Alison Roman Sour Cream Flatbreads
The sour cream flatbread recipe featured in Alison Roman’s first cookbook, Dining In.
Ingredients
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- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast from one 1/4-ounce envelope
- Pinch of sugar
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- Olive or vegetable oil for cooking, grilling, or baking
Instructions
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In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1 ½ cups warm (warm – not hot!) water with the sugar. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour until no large dry spots remain. Cover the bowl with the plastic wrap and let it sit about 10 minutes. It won’t look much different here, you’re just letting the flour hydrate.
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Add the sour cream, butter, and salt to the dough, and mix until all the sour cream is well blended – use your hands if you have to. You’re not kneading but just making sure everything is well mixed.
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Cover the bowl again with plastic wrap and let it sit for 2 hours; this will relax the gluten and further hydrate the flour, making the dough easier to work with. Punch down the dough and cover. Let it rise another 2 hours in a warm, draft-free place (alternatively, instead of letting it rise at room temperature, you can refrigerate it and let it rise very slowly over 24 hours).
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When it comes time to roll the dough, place it on a lightly floured work surface and divide it into 4 to 6 equal-size pieces, depending on how large you want your flatbreads. If it’s been refrigerated proceed as usual; the only difference is that it’ll be a bit stiffer, which actually makes it easier to work with. Oh, and when I say “lightly floured,” I mean it! You just want to prevent sticking, not add more flour to the dough which can dry it out.
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Working with one piece at a time, roll out the dough. Using your hands, pick up the dough and lightly stretch it over the backs of your hands, like in the movies where people spin pizza. JK – you don’t have to do that, but you do want to make sure that this dough is as thin as possible, without creating too many holes, and actually picking up the dough and stretching it is the best way to do that.
COOK ON THE STOVETOP
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Cooking the dough in a cast-iron skillet will give you a soft, fluffy naan texture without the extreme puffiness of pita. Once the dough hits the hot oil, it immediately starts to bubble, getting those blackened, Dalmatian-y spots. Be sure to monitor the heat levels and adjust accordingly. The more flatbreads you cook, the hotter the skillet will be, so you might need to turn down the heat as you go.
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Heat a large preferably cast-iron, skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle a bit of oil (olive or vegetable) into the skillet and lay a piece of dough flat into it. Let it cook until it starts to puff and bubble up in spots. Check periodically to see that it’s browning and lightly charring on the underside like it’s supposed to, 3 to 4 minutes; if not, turn the heat up slightly. After a few minutes, flip the dough and let it cook on the other side (no need to add more oil) until baked through, another 2 to 3 minutes.
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Repeat with remaining dough, adding oil as needed.
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Notes
NOTE: for grilling and oven methods, grab a copy of Alison’s book, Dining In.