Fig and Walnut Flatbread #BBB

 

For our October bake, the Bread Baking Babes made a soft and semi-savory flatbread.  The dough is really wonderful with the fresh rosemary in it.  I adapted mine slightly, still including the dried figs and nuts and orange peel, but used fresh pear instead of fresh figs, both because fresh figs are not often seen here and because I did not like them when I tried them.  And though I adore caramelized onions, I switched them out for shallots and only used one large one.  I'm a weirdo, I really like some things sweet and savory, but when it comes to fruit, I have never been a fan of mixing it up.  I loved the maple miso ice cream and the basil ice cream at a local scoop shop... you would think this topping would be delicious to me.  It's okay.  And it was okay for the family too.  Really, it's not bad, it's just not our thing.  I don't like chutney either.  But I like pepper jelly.  It's just a puzzlement.

Look at that flatbread, it's beautiful!  Don't worry, I still loved the dough and turned the leftovers into a lovely French toast casserole.  It is delicious and I still get a perplexed moment of hmmm when I get a larger shot of the shallot coming through.  I still can't tell how I feel about that other than I love bread pudding and pan French toast, LOL.

I would try this again either mostly savory or totally sweet.  I would use the rosemary regardless though because I know the herbs work wonderfully in a sweet option, having done that with our spring focaccias one year.  The rosemary infused olive oil was just wonderful, I would keep that around for many uses!  I love the walnuts, might put them on half way through on another bake, though it might have been because of the smaller toaster oven, mine were getting a bit dark.  They were so delicious in the breakfast iteration though.

We would love to have you try out this flat bread with us this month and share if you change it up and how it turned out! New recipes are posted every month on the 16th. Check out our Facebook group to see the participants' baking results during that time.  If you would like to post your results with a Buddy badge on a blog, let us know in the comments or on the Facebook page.

 Fig and Walnut Flatbread
from Joanne Weir's More Cooking in the Wine Country cookbook
makes 1 flatbread, serves 6

Dough
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2¼ tsp (1 package) dry yeast
½ cup plus 2 cups unbleached bread flour, divided (mine took an extra 50g of flour, almost ½ cup)
½ cup lukewarm potato water or plain water (110 degrees F)
1 tsp coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
½ cup potato water (additional)
1 tsp salt

Topping
6 to 8 dried figs, sliced
1 cup Marsala wine
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, cut into 1/2-inch thick vertical slices
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon greated orange zest
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup walnut halves

Directions

In a small saucepan, warm the olive oil and rosemary. Remove from the heat and let cool for I hour. Discard the rosemary sprigs. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the yeast, ½ cup flour, and ½ cup warm potato water. Let stand 1 hour, until it bubbles up and rises. 

 

Then add the remaining 2 cups flour, the rosemary olive oil, chopped rosemary, additional potato water, and salt. Mix the dough thoroughly. Knead the dough on a floured board until it is soft but still moist, 7-8 minutes. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning it once to cover it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place (about 75 degrees F). Let the dough rise for 1-2 hours, until doubled in volume.

In the meantime, prepare the topping. Place the figs and Marsala in a small saucepan, and heat over medium heat until the Marsala bubbles around the edges, 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let stand for 1 hour.

Heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft, 15-20 minutes. Add the orange zest, season with salt and pepper, stir thoroughly, and set aside to cool.

Place a pizza stone on the bottom shelf of the oven, and preheat the oven to 500ºF for 30 minutes.

Form the dough into a round ball. Let it rest for 5 minutes. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to form a 9x12-inch oval, 1/2-inch thick. Place it on a well-floured pizza peel.

Drain the figs and distribute the figs, onions, and walnuts evenly over the dough. Lightly press them into the dough. Let it rest for 10 minutes. Then transfer the flatbread to the pizza stone and bake until golden brown and crispy, 12-15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Standard milk and egg batter and soaked all day before baking.
Added in a sprinkle of dried cranberries to the mix, yum.

Been enjoying it heated up with maple syrup!

The rest of the Bread Baking Babes

• Blog from OUR Kitchen – Elizabeth
  
• Judy’s Gross Eats – Judy
• My Diverse Kitchen - Aparna
• Bread Experience - Cathy
• Thyme for Cooking - Katie
• My Kitchen in Half Cups - Tanna
• Feeding My Enthusiasms - Elle 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories - Karen