour 1/2 cup batter into pan in a spiral, starting at the center. Cook for 20 seconds. Cover pan and cook an additional 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate. Cover with a cloth to keep warm while cooking remaining batter.
Makes 12 flatbreads.
*Teff is a grain that is often available at health food and organic stores.

Source: The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa, by Marcus Samuelsson. (John Wiley & Sons, $40.)

Moroccan bread

This fragrant, yeasted flatbread is studded with anise seeds and sesame seeds. It is traditionally used to mop up the sauce of tagines, but also would be good with stew.

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 1/2 cups semolina flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
1/2 tablespoon anise seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon white sesame seeds (optional)

All-purpose flour, for kneading and shaping
In a small bowl or cup, dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water and stir until creamy.
In a large bowl, combine semolina and salt and, if using, anise and sesame seeds. Make a well in the center.

Add yeast to well. Gradually add 1 cup warm water, mixing in flour as you go. Knead to make a rough ball of dough.

Remove dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 3 minutes, then invert bowl over dough and let rest for 15 minutes.

Knead dough for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and elastic.
Shape dough into a ball, cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes.
Flatten dough by hand into a circle about 3/4 inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone pastry mat. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 hour, or until dough has about doubled in volume.
About 20 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden all over. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Makes 1 loaf.

Source: Savory Baking from the Mediterranean, by Anissa Helou (William Morrow, $29.95)

Roti

2 tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoons canola oil, plus about 4 cups for deep frying

In a large bowl, combine curry powder, salt, sugar and flour. Make a deep well in the center. Whisk egg and egg yolk together, then pour into well. Add coconut milk, chicken stock and 1 tablespoon canola oil. Slowly stir until all the liquid has been absorbed and the dough forms a ball.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, 10 to 15 minutes. Shape dough into a ball then cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a large 1/2 -inch-thick rectangle. Cut into 2-by-4-inch strips.

In a deep pot over high heat, warm 3 inches of canola oil until 350 degrees. Working in batches, carefully drop dough strips into oil, stirring to keep them from sticking together. Bread will puff and rise to the surface. Fry until brown and crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes, turning once to brown both sides. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Serve immediately. Make 24 pieces.

Source: The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa, by Marcus Samuelsson. (John Wiley & Sons, $40.)

Mini Turkish flatbreads

These Turkish flatbreads, also called yufka, are thin like a tortilla. Use them as wraps for crumbled feta cheese and diced vegetables. They also are great with hummus and baba ghannouj.

1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading and shaping
1/3 cup bread flour
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
In a large bowl, combine flours and salt. Make a well in the center. Gradually add 1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons warm water. Knead until you have a rough ball of dough.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead for 3 minutes. Invert bowl over dough and let dough rest 15 minutes. Knead for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Divide dough into 10 equal pieces. Shape each into a small ball, rolling dough between your palms.

Sprinkle a tray, or part of the work surface, with flour and place the balls of dough on the floured surface. Cover with a wet, but not dripping, kitchen towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Roll out each ball of dough, sprinkling with more flour every now and then, to a circle 7 or 8 inches in diameter. Place circles of dough between dry kitchen towels.

Warm a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat. When pan is very hot, cook breads, one at a time, for about 1 minute on each side, or until lightly golden and small lightly burned spots have bubbled up.

As breads cook, stack between clean kitchen towels. Use immediately or let harden and stack in a dry place, where they will keep for weeks.

To refresh breads, sprinkle each sheet with a little water, fold in half, and wrap in a clean kitchen towel. Let rest for 30 minutes, or until bread becomes soft and pliable. Makes 10 pieces.
Source: Savory Baking from the Mediterranean, by Anissa Helou (William Morrow, $29.95)

Baba ghannouj with Lebanese flatbread

Flatbread:
4 pita breads
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
2/3 cup olive oil

Baba ghannouj:
2 small eggplant, halved
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 tablespoons tahini
1/4 cup ground almonds
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons mint leaves
Olive oil, for drizzling
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

To make flatbread, split pita breads through the middle and carefully open them.
Mix sesame seeds, thyme and poppy seeds in a mortar and crush lightly with a pestle.
Stir in olive oil. Spread mixture lightly on cut-sides of the pita bread. Broil until golden brown and crisp. When cool, break into rough pieces and set aside.

Place eggplant, skin-side up, on a broiler pan and broil until skins have blistered and charred.
Transfer to a bowl, cover with crumbled paper towels and let cool for 10 minutes.
Peel eggplant. Chop flesh roughly and let drain in a colander.

Squeeze out as much liquid from eggplant as possible. Place flesh in a blender or food processor.
Add garlic, tahini, ground almonds, lemon juice and cumin and process into a smooth paste. Roughly chop half the mint and stir into dip. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon dip into a serving bowl, sprinkle with remaining mint and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
Serve dip with Lebanese flatbread.