A flatbread made on griddle ... my improvised focaccia..


griddle focaccia

Bread making is scary for many people and they keep asking for new ways to make the process easier , they want more and more foolproof recipes if something like that exist in baking breads . My long time readers would know that i love the process of baking breads and it is therapeutic for me . I feel great when the dough comes alive under my skin . Yes , i like kneading the dough using my hands . Breads baked once in a week or so make life easier otherwise . But what if the process of baking looks like a terror to someone ?

I received a few ( 3 to be precise) requests for breads made on griddle . Now that we already have our kulchas and naans to call as yeasted breads, what other bread could be more bread like in taste and aroma. Kulchas and naans never give that baked bread aroma in the kitchen . They cook quickly before the yeasty vapors make their way to your nostrils. The air pockets and the bread aroma had to be worked for . I made a simple Focaccia on griddle, as only a flat bread can be made easily on griddle , and that too after some modifications in the dough consistency .
Read on...

It would be delightful to know that this bread is made with 100% whole wheat flour plus some added wheat bran and is and instant recipe . The yeasted dough takes around 30 minutes to rise when kept at 40 degree C* . After that it is as easy to make as a pancake . Yes, pancake . The pancake with molasses i posted earlier is a precursor recipe of this bread . You get all the flavors of focaccia , only the texture of the bread will be a bit different , but equally enjoyable.

making the dough/batter...

ingredients required....for 10 flat breads
4 cups of whole wheat flour (atta)
4 tbsp of wheat bran
1.5 tbsp of fresh yeast (or a packet of dry active yeast)
1 tbsp of sugar
1 tsp of salt
warm water to make the dough

procedure...

Dissolve the yeast in warm water with sugar and salt . Add a tbsp of flour to this mixture and keep in a warm place till bubbles appear ...In Indian summers it takes just 15 minutes but in winters you may need to keep this mixture in a preheated oven or MW at 40C . The bubbles look like this.

Now add the remaining flour and make a batter adding more water if required . Add the other ingredients too .

other ingredients to be added to the batter ...

griddle focaccia batter
grated processed cheese 1 cup
chopped celery ribs and leaves 1.5 cup
sun dried tomatoes cut in to strips 1/4 cup
red chilly flakes 2 tsp
chopped garlic 1 tbsp
salt n pepper to taste
butter or olive oil to grease the griddle

onion rings and tomato slices to top the bread as required
olives also make good toppings but i use them rarely ...


Someone was curious about my homemade sun dried tomatoes . I make them often and had taken picture long back but somehow could not post it . The post on home made sun dried tomatoes is coming soon.
I prefer the homemade ones because they are not drowned in oil and salt and are the best possible flavors as they are plump and leathery to chew on.


Now mix the batter which is a real thick batter bordering on being a dough .

griddle focaccia batter

Ladle some of the dough on a hot greased griddle , spread lightly with the tines of a fork . Spread sliced onions and tomato slices over it.

griddle focaccia

Wait till the underside is lightly browned , you will be able to see fluffing up of the bread and browning the edges . Drop some oil or butter on the tomato slices and flip the bread over.

griddle focaccia

Wait again for the onion- tomato side to get browned lightly .

griddle focaccia

Serve the bread hot , warm or at room temperature . You might like some hot sauce with it as my brother asked for it .

You will see how this bread is very close to Focaccia ..... aroma , texture and all...

griddle focaccia

This bread makes a great tiffin box meal with a cabbage salad in mustard dressing ..... this is my idea of a healthy meal.

Now my friends know the bread could be made on griddle too...

Comments

  1. The bread on griddle look lovely, like the veggie assortment.

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  2. OMG its awesome awesome ...but sadly am not getting yeast in chennai wish me luck !! Let me spend my weekend store hunting...love it so much...

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  3. Woow its looks superb and delicious...:)

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  4. Thanks ladies for the sweet comments .

    @ Kalpana ...i am sure you will find yeast somewhere close to your home . I could find yeast even in Dhanbad , a small town in Jharkhand when i coaxed and requested a bread vendor (who used to carry a tin box behind his bicycle)to bring me some yeast . He used to give me the whole one pound pack of fresh yeast and that is when i started enjoying the benefits of fresh yeast. That was 11 years ago.

    Go and inquire in the neighborhood bakeries who stock freshly baked breads ... they will oblige you with a pack of fresh yeast even if they don't retail it...they might charge a bit extra though.

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  5. so tempting bread u make it easy to cook on griddle

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  6. This looks so yummmmmmm........ :) Added to make list ;-) let's see iska number kab aayega :)

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  7. That is a great way to make focacia. I hate turning on the oven in the summer, it gets so hot. Do you remember I have a Tibetan skillet bread on my blog? It is made of APF but maybe you can come up with a healthier version.

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  8. ok, I have to try it out. Super tempting :)

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  9. Very nice recipe.. looks gr8.. thanks for sharing !!
    Indian Cuisine

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  10. @ Jaya...yes i remember that Tibetan skillet bread and i want to experiment with bread baking all the time :) But no APF for me.

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  11. u do get yeast at amma nana store opp park sheraton in chennai

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  12. Wheat Uttapam...

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  13. @ Anonymous ...poles apart from uttapam . Just the griddle makes you think so.

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  14. Hi sangeeta, stumbled upon your blog from Sangi's. Amazing!!!! I am a foodie+healthy cook and am always looking for recipes to feed my family including 2 lil ones. This bread-on-a-griddle is something I am definitely going to try out and your other recipes look very interesting as well! *Rubbing my hands together in anticipation* :))

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  15. Hi Aparana...welcome to my healthy space :)
    Please do try the recipes and let me know how they turn out for you.

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  16. I wrote a small post about this, please check it out at http://advaithandyukta.blogspot.com/2011/12/focaccia-bread-on-griddle.html.

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  17. Thanks Aparna...your bread looks great too. I love such feedback :-)

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  18. Loved this - shall be trying this one out on the kids today. Thanks, Sangeeta.

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  19. Thanks Sangi...do let me know if you all like it. I am sure you would.

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  20. Came over from Aparna's blog. Loved this recipe. Sounds yummy and yet, simple and easy to make. Thank you so much for this. :)

    I have tried different kinds of yeast, but none have given that frothy consistency to my dough. I am beginning to think there is something wrong - either with the yeast or with what I have been doing with it. Why could that be? Any suggestions? I think we only get dry yeast here - not the fresh one. What brand can I use?

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  21. Hi thegirlnextdoor...I mostly work with fresh yeast and have seen that you can get it in most Indian cities at some good bakeries...they normally don't sell fresh yeast but oblige you when requested..though they charge 3-4 times the cost :)
    I have tried a brand called Solar for dried yeast and it has been good enough for me barring a few times when the yeast was dead. You just have to take care of water that is warm, about 40C to make the first mix and then keep the mix at the same temperature either in oven or any other warm place.
    This bread is great for beginners and for the hot summers when you do not feel like handling the dough for hours and then baking in a hot humid kitchen.

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  22. Hi ... I tried this recipe and it came out very well ... just a query .. can I bake it in oven in a loaf pan? if yes what temperature ?

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  23. Hi .. I tried this recipe and it came out very well.. just a query? can i bake it in a loaf pan in a oven? if yes what temperature?

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