Easy Stovetop Scallion Flatbread
No oven, no problem!
When I first moved to China I was immediately confused by many things, one of which being why kitchens didn’t have ovens. Furthermore, why were there deceiving dish sanitizers that looked like ovens? Was it all some mean trick? No, it was not. It was just due to the fact that for a very long time, baking just was not part of the culture. They had their own ways of utilizing flour, such as in scrumptious steamed buns and in scallion pancakes cooked in a super hot drum.
Due to the world being in the state that it is in, I have spent a long time away from my kitchen, which meant being away from my beloved counter top oven. Not one to shy away from fulfilling my taste for certain foods, I found a way, and it was glorious.
This scallion bread is not the same as Chinese scallion bread, but it is just as addictive. If you prefer you can substitute the scallions for other fresh herbs or even garlic. Yummy.
Plan to set it on the table, go to get the dips like hummus or babaganoush and seeing nothing left for you when you return. But you won’t be sad, you will be smart, because you hid half of the batch in the kitchen for yourself. It’s not mean, it’s self preservation, and in times like these that is a key component of life.
Let’s make simple stovetop flatbread!
Easy Stovetop Scallion Flatbread
Ingredients
- 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoon, 7g) active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup (180ml) slightly warm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional oil for frying the flatbreads
- 2 cups cup (250g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (80g) chopped scallions
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the yeast, sugar and water. Let stand 10 minutes for the yeast to proof.
- Add the olive oil, flour, salt, and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. You may need to add a sprinkle more of flour if the dough is too wet, or a bit of water if it feels too dry. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rise 30-45 minutes.
- After the dough has risen, dust your work surface with some flour and flatten the dough out with your hand. Sprinkle 1/3 of the scallions on the dough and fold in half. Flatten the dough again and repeat twice so all of the scallions have been incorporated into the dough. Knead the dough for 2 minutes and shape into a log. Then divide into about 6 equal pieces.
- Cover the pieces of dough with a clean damp towel and let rest for 1 hour or more. This step can be omitted but the results are SO much better with the extra resting time.
- As you are cooking, you will roll each piece of dough into whatever shape they dang well please, as long as it’s pretty thin. You can try to control the shape and force it to be a circle, but really, who cares? You will roll out each new piece of flatbread while one piece is cooking.
- Heat wok over medium high heat.
- Add a bit of oil to your hot wok and swirl it around. Gently place one rolled out piece of dough into the wok. Let cook for 2 minutes on the first side, or until browned and bubbly, then using chopsticks, turn the flatbread over and cook the other side until it’s bubbly and brown as well, about another 2 minutes. While you’re cooking one flatbread, start rolling out the next one and continue with the rest of the circles of dough, adding oil between frying each flatbread.
- Before serving, slice pieces of flatbread into cool triangular shapes so no one knows how hideous your messed up circles were.
- Serve alongside your favorite dips, or just mow down while laying down on the couch like my son did. And I will surely be following suit soon.