Jalapeño Garlic Mint Fennel Mini "Green" Flatbread

Serene green. Only in Spring and Summer.

By Autumn there's more reds and oranges and yellows and browns around here.

By Autumn, the summer garden is spent, and if I am lucky, I might get to plant a small fall edible garden, and then wait patiently till following April when things start sprouting green again.

To savor the greenness of the season, this pillowy soft, flavorful, warm, and irresistible flatbread is packed with herbs, no added food coloring.

Since the mint is taking over a corner of the garden with its runner roots, I've been trying to use up as much of it as I can. Mint thookku is perfect to keep for a few months - especially if I can it in boiling water bath, with enough added tamarind and lemon. Dried mint leaves stored in the freezer bring that instant flash of summer during the wet and cold winter days.

I also make a paste of fresh mint, fennel, jalapeño, and garlic and store it refrigerated every week or so to add to curries and soups. And, that's how this flatbread got a boost of flavor from home garden herbs.

The basic recipe is similar to my usual naan recipe in that this flatbread uses yeast-risen dough. Rather than traditional rounds or ovals, I went with squares this time, just for fun.

These are perfect as-is at tea time or even for breakfast, but the best thing about it for me is that both the kids like it and ask for it to be packed for lunch. I can make a stack of two dozen or so quickly on a weekend and freeze it for months. The recipe here makes about 16 3x3" square flatbreads. More than enough to pack a week's lunch for both kids, with enough to spare for adults.

Ingredients

2 tsp yeast

12/3 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1/3 cup flax meal

1/2 cup mint fennel jalapeño garlic paste*

1/2 to 3/4 tsp salt

1 to 2 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup scalded milk

(*substitute any favorite herbs and aromatics)


Preparation

1. Knead the dough, roll it out into a large rectangle, fold in half, fold in half again and roll it out again to build layers
2. Cut into squares with a knife and cook each square much like naan