Cook the Book: 'Savory Bread From the Mediterranean'
I've actually never met Anissa Helou, the author of Savory Baking From the Mediterranean
Savory Baking From the Mediterranean is filled with simple recipes that don't require the reader to be an expert bread baker. If you've ever wanted to make focaccia, pita bread, or even your own French milk rolls, stay tuned, because we'll be featuring recipes for the above-mentioned breads all week here.
And, as always, we're giving away this week's book. We have five copies this week. To enter, just tell us what your favorite kind of flatbread is.
Five winners will be chosen at random from the comments below, and commenting will be open until Saturday (October 13) at noon ET. The usual Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Comments are closed: 131 Comments:
I love pita bread, probably because I love all things Mediterranean. Nothing goes better with hummus, tabouli, tzatziki, etc. Mmmmm, I want some now.....
Jeana at 1:46PM on 10/08/07
Pita is tasty, so is naan and rotli =)
chlamers at 2:11PM on 10/08/07
Does pizza count as a flatbread? I sometimes bake pizza topped with just olive oil, herbs, and just a light sprinkling of cheese.
Nicholas H at 2:33PM on 10/08/07
Pita Bread. Not sure that I have tried any other flat breads.
mmiller at 2:33PM on 10/08/07
fresh-baked pita dipped in good olive oil.
mrsbao at 2:49PM on 10/08/07
Garlic naan - critical that everyone at the table/that you are going home with eat it!!
EmilySC at 2:51PM on 10/08/07
Flat bread? I love all bread,but if pizza is really flat bread than "IT" is the one and only BEST ever.
Kentucky Jed at 2:54PM on 10/08/07
lavosh is awesome. Had a grilled chicken lavosh wrap the other day. YUMMM
sln123 at 2:57PM on 10/08/07
It's hard to choose, because so many flatbreads vary so much in quality. But I think I'm going to have to pick pita bread.
ikkinlala at 3:00PM on 10/08/07
i like the naan. just found it at the market.
mcc32 at 3:01PM on 10/08/07
Chapatis. Or maybe naan. (Both are so easy to make, too!)
Enmalkm at 3:03PM on 10/08/07
Pita Bread... can do a lot with it.
bojabb at 3:07PM on 10/08/07
Papadum....delicious.
alsek at 3:10PM on 10/08/07
Garlic Naan, mmmm.
NSW at 3:12PM on 10/08/07
hmm...would you consider tortillas bread? if so, it's my fav which I always keep in the house for those late night burrito cravings :)
mozart23 at 3:14PM on 10/08/07
focaccia with good olive oil, roasted tomatoes and sea salt
malenky at 3:34PM on 10/08/07
I'm into injera lately.
Karen Resta at 3:41PM on 10/08/07
Nothing's better than a good falafal lafah.
KarynMC at 3:53PM on 10/08/07
Pita for its versatility. I have not had naan or injera or other flat breads yet!
Kimberly at 3:57PM on 10/08/07
tortilla
intheyearofthepig at 3:58PM on 10/08/07
My fav has to be homemade pocketless pitas.
Pierogi at 4:06PM on 10/08/07
Hand-ground corn tortillas
HotBreadKitchen at 4:08PM on 10/08/07
Fresh naan is absolutely delicious.
foodinmouth at 4:18PM on 10/08/07
Pita bread either as a roast beef ryder, a St. Augustine sandwich, or warmed with some datil pepper sauce and cheese melted inside.
Jim Conner
astatula at 4:39PM on 10/08/07
Oh yes, naan. Not Mediterranean, but still - naan it is.
curmudgeon at 4:39PM on 10/08/07
I once had a chickpea flat bread in Italy on the Amalfi coast which was outstanding, however that's the ony time i have seen it. So, It has to be naan because I can actually get it without a plane flight.
dna90048 at 4:47PM on 10/08/07
Whole wheat pita bread.
sjwoodin at 4:48PM on 10/08/07
Roasted garlic naan
ErikaWaz at 4:51PM on 10/08/07
homemade corn tortillas with butter and salt.
dksbook at 4:54PM on 10/08/07
I've had an incredible rosemary focaccia that would sway my vote towards the Mediterranean if it weren't for my deep-seated weakness for good, fresh traditional naan.
miso at 4:58PM on 10/08/07
Injeera-Ethiopian flatbread made with tef flour and used as a utensil for their vegetable purees.
michichan at 5:16PM on 10/08/07
Garlic Naan with chicken tikka masala!
bisbee at 5:19PM on 10/08/07
Lefse!! Uff da, it's tasty!
grackle at 5:26PM on 10/08/07
Challah bread with raisins
savvy savorer at 5:39PM on 10/08/07
I'm a biiiiig fan of Pide, if you can call that flat.
