Bread has always made up a large part of my diet. In the Middle East we use it as a vessel to transport food form the plate to our mouths, often instead of cutlery to eat Hummus, Labaneh, Baba Ghanoush, Arabic Salad, Halloumi, olives and Zayt & Za’atar, at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I used to love nothing more than warm from the oven pita bread, so when I decided to cut wheat out of my diet for health reasons, a good bread recipe was the first thing I started developing.
I use wholemeal buckwheat flour for this bread, which is much healthier and more nutritious than wheat flours. It’s also much easier to digest, so you’ll feel lighter and more comfortable after eating it.
I don’t use yeast for health reasons, so when looking for something to help rise my breads (only a little bit), I decided to use natural unprocessed bicarbonate of soda. Do not use baking powder, as this is a mix of bicarbonate of soda cut with other things such as flour and preservatives.
It may take a flatbread or two for you to get used to making these and knowing when to turn them, but once you do, you’ll see how enjoyable and easy they are. They are so simple that I knock them up for breakfast or to sop up oil before my dinner in just a matter of minutes.
They are a perfect alternative to pita bread whether you have a wheat intolerance, and excluding wheat for health or just want to try something different and tasty.
Buckwheat is gluten-free and easy to digest, supporting the circulatory system and helps you maintain energy levels.
ingredients
400g wholemeal buckwheat flour
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp natural bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp pink Himalayan salt
1 cup of room temperature water
method
1. sift all the buckwheat flour and put half in a bowl with the bicarbonate of soda, salt, olive oil and half the water and mix well
2. slowly add the remaining flour and remaining water bit by bit mixing continuously
3. you should end up with a quite moist firm dough which is easy to handle
4. heat a skillet to a medium heat
5. shape small bowls of dough in the palm of your hands and slowly flatten out until it’s a few mm thick and about 8 cm in diameter
6. place on the skillet and flip after a few minutes. Continue to do this until both sides are nicely browned.
The Olive Tree Kitchen 