In less than a month, a video recipe for stovetop bread has been viewed over 13 million times. It’s clear that we’re all craving carbs as the days get shorter and colder.
The recipe, put together by Rita Struglia of the Italian Blog “The Perfect Refuge,” creates a nice flatbread that’s perfect for soups.
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While it does require some time to rise (and the oven is a good place to let it do that), the baking is done on the stovetop.
And we don’t know why that makes it seem easier, but it does.
Ingredients & tools:
Since the cook is Italian, the measurements are in metric, making them a little awkward to convert, but it does make for more precise baking.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 4oo grams of flour (a little over 3 cups) and extra for dusting surfaces
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- 7 grams of dry brewer’s yeast (1 packet)
- 200 to 220 milliliters of water (just get 1 cup and we’ll show you how to use it below)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- A bread proofer or mixing bowl and Saran wrap
- A dutch oven or skillet
Instructions:
1. Begin by adding your flour to a mixing bowl.
2. Now, add your 2 teaspoons of sugar and stir together (you can just use the teaspoon to stir).
3. Then, pour in your packet of yeast and stir that in evenly as well.
4. After that, it’s time to add the water. Start by adding about 3/4 of a cup. If you need more, have the rest standing by.
5. Texture is key here, so you’ll be working by hand to stir the water into the dry mixture until it forms a dough and all of the dry ingredients are incorporated. (Add a bit more water if you need it.)
The more you work the dough, the thicker it will become until it looks like this:
[imgsrc caption="YouTube Screenshot - The Perfect Refuge" link="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkOEelAe13A"]
6. Once your dough has formed, put it on a floured surface because you’re going to knead it again. And again.
Basically, you’re going to knead the dough until either you or the dough gives up.
7. When you finally feel like you have a nice dough with the air bubbles pressed out (and have gotten in an entire upper body workout), form it into a neat little ball.
8. Then, put it back into a proofing bowl, massage it with extra virgin olive oil, and put a lid on the bowl. (A mixing bowl and some Saran Wrap will do.)
9. Then, let it rise for about an hour and a half. You can put it in an unheated oven during this time so the temperature remains stable.
10. Now take your dough out and put it back onto a floured surface.
It should look like The Blob. And there’s one more thing we need to do before it gets cooking.
You’re going to love this.
11. You’re going to knead it AGAIN.
For longer than feels comfortable unless you like to lift weights.
Once you’re done, you can form it into a little ball again if you’d like.
12. Now, grab your skillet or dutch oven (along with the lid) and brush it with olive oil.
13. Then add the bread to the pan, cover it, and allow it to rise for another 30 minutes, unheated.
14. Finally it’s time to start cooking! So brush your bread pan with olive oil again and turn it on low. It’s usually a good idea to put the lid on and let everything warm up for a minute before adding the bread.
15. Once you put the bread in, you’ll form it to fit the pan. So press gently until it’s evenly covering the bottom.
16. Now add the lid and let it bake for about 20 minutes (it’ll depend on your pan). Our chef doesn’t give specific instructions on timing, so you’ll need to keep an eye on it.
The bread will rise again and look like this when it’s ready to flip:
17. Take a plate and either grease it with olive oil or use parchment paper and turn the bread upside down onto it.
18. Then, slide it back into the pan to cook on the other side.
19. Cover the pan once again and cook for about 5-10 minutes. If you’re using a thinner skillet, you may not need that much time.
20. Once your bread is done (you can test it by sticking in a thermometer and making sure the center is 200 degrees), you can slide it out of the pan and let it cool a bit.
But we don’t blame you if you cut into it right away!
It’s beautiful!
Now you have the perfect bread for serving with dips or soups or simply eating on its own!
Be sure to scroll down below if you want to watch the video.
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