LoDega at 6:08PM on 10/08/07
Pissaladiere. Olives, anchovies, onions...mmmm...
madball911 at 6:53PM on 10/08/07
Hard to choose, but I'll go with naan. No Indian meal is complete without it!
ebarrett at 7:23PM on 10/08/07
Growing up in Texas, I have a soft spot for tortillas. I've always like Na'an, but my current favorite is probably paratha
digitalburro at 8:00PM on 10/08/07
It's a tie between pita and pizza, depends entirely on my mood.
Eilen at 9:38PM on 10/08/07
freshly made flour tortillas :)
anado at 9:39PM on 10/08/07
When I was a kid, I used to tear the crust off Wonder Bread and flatten it into a pancake. It was ten kinds of delicious.
Now I tear into pieces of fresh garlic naan and onion kulcha. And foccacia. Oh and hot, handmade tortillas. Heck, if it's bread and it's flat, I'm in!
JWdude at 9:46PM on 10/08/07
Naan wrapped around butter chicken is the best!
hungrykat at 10:44PM on 10/08/07
Naan!
jedimtb at 10:59PM on 10/08/07
Potato naan with some garlic and olive oil on top!
hamza at 11:00PM on 10/08/07
Flatbread crackers as served at Brio restaurants in the Midwest that are covered in seeds and herbs and I wish I had the recipe for!
bobcatsteph3 at 11:07PM on 10/08/07
ok so it might be a little too inflated to qualify as flatbread, but i can't stop pining for the fladenbrot i used to buy at my local Turkish supermarket in Berlin.
tortor at 11:07PM on 10/08/07
Chapatis or challah.
zekks at 11:16PM on 10/08/07
Pita bread with hummous!
amylou61 at 11:26PM on 10/08/07
Armenian lavosh! When you get it fresh, it's so sweet, almost like cake!
It can be used as a base for a light pizza, as the wrapper in a smoked salmon/cream cheese roll-up and sadly, it is very very nice with just butter.
ohiogal at 11:37PM on 10/08/07
Foccacia.....dimpled, shiny with good olive oil and chunky sea salt, speckled with rosemary. Or with red Hawaiian Salt and toasted Szechuan Pepper corns. Or with browned Asiago cheese. Whew, hungry!
Coastalvicar
coastalvicar at 11:45PM on 10/08/07
tortor, {gategate?} i'm with you. it's definitely the kind of bread they use for the doner kebab in germany.
cybercita at 11:47PM on 10/08/07
Crackers. Yeah, I like naan, chapatis, focaccia, and whatever else you've got, but I love me some crackers. Saltines, wheat thins, ritzes... I like buttery crackers, cheesy crackers, seeded crackers, whole wheat crackers, spelt crackers, herbed crackers, spicy crackers. Crackers, crackers, crackers! Say crackers enough times and you get sort of giddy and dizzy. Yeah, crackers. Mmmpfff.
nellopea at 12:09AM on 10/09/07
If I had to choose, focaccia (the kind from Liguria) is my favorite. But really, I've never met anything flat and floury that I did not like.
LearP at 1:59AM on 10/09/07
focaccia wins my vote. I rather like the idea of the mashed potatoes in the posted recipe and plan to try it soon
suegsf at 2:16AM on 10/09/07
I like me some pita bread, but I LOVE it when it's fresh out of the oven and still poofed in the middle. When I rip that first piece off and steam comes out, it's like I've died and gone to heaven. Mmm...
grace24 at 6:47AM on 10/09/07
Big fan of Afghan bread, njera, and scallion pancakes, but if pizza is considered a flatbread, there can only be one number one.
dikaryon at 7:55AM on 10/09/07
there are few things better than great scallion pancakes, but i also had fantastic Lavas, a turkish flatbread, at a restaurant last night.
pfibiger at 8:26AM on 10/09/07
Rosemary and sea salt foccaccia is so, so close to my favorite, but I have to go with naan. It's just so chewy and stretchy and wonderful.
philoserine at 10:03AM on 10/09/07
roti
hedgehog at 10:52AM on 10/09/07
I love warm pita with mint and feta.
ConschBTJ at 10:55AM on 10/09/07
That's a toss up between naan and focaccia. Thankfully, due to an Indian cooking class I took last year, I have a pretty great recipe for making naan at home, so I think that one wins, just because it's so neat.
Peasantwench at 11:02AM on 10/09/07
I love Navajo fry bread
rudolfrassen at 11:11AM on 10/09/07
Whole wheat pita with Hummus. Whole wheat pita with garlic infused olive oil. Whole wheat pita with just about anything.
