Flatbreads with Creamy Red Pepper Scallion Spread
Ingredients
For the Flatbread:
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus more for the bowl
- 2 1/4 tsp yeast
- 2 cups bread flour (or a little less, see directions)
- 1/2 cup medium grind cornmeal
- 1 tsp salt
For the Scallion Spread:
- 1/2 cup cashews (unroasted)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 lb extra firm tofu drained
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil (optional, but it makes it a bit more creamy)
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 3/4 tsp salt
- Fresh black pepper
- 1 cup scallions chopped
- 1/2 a red bell pepper seeds removed, chopped
For the salad:
- 6 cups baby mixed salad greens
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Big pinch salt
To serve:
- A handful of toasted walnuts
- Additional thinly sliced red bell pepper (the remainder of the half you used for the spread)
Instructions
Make the spread:
- In a food processor, chop the cashews into coarse crumbs. Add the garlic and pulse to incorporate. Crumble the tofu in your hands and drop it in. Add the lemon juice, olive oil (if using), nutritional yeast, salt and pepper and blend until relatively smooth, a little texture from the nuts is great.Add the scallions and red pepper and pulse until they’re chopped into tiny bits. You don’t want them to be completely pureed, make sure that there’s some crunch from the red peppers.
- Taste for salt and seasonings. If it needs anything else, don’t puree again, just remove the blade, scrape everything into the bowl and gently mix in with a fork. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the flatbreads:
- Add water and sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer fit with a dough hook. Sprinkle in the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes to bloom.
- Mix in the olive oil then Add one cup of the flour along with the salt. Mix on low until well incorporated, and then turn the speed up to medium and mix for 3 minutes.
- Add another 1/2 cup of flour and the 1/2 cup of cornmeal, and mix well, starting on low and then switching to medium speed. Then add another 1/2 cup of flour, again starting on low and switching to medium. Knead on medium for about 5 minutes. You may occasionally have to get in there with your hands if the dough starts climbing up the hook. It should become smooth and elastic and slightly tacky. At this point, incorporate flour by the tablespoon, with the mixer running. When it starts to seem dry, stop adding flour. This could be anywhere between 1/4 and 1/2 cup. Knead again on medium until it is elastic easy to stretch, about 8 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, drizzle about two tablespoons of olive oil into a large mixing bowl. The dough will double in size, so make sure you have enough room. Form the dough into a ball and place in the bowl, tossing it around to coat with oil. Cover the top in plastic wrap and put in a warm place. Let dough rise for about an hour, or until doubled in size.
- When dough has doubled, fire up your grill. Keep the flame high and close the lid. If you have a thermometer, it should be at about 500 F.
- Punch the dough down, give it a quick knead and tear it into 4 equal-ish pieces. On a large cutting board, form each piece into an oval that is about 8 inches long and 5 inches across. I just use my hands for this, but you can use a rolling pin if you prefer.
- Place the dough on the grill. It should take about 3 to 4 minutes for the bottoms to get grill marks and become firm. If it takes a little longer that’s cool, but definitely check one after 3 minutes. Use tongs to flip the bread over and cook for another 2 minutes or so, until grill marks appear.
- Remove breads from the grill with tongs and place on the large cutting board. Keep covered with a kitchen towel to keep warm until ready to use.
Prepare the salad:
- At the last minute so that they’re as fresh as can be, use a large bowl to toss the salad greens with lemon, olive oil and a big pinch of salt.
Assemble:
- Use the back of a spoon to spread the Scallion Spread onto the flatbread. Top with handfuls of dressed greens and scatter on toasted walnuts and red pepper, if desired. Slice in half with a pizza slicer, if you like, and serve! (Confession: we did not slice these in half, we just gobbled them down.)
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
