Flaky Bread or “Pancake Nachos”

When I saw a recipe for Flaky Bread in this month’s Bon Appetit, I added “must make flaky bread” to my calendar last weekend.  I brought said flaky breads to a friend’s birthday party where they were enjoyed by many and dubbed “pancake nachos” by one party goer.  They did go quite well with the salsa verde.
 

 This flaky bread is dense, moist, buttery, layered and salty.  It’s a tasty vehicle for jam, nutella, olive spread, hummus, salsa and any other sauce or spread you can imagine.  Although, most of us enjoyed cut triangles of this irresistible bread all by itself.  It’s an easy dough with just a few ingredients so give it a try this weekend.
 

RECIPE (adapted from Bon Appetit's Flaky Bread Recipe http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/flaky-bread)

Makes 10 ten-inch rounds

1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more, room temperature, for brushing
Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
Olive oil (for parchment)

1.  Mix the kosher salt and 3 cups flour in a large bowl. Drizzle in the melted butter and mix well.  Gradually mix in ¾ cup water. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it’s shiny and very soft, about 5 minutes. Wrap it in plastic and let it rest in a warm spot for at least 4 hours.

2.  Divide the dough into 10 pieces and, using your palms, roll each piece into a ball. Place the balls on a baking sheet, cover them with plastic wrap, and let them rest for 15 minutes.

3.  Working with 1 piece at a time, roll out each ball on an unfloured surface with a rolling pin into very thin rounds or ovals about 9” across. (If dough bounces back, cover with plastic and let rest a few minutes.)

4.  Brush the tops of the rounds with room-temperature butter and sprinkle with sea salt. Roll up each round onto itself to create a cigar, then wind each cigar around itself to create a tight coil.

5.  Roll out each coil on an unfloured surface to 10” rounds no more than ⅛” thick. Stack them as you go, separating them with sheets of parchment paper brushed with oil.

6.  Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working 1 at a time, brush both sides of a dough round with room-temperature butter and cook until lightly blistered and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the bread to a wire rack or plate and sprinkle each with sea salt as you stack.  Serve warm or room temperature.