NO_Pam at 12:08PM on 10/09/07
Pita w/ hummus...
jkiller5150 at 12:12PM on 10/09/07
Is it possible to choose a favorite? Either naan or corn tortillas. But I'd take any of the items listed above and consider myself lucky.
KateC at 1:09PM on 10/09/07
I work at a Lebanese restaurant - have to go with pita bread.
Littlebluesiren at 2:47PM on 10/09/07
The best flat bread I ever had was fresh off the domed metal pita ...dome tray thingy... over an open fire at Tel Chai in the Golan Heights. That was some amazing pita, yo. Fill it with some chummus, salad, and schwarma and you're good to go.
Stufsocker at 3:27PM on 10/09/07
pita or lavash!
SheRa at 3:39PM on 10/09/07
there used to be this restaurant called zaatar that served hot zaatar with soft sun dried tomatoes and feta on it. so good!
missmicker at 3:52PM on 10/09/07
My Favorite flat bread has got to be a BBQ type of Pizza that is a flattend mixture of ground beef and onion and such, made somewhat like a meatloaf and pressed between the layers of pita bread and BBQ'd. Steamed a bit from spaying with water. sooo yummy. with Salata and humus.
Jeani44 at 4:13PM on 10/09/07
The best after-school snack Ever was toasty pita bread with crunchy peanut butter on top. Definitely not authentic, but the memory remains long after my school years school ended.
Banannah at 4:26PM on 10/09/07
How do you pick just one?
I think Naan of just about any flavor would be my favorite... but then there is foccacia, and pita and tortilla and and and....
but No... Naan it is.
NomNomNom at 4:37PM on 10/09/07
I'm going to go with Pita. Naan would be a close second, though.
iyamapotato at 4:47PM on 10/09/07
hot buttered naan!
curiously ravenous at 5:09PM on 10/09/07
Focaccia, of course. The fluffly kind with so much butter that you want to lick it.
wonderwmn212 at 6:07PM on 10/09/07
I'll have to go with fresh nan. It must be fresh! so warm and fluffy, yet chewy and nommy. mmmm....
mercuryhime at 7:00PM on 10/09/07
Naan, hands down. =D And all kinds!
uninorth at 10:15PM on 10/09/07
the underrepresented paratha!
birdlime at 10:22PM on 10/09/07
Naan!
thesu at 12:17AM on 10/10/07
Fresh naan!!!
Steamy Kitchen at 1:22AM on 10/10/07
Focaccia, pita or fresh baked Naan
Erinay77 at 3:38AM on 10/10/07
Pita, mainly for the classic sandwiches. I'm big fan of gyros and falafel.
0bs01337 at 6:31AM on 10/10/07
Favorite flatbread is naan.
PattyCho at 9:41AM on 10/10/07
mmm, naan...
grs100 at 10:09AM on 10/10/07
Fresh garlic naan :)
lauelilan at 11:12AM on 10/10/07
My homemade focaccia - simply dressed with a light marinara, extra-sharp chedar and a dusting of sliced green onions.
gregsmom at 11:59AM on 10/10/07
I'll generally go with any carbohydrate in a storm, but warm, slightly-chewy flatbreads hold a special place in my heart....the perfect vehicle for mopping up anything good that remains on a dinner plate.
meta at 1:32PM on 10/10/07
p.s.
My favorite is naan.
meta at 1:35PM on 10/10/07
Pita bread from our favorite Lebanese restaurant. Their supplier is in Canada.
m0pngl0w at 2:57PM on 10/10/07
My favorite is focaccia, someone at my local farmer's market has a clay oven on a trailer and makes some good flatbread.
xalexx at 3:19PM on 10/10/07
Delicious buttery naan!
chasgoose at 3:34PM on 10/10/07
paratha and naan are my favorite :)
VioletHeather at 3:40PM on 10/10/07
It's a difficult choice between naan and rosemary focaccia...both right out of the oven of course!
jpark107 at 4:42PM on 10/10/07
flour tortillas...made with lard.
icecreamsandwich at 4:46PM on 10/10/07
Foccacia and chapati!
Christina at 5:13PM on 10/10/07
Like the majority, I would probably have to rank pita at the top. It's so versatile.
glossyveneer at 5:16PM on 10/10/07
Yup... pita is my favorite too.... The perfect camping bread...
enjyns at 7:02PM on 10/10/07
I love naan, because it is thick like greek pita so it is great for dipping in hummus or other dips, and it also makes a great mini pizza base on the bbq or in the oven!
ssommerville at 8:21PM on 10/10/07
i vote for Naan...
aburke at 9:29PM on 10/10/07
another vote for garlic naan!
skim at 2:50AM on 10/11/07
Naan is gorgeous when done well, but so unhealthy. Overall I'd go with pita.
