Flatbread at Seasons52

[PlanoPhil]

I had dinner recently at Seasons52 in Plano TX and was blow away by their Flat bread appetizers. The bread was very thin and cracker like. Several toppings to choice from.

I didn't get to see the chef prep the flatbread but I did watch them putting it in their WFO. Each one was on a long narrow board (not sure if it was wood or maybe ceramic) that resembled a ceiling fan blade. They actually served the flatbread on the board.

Any idea how they make the bread?

Could I do this with pizza dough? Maybe roll it very thin.

I should of asked what those boards were made of.

Sure would love to be able to duplicate this fantastic appetizer in my WFO.

Ideas greatly appreciated.

Phil

[SCChris]

Re: Flatbread at Seasons52

Phil, although you could go pizza dough I think, given your discription, that you'll be happier with a lower gluten content. You could start with your standard pizza formula and swap 10% of the flour with some pastry flour. Jay may have a better idea of how to reach a more cracker like formula for the WFO.. Anyway this is where I'd start and then adjust the formula until you're happy..

Chris

[texassourdough]

Re: Flatbread at Seasons52

Thanks for the promotion, Chris!

Without seeing or touching the flatbread it is pretty hard to be sure what they are doing or the real interpretation of Phil's description of thin and cracker-like.

I make crackers similar to wheat thins fairly regularly (though typically with rye or whole wheat flours - or both). Recipes for "white flour" crackers usually use AP in my experience. I also make a crisp flatbread that may be closer to what Phil is thinking of. Cracker style flatbreads can be made from bread or AP flour depending on the texture you want. These use baking powder and NOT yeast. They are fast, developing the gluten is not a criterion. And the key IMO is oil to effectively "fry" them as they bake. Obviously rolled VERY thin - pretty much as thin as you can get. You can easily find recipes along this line by Googling "crisp flatbread recipe".

However, I somehow suspect the flatbread has bubbles (usually erratic large bubbles) and if so then it is almost certainly yeasted. There are two main variations in my experience. The first is Roman pizza dough which includes semolina and is made super thin. There is a recipe at KA that they call Carta de Musica that is IMO a recipe for Roman dough. (Carta da Musica: King Arthur Flour) The other choice is Sardinian Carta de Musica which is what popped into my mind first when I read Phil's description. In my experience Carta de Musica uses oil to helps make the dough extensible so you can get it super thin. Again Googling will show locate recipes. Either can be very close to what I think Phil had. For flour I would tend to do as I do for pizza dough. I.e., go with AP if I want to skip the oil and keep calories down or use BF if using oil. Flatbread, like pizza, is pretty forgiving so you can get away with a lot. But roll the dough out really thin - and don't be afraid to roll it. It will be fine. And rolling is about the only way to get it thin enough!

Good Luck!
Jay

[PlanoPhil]

Re: Flatbread at Seasons52

Thanks Jay and Chris for the info. As soon as the temp here in Plano drops below 100 I'll be giving it a try. Maybe I'll see how it turns out on my oven stone.

Phil

[texassourdough]

Re: Flatbread at Seasons52

One other thought about yeasted dough, Phil! When you bake a pizza base without toppings (which is pretty much what flatbread is!) you will find that it puffs pretty dramatically. (Which highlights how much the weight of the toppings depresses the pie!) With no toppings and a good, hot hearth, the dough will spring as not only the gases in the pockets expands, but alcohols and CO2 in the dough will come out of solution. If your dough is NOT overproofed you can make it so thin you can't handle it and it will almost certainly still come out puffy! It can be really thin! Rolling will diminish the pockets but you should find that the gases coming out of the dough will make it plenty puffy. It is not a bad idea to let it rest for a few minutes after rolling (say up to 15 or so) to let pockets reform a bit, but it is all pretty forgiving!

BTW, it will work pretty well in the oven. Just get the stone and oven as hot as possible.

Let us know how it works for you!
Jay

[PlanoPhil]

Re: Flatbread at Seasons52

Jay, Thanks for the details. I'm not sure if I should bake the bread first then add toppings and pop it back in the oven or bake with toppings from the get go. I couldn't tell by watching the chef in the restaurant if the flatbread had been previously baked. I'll give both a try this weekend.

Phil

[PlanoPhil]

Re: Flatbread at Seasons52

Yesterday was my first attempt to duplicate the Flat Bread I had at Seasons 52. I used a slightly modified receipt from Epicurious. I used bread flour instead of AP and substituted one third of it with whole grain flour. It made three flat breads each 4-6 inched wide and 16 in. long. I cooked them on an 18 x 5 inch floor tile bought from Home Depot in my house oven. First one was cooked at 400 with no toppings other than EVOO. Second and third were cooked at 450 and 500 and had toppings put on after I layed the very thin uncooked flat bread dough on the tile. The third one was the best tasting one. It had red and yellow peppers, shitaki mushrooms, broccoli, smoked Gouda, parm and garlic Chardonnay EVOO. Next time I think I will try in in the WFO with diff toppings. Pics to follow as soon as I retrain on how to add them.

[PlanoPhil]

Re: Flatbread at Seasons52

Attempting to add photos.