I'm the type of person who feels like a complete failure unless there is a good loaf of bread in the pantry for my family to go nibble on and enjoy. So I endeavor to ensure that there is always a good loaf of bread in the house at all times.

I think you have heard me lament from time to time about the magnificence of Maltese bread? As a direct consequence I have consciously chosen to raise my kids on 'real' bread that has a definite crust, aroma and texture to it and that is free from preservatives and lurking nasties. Hence, I personally have a real issue with the over processed white sliced stuff that you see stocked on supermarket shelves, as its texture is more akin to fairy floss than bread.


The bread that we generally eat from day to day is a sourdough casalinga styled loaf that is the closest thing to Maltese bread that we can get here in Melbourne. Aside from our collective love affair with sourdough bread we are also quite enamoured with flatbread. Both Hoover and Fussy love to munch on a piece of flatbread on it's own or alternatively they enjoy it smeared with butter and Vegemite ( yes that would be their Australian gene's attempting to come to the fore)! I on the other hand prefer to serve flatbread with muhammara, cacik, baba ganoush or some soft cheese and walnut dip.

I often make this quick and easy to prepare flatbread recipe from Maria Elia's fabulous book The Modern Vegetarian. You may have probably heard me ramble on about her book here and here. Again I strongly suggest that you add this great book to your already growing list of cookbooks, as it will not disappoint!


Cardamom Flatbread

Recipe source The Modern Vegetarian

Ingredients

¾ tbsp active dried yeast

½ tbsp sugar

¼ litre of lukewarm water

3 cups of plan organic flour

3 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Seeds from 15 cardamom pods, crushed in a mortar & pestle


Method

1. In a small bowl combine the yeast, sugar and water and set in a warm place for about 10 minutes until it foams. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the cardamom and salt. Add the oil to the yeast mixture and pour into the flour. If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook to mix the dough, half your luck, otherwise roll up your sleeves and start mixing the old fashioned way!

2. Once you have a cohesive dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, this should take about 10 minutes. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place until it has doubled in size.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 balls. Using a rolling pin, roll out each ball into ¼ inch-thick piece rounds. Preheat a grill pan and brush each piece of dough with a little olive oil and lay them oiled side down on the pan over a medium heat. Cook until golden and light bubbles rise from the surface, then turn and cook the other side. If cooking in advance, reheat flatbreads before serving.