Kadia at 5:05AM on 10/11/07
i love a good foccacia covered with roasted garlic, sea salt and a fruity olive oil. mmmmmmn......
Holly at 7:54AM on 10/11/07
Rosemary Foccacia topped with fresh red onion and tomato and drizzled with olive oil.
DabbaMac at 10:05AM on 10/11/07
Any kind of foccacia (or even good pizza dough!) as long as it's studded with big fat chunks of delicious Greek olives!
cookbot at 12:09PM on 10/11/07
I make too much hummus not to endeavor to make my own pita to slather it on! Yum.
lorrior at 12:47PM on 10/11/07
My favorite flatbread is definitely a fresh steaming hot corn tortilla bought from a little old lady on the side of the road in Monterrey, Mexico. My uncle lives there, and knows the best places to go. The old lady then counts out your tortillas and puts them in a plastic bag that steams up. You have to eat at least one on the ride home before you make them into quesadillas or tacos.
meredith at 2:03PM on 10/11/07
I couldn't have said it better than meredith above, except I get mine at a tacqueria in Durham that I walk to with my daughter. At your earliest convenience please eat: steamy hot fresh corn tortilla with peanut butter and cajeta.
phoebe lawless at 2:11PM on 10/11/07
Pita bread with tunafish (is that sacriligious? heh) or a really good tortilla.
kfarrel3 at 2:23PM on 10/11/07
tortillas.
DaveFaris at 2:38PM on 10/11/07
chachapuri -- Georgian cheese bread. It's often flat, I think that counts.
Fiksu at 2:56PM on 10/11/07
Oh, naan. Oh....naaaaaaan.
EmmaC at 3:13PM on 10/11/07
butter naan!
david_cash at 3:47PM on 10/11/07
Swedish Knäckebröd
tereza at 3:58PM on 10/11/07
foccacia fo' sho'.
solid_dude at 4:13PM on 10/11/07
Schiachiatta with rosemary from Le delizie del fornaio in florence
izzy's mama at 12:03AM on 10/12/07
Khobz markouk- a levantine flatbread made on a round type of grill called a saj.
Mercedes at 9:34AM on 10/12/07
Still-warm pita with olive oil and za'atar.
tango54 at 10:53AM on 10/12/07
wow-I concur with many other commenters that it is tough to pick one. I probably eat pitas the most, but I love naan-I'm intrigued with the idea of making it at home, as it is best when totally fresh!!
psychsarah at 12:23PM on 10/12/07
My home made whole wheat pita...using freshly ground whole wheat flour! My son requests this all the time!
HDE at 12:24PM on 10/12/07
Pizza rules all, if this counts. Otherwise, I like to take lavosh and make my own crackers with parmesan, rosemary and sea salt. Those are damn good.
ExpatChef at 2:02PM on 10/12/07
lavosh, pizza, etc. etc. I love them all!!!
linda at 2:37PM on 10/12/07
The post above about the chickpea flatbread brings back wonderful memories. I believe it's called Farinata? Delicious!
khlib at 3:45PM on 10/12/07
Naan is my very favorite...so good with all types of sauces!!
courtneyp at 4:34PM on 10/12/07
Pizza bianca! It takes me back to a long weekend vacation we took to Rome last November. Being there for such a short amount of time, we'd run around seeing the sites all day and then crash in the late afternoon for a jetlagged nap. In the evening we'd head outside and couldn't resist the freshly baked bread at Roscioli right next to our hotel. Our little tradition for each day we were in Rome was to grab some of the pizza bianca (cut to order by weight from a large pan) after our power naps to stave off hunger for later dinners while we strolled the centro storico. It seemed to be a very popular thing to do among the locals too.
LilAlli at 5:01PM on 10/12/07
naan is my favorite flatbread
holybasil at 7:34PM on 10/12/07
While I love all breads, I think pita might be my favorite for its versatility. Plus, it's easy to make at home.
rockchick at 9:49PM on 10/12/07
Garlic naan and alu paratha top the list for me. I don't count pizza as a flatbread.
Teachertalk at 9:54PM on 10/12/07
My favorite is naan, though lefse isn't bad (as long as there isn't any lutefisk on it), and lavosh too if you have the right spread.
noygb at 8:23AM on 10/13/07
I'd have to say lefse.
voodooconstant at 11:19AM on 10/13/07
True pita-- the kind you can only get in the Middle East. Both sides are thick and pillowy; the pocket stays intact so you can stuff it until overflowing with salads and sauces. I actually brought two dozen back this summer-- on a 24-hour flight. They were gone in a week and a half.
purpleceline at 1:03AM on 10/15/07
Thanks to everyone for commenting and congrats to our winners:
bobcatsteph3
chasgoose
khlib
digitalburro
mcc32
roboppy at 3:54PM on 10/15/07