Flatbreads with Three-Garlic Butter | Flavor Bomb

In his newly released cookbook Flavor, Ottolenghi breaks down the fundamentals of what give food flavor and backs them up with some super delicious plant-based recipes. This is not a book on food science or charts, although I don’t mind understanding more of that. Rather he pinpoints three areas to developing flavor: with cooking techniques, in food pairings and his pantry of “flavor bombs.” My first take cooking with Flavor are the olive oil flatbreads with three-garlic butter. The three-garlic butter is loaded with unbelievable and spectacular flavor.

The star of the dish and the kick-butt ingredient is garlic. I thought I know garlic. But not until I try the mellow, slow-roasted garlic, sweet fermented black garlic and pungent raw garlic — all at once. Same ingredient, different flavor profiles. Combining the three forms of garlic is transformative. I’m in awe!

A few weeks ago, in one of those rare moments of serendipity, we saw a road sign along a country road in Northern Vermont while foliage peeping. It’s a simple sign with a picture of a head of garlic, the word “garlic,” and an arrow. It stopped us on our track and felt we must turn back and find the place. And we did. A few miles down a narrow road, a farm with a group of vernacular and modern buildings ermerged. Chickens were roaming besides the parking area. Fall squashes and farm produce were arranged in a well-thought-out manner on the lined tables under a porch. A commercial display refrigerator stood in the corner. However, the farm stand was not manned. No persons were in sight. Looking closely, prices and a collection box were prominently placed. We made our selections, including a bag of black garlic. Then happily drove away from this idyllic garlic farm in a backroad on a lovely but windy October day.

I wouldn’t and can’t make the three-garlic butter without the black garlic. Black garlic is basically fermented white garlic. But black garlic owes its characteristic flavor not to fermentation, but enzymatic breakdown and the good old-fashioned Maillard reaction. Processed at around 140°F for a month to six weeks, it essentially gets a low and slow roast that converts sugar and turns the cloves black. They are so sweet, they taste like candies to me.

As we eat the olive oil flatbreads with three-garlic butter for dinner, all I can think about are the techniques I just learn from Flavor and the side trip to the garlic farm. The excitement of the moment with amazing food on the table is always a good thing…

Print Recipe

Olive Oil Flatbreads with Three-Garlic Butter

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• For the Flatbread Dough:
• 200g strong white bread flour
• 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing and drizzling
• Flaked sea salt and black pepper
• 120ml lukewarm water
• For the Three-garlic Butter:
• 1 whole head garlic, the top fifth of the bulb cut off to expose the cloves
• 1 small garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 black garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
• 7 tbsp/ 100g unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup/ 10g parsley leaves, finely chopped
• 1½ tsp caraway seeds, toasted and crushed
• To Serve:
• 2 ripe vine tomatoes (I roast canned and fresh cherry tomatoes)
• 2 cloves black garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tsp picked thyme leaves
• 1 tsp picked oregano leaves

Instructions

1

Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas 6. Put the flour and yeast in a large bowl with a tablespoon of oil and half a teaspoon of salt. Pour in the water and use a spatula to combine. Transfer to a lightly oiled work surface and, with lightly oiled hands, knead the dough for five minutes, until soft and elastic (add more oil if it starts to stick to the surface). Transfer to a large bowl, cover with a slightly damp, clean tea towel and leave in a warm place to rise for about 40 minutes, until nearly doubled in size, then cut into four equal pieces.

2

While the dough is rising, drizzle the head of garlic with a teaspoon of oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Wrap tightly in foil and bake for 40 minutes, until the cloves have softened. Discard the foil and, when cool enough to handle, squeeze out the flesh from the papery skins.

3

Put the roast, raw and black garlic in a mortar with a teaspoon and a half of flaked salt and a good grind of pepper. Pound to a rough paste, then put in a bowl with the butter, parsley and caraway, and mix well.

4

Grate the tomatoes on a box grater, discarding the skin, then put the flesh in a sieve set over a bowl.

5

Turn the oven to its highest setting (250C/480F/gas 10) and heat a large baking tray on the middle shelf. Transfer the four pieces of dough to a lightly oiled work surface and use your hands to stretch each one into a rough circle about 18cm wide and 5mm thin.

6

Remove the hot tray from the oven and quickly put two flatbreads on it, spacing them well apart. The dough will be very thin, but should have enough elasticity not to break. If you do get a hole, don’t worry: it just adds to the rustic look.

7

Quickly return the tray to the oven and bake for eight minutes, until the dough is golden brown and crisp. Repeat with the remaining dough.

8

Spread each flatbread with a teaspoon of the garlic butter, then top with the drained tomatoes and the slices of black garlic. Sprinkle over the herbs, and finish with a drizzle of oil, a generous pinch of flaked salt and a grind of pepper.

Notes

Adapted from Flavor by Yotam Ottolenghi. https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipes/olive-oil-flatbreads-with-three-garlic-butter