This fluffy, grilled, yeasted, lightly sweetened, Ecuadoran flatbread boasts of a buttery, milky, egg-rich gorgeousness replete with a good amount of whole wheat flour AND as if that was not already more than enough, it is stuffed with salty fresh cheese. Not that I would turn down milk and cookies on their own for a late afternoon snack, but if I had to choose between that old standby and these tortillas, warm off the griddle, paired with a cup of spiced tea, I would just have to reject les petites gateaux. Tiesto refers to the large, shallow clay pan that is traditionally used. A thoroughly seasoned cast-iron skillet is a worthy substitute, resulting in well-toasted tortillas. Depending on where in Ecuador, these can be made entirely with corn, or a mix of corn and wheat, or just wheat as in this recipe from Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook by contributor Fanny Perez.
Ingredients
makes twelve approximately 10 cm (4 inch) diameter flatbreads
If using a stand mixer, just put everything except the cheese in its bowl. Toss the butter in the flour and cut into small cubes. This way the floured butter doesn't stick to the knife. Start with low speed for about two minutes or until all of the ingredients have come together and then increase the speed to medium for about five minutes or until the dough is smooth and doesn't stick to your hands. If mixing by hand, measure out the first five ingredients and put in a large bowl. Measure out milk and crack the egg into a mixing jug and whisk until blended. Put the butter into the bowl and toss with flour, then cut in small cubes. Work the butter using your fingertips until the texture is like coarse sand which takes about five minutes.
Add the milk mixture, incorporating it with a large wooden spoon until it comes together into a shaggy dough
Knead until smooth which should take about five to ten minutes depending on your method. I use the spiral method which is how I learned how to knead large amounts of clay in my potter days decades ago. It's the quickest way to knead because your hands never leave the dough in order to turn it, instead it's rocked continuously on a pivot; unfortunately I have been unable to locate a vid showing how to do this. Here's a vid on the regular method. Cover with a damp tea cloth/dish towel (or plastic wrap/bag) and let rise around a hour.
Divide roughly into twelve parts. Form into balls. Flatten them out into disks of about 10 cm (4 inches). Place them as they are done onto two parchment lined sheet pans. Keep them covered with a damp tea cloth (or plastic wrap/bag) as you work.
At first I thought that cutting the block of feta into squares would be neater and quicker than crumbling it and spooning out tablespoons. Unfortunately not only did I mistakenly cut more than the twelve needed, but the sharper edges and contained nature of a square meant the dough got torn a bit when pulling it over the cheese and the grilled tortilla did not have bits of cheese distributed throughout.
I switched to the cookbook's recommended method of crumbling and measuring out two tablespoons for each tortilla. Sprinkle the dough circles with cheese and pull up the sides to make a closed dumpling form. Form a ball and roll out a bit wider than before. Don't fret if you see some cheese poking through as feta does not melt much. You might hear a tiny bit of sizzling from time to time, but not much. Keep the filled tortillas covered with a damp tea towel/plastic wrap or bag as you work.
Grilling pancakes or flatbreads usually means the first one will be more miss than hit. After a few misses, the approach resulting in golden brown and fluffy tortillas instead of blackened and having the consistency of cooked cereal was heating the pan over a large-in-diameter, medium high burner until a few drops of water tossed into the skillet evaporated almost immediately, then placing the pan over a small-in-diameter, low flame. Once that is done, cook each tortilla for about fifteen minutes, flipping a few times. To test the degree of fluff, shielding your fingertips with paper towelling, squeeze the tortilla's top and bottom simultaneously to test for spongy springiness—no indentation should remain for long
My skillet only accommodated one at a time so when I reached the half-way mark, the dough balls waiting to be toasted were way more risen which I say were the best of the lot. Look at that fluff!
I love the pocked-with-white-cheese surface which I thought this silky, white ribbon showed to advantage.
They are truly magnificent, nourishing but still a bit indulgent. Coffee and hot chocolate also go well with them. Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook recommends serving them with Ecuadoran spiced morocho, a sweet, warm, milky drink thickened with cracked white corn. There's a whole bunch in the standalone freezer waiting for me when the desire hits to pamper myself by defrosting a couple by popping them in a warm oven. YES to batch baking!
