In Taiwan, the place I dwell, the flatbreads are each versatile and resilient. They are often folded into numerous flaky layers, flavored with scallions and lard, then formed to carry all kinds of fillings — from eggs and sausage to oozing cheddar cheese. Crispy on the skin, but delicate and tender inside, these flatbreads are a textural delight.
The key? Boiling water.
Combining scalding scorching liquid with flour is an age-old bread baking trick. Though this method is most widely known in East Asian baking, it’s common, from French ache bouilli (porridge bread) to Scandinavian scalded rye bread.
And it’s notably key to delicate, stretchy flatbreads in numerous varieties: In Mexico, it’s used to make versatile flour tortillas, whereas in India, it’s what makes roti so pliable. Here is why.
Pictures by Rick Holbrook; meals styling by Kaitlin Wayne
How scorching water works
When scorching water is blended with flour, the warmth partially denatures the flour’s proteins and reduces gluten formation. Gluten is the protein in dough that provides it its construction and elasticity. (You may see it in motion in the course of the windowpane take a look at, the place you stretch a chunk of dough till it turns into skinny and translucent with out tearing.) For some breads you want that robust gluten formation — it is what offers the dough power, which in flip helps a great rise. However in flatbreads, that gluten is usually a hindrance. The new water successfully weakens that stretch — gluten will nonetheless type, however dough gained’t have that very same rubber band-like bounce; this, in flip, leads to a softer, extra pliable dough.
Pictures by Ed Anderson; meals styling by Rebecca Jurkevich; Prop styling by Gerri Williams
Softer dough that stretches properly
A scorching water dough is simpler to control as a result of it doesn’t have the identical elasticity as doughs the place you want a sturdy gluten growth, so it may be stretched extra simply. Scallion pancakes, a recipe from King Arthur’s forthcoming Huge Ebook of Bread, and shou zhua bing (Chinese language flatbreads) each profit from this method: The new water dough could be stretched and layered many occasions whereas shaping with out changing into robust or unworkable. Some steamed dumpling recipes use a scorching water dough to attain papery skinny wrappers, and it’s additionally how potsticker skins could be rolled paper-thin but crisp up superbly within the pan. (Conversely, doughs made with out scorching water have a stiffer consistency and are more durable to roll out.)
Moist bread and longer shelf life
Past simply affecting gluten formation, including boiling water to a dough makes it extra moist. The new water pre-gelatinizes the flour’s starches to allow them to take in extra liquid; the retained moisture prevents the bread from changing into dry or crumbly and promotes a softer texture, making it particularly nice for versatile breads that should be folded, like tortillas and delicate wrap bread. (This methodology may also be used for flatbreads that don’t use wheat flour, like in corn tortillas. The new water helps bind the dough higher and makes it much less prone to crack.)
Pictures by Kristin Teig; meals styling by Liz Neily
It’s additionally a wonderful preservation method. In the event you’ve ever left bread out and observed it going stale, that’s resulting from a course of referred to as starch retrogradation. As bread cools, starches crystallize, drawing moisture out and inflicting the bread to develop into dry. As a result of a scorching water dough locks in additional moisture, these flatbreads keep contemporary longer, and in consequence, utilizing scorching water dough is an effective way to increase their shelf life.
efficiently use this methodology
In a big bowl, progressively pour the boiling water into the flour, stirring as you add it with the handle-end of a picket spoon or chopsticks. Don’t pour in all of the water without delay, as this could result in uneven hydration or clumping. The flour and scorching water blended collectively will type a shaggy mass. Then, switch the dough to a frivolously floured floor and knead till clean.
Don’t be afraid to experiment; the recent water dough method is flexible in creating softer and longer-lasting baked items. So, the subsequent time you make flatbread, contemplate reaching for the kettle.
Discover extra good methods and well-tested recipes in The Huge Ebook of Bread, out there for pre-order now and launching on October 22!
Cowl picture by Rick Holbrook; meals styling by Kaitlin Wayne.