Would you like some flaky bread with dinner?

So if you are a regular reader of our blog you probably already know who does most of the cooking in the household.  I would like to clarify that this was decided almost 6 years ago when Tom and I moved in together.  We decided he cooked dinners and I did the laundry.  Granted I'm supposed to help out as sous chef from time to time and I have the chef coat to prove it :-).  Also, the man travels A LOT so I do have to be able to survive when he is gone.  However, we figured out very quickly that even though Tom was to do all the cooking he lacked in one area...baking.  I'm not going to go into the fact that men can't measure or have patience for accuracy.  I will just say that when dough or dessert are involved I'm called in from the sidelines.  

At a later date I will post my recipe for french baguette which I have perfected over the years.  Today I want to write about a bread I tried from the March edition of Bon Appetit.  Tom and I receive both Food & Wine and Bon Appetit magazines.  We love perusing through each month and mark recipes or restaurants we want to try. 

The recipe is below.   I will however note the changes I made and what I hope to test when I make again.   

Ingredient change - I used bread flour rather than all purpose.  I will plan to try all purpose the next time to see if I notice a difference.  Also, I didn't have flaky sea salt so I used fine instead. 

Hint - Don't be afraid to brush with a good amount of butter.  I found if the bread is well coated during cooking and your cast iron is NOT too hot it will cook perfectly. 

Any bread product does take time for mastering but this recipe was easy to follow however the rolling out multiple times does get tedious.  I suggest don't try making this for a party of 10 coming to your house for dinner in a few hours without preparing ahead of time.  We froze a few of the breads and they cooked well however it has only been a few days that they have been in the freezer. 

Credit - http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Flaky-Bread-51223210

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more, room temperature, for brushing (about 10 tablespoons)
• Olive oil (for parchment)
• Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

Preparation

Whisk kosher salt and 3 cups flour in a large bowl. Drizzle in melted butter; mix well. Gradually mix in 3/4 cup water. Knead on a lightly floured surface until dough is shiny and very soft, about 5 minutes. Wrap in plastic; let rest in a warm spot at least 4 hours.

Divide dough into 10 pieces and, using your palm, roll into balls. Place balls on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest 15 minutes.

Roll dough into thin rounds, brush with room-temperature butter, and roll up into ropes (see step-by-step instructions, below). Working with 1 coil at a time, roll out on an unfloured surface to 10" rounds no more than 1/8" thick. Stack as you go, separating with sheets of parchment brushed with oil.

Heat a large cast-iron griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Working 1 at a time, brush both sides of a dough round with room-temperature butter and cook until lightly blistered and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer bread to a wire rack and sprinkle with sea salt.

DO AHEAD: Coils can be rolled out 1 month ahead; wrap tightly and freeze. Cook from frozen (add 1–2 minutes to cooking time).

layer up!

It's the buttery layers that set flaky bread apart from all others. To get them, nail this key coiling move.

1 Using a rolling pin and working 1 piece at a time, roll out each ball on an unfloured surface into a very thin round (or oval).

2 Brush with about 1/2 tablespoon butter and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Roll up dough onto itself to create a long, thin rope.

3 Wind the rope into a tight coil, then roll out again. The rolled-out coil will separate into thin, individual layers. Hello, flaky bread.