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Ingredients
makes twelve approximately 10 cm (4 inch) diameter flatbreads
- Whole wheat flour, 455 g (3.5 American 8 fluid oz cups)
- All-purpose flour, 225 g (1.75 American 8 fluid oz cups)
- Sugar, white, 5 T
- Active dry yeast, 1 tsp
- Kosher salt, 1 tsp
- Whole milk, 340 g (scant 1.5 American 8 fluid oz cups)
- Large egg, beaten
- Unsalted butter, 225 g (16 T)
- Quesco fresco or Feta cheese (which I used)
If using a stand mixer, just put everything except the cheese in its bowl. Toss the butter in the flour and cut into small cubes. This way the floured butter doesn't stick to the knife. Start with low speed for about two minutes or until all of the ingredients have come together and then increase the speed to medium for about five minutes or until the dough is smooth and doesn't stick to your hands. If mixing by hand, measure out the first five ingredients and put in a large bowl. Measure out milk and crack the egg into a mixing jug and whisk until blended. Put the butter into the bowl and toss with flour, then cut in small cubes. Work the butter using your fingertips until the texture is like coarse sand which takes about five minutes.
Add the milk mixture, incorporating it with a large wooden spoon until it comes together into a shaggy dough
Knead until smooth which should take about five to ten minutes depending on your method. I use the spiral method which is how I learned how to knead large amounts of clay in my potter days decades ago. It's the quickest way to knead because your hands never leave the dough in order to turn it, instead it's rocked continuously on a pivot; unfortunately I have been unable to locate a vid showing how to do this. Here's a vid on the regular method. Cover with a damp tea cloth/dish towel (or plastic wrap/bag) and let rise around a hour.
Divide roughly into twelve parts. Form into balls. Flatten them out into disks of about 10 cm (4 inches). Place them as they are done onto two parchment lined sheet pans. Keep them covered with a damp tea cloth (or plastic wrap/bag) as you work.
At first I thought that cutting the block of feta into squares would be neater and quicker than crumbling it and spooning out tablespoons. Unfortunately not only did I mistakenly cut more than the twelve needed, but the sharper edges and contained nature of a square meant the dough got torn a bit when pulling it over the cheese and the grilled tortilla did not have bits of cheese distributed throughout.
I switched to the cookbook's recommended method of crumbling and measuring out two tablespoons for each tortilla. Sprinkle the dough circles with cheese and pull up the sides to make a closed dumpling form. Form a ball and roll out a bit wider than before. Don't fret if you see some cheese poking through as feta does not melt much. You might hear a tiny bit of sizzling from time to time, but not much. Keep the filled tortillas covered with a damp tea towel/plastic wrap or bag as you work.
Grilling pancakes or flatbreads usually means the first one will be more miss than hit. After a few misses, the approach resulting in golden brown and fluffy tortillas instead of blackened and having the consistency of cooked cereal was heating the pan over a large-in-diameter, medium high burner until a few drops of water tossed into the skillet evaporated almost immediately, then placing the pan over a small-in-diameter, low flame. Once that is done, cook each tortilla for about fifteen minutes, flipping a few times. To test the degree of fluff, shielding your fingertips with paper towelling, squeeze the tortilla's top and bottom simultaneously to test for spongy springiness—no indentation should remain for long
My skillet only accommodated one at a time so when I reached the half-way mark, the dough balls waiting to be toasted were way more risen which I say were the best of the lot. Look at that fluff!
I love the pocked-with-white-cheese surface which I thought this silky, white ribbon showed to advantage.
They are truly magnificent, nourishing but still a bit indulgent. Coffee and hot chocolate also go well with them. Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook recommends serving them with Ecuadoran spiced morocho, a sweet, warm, milky drink thickened with cracked white corn. There's a whole bunch in the standalone freezer waiting for me when the desire hits to pamper myself by defrosting a couple by popping them in a warm oven. YES to batch baking!
À la prochaine!
OTHER IRON COOKWARE SERIES POSTS
Lemon Basil Garlic Smashed Potatoes
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RELATED POSTS
Raisin Challah a la Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook
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RELATED LINKS
Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook at Amazon
Hot Bread Kitchen Website: Handmade Authentic Multi-Ethnic Breads, Preserving Tradition, Rising Expectations