Every culture has their own version of a flat bread, usually served to scoop up curries and soups, or to wrap slow- cooked meat topped with fresh salad and sauces.
I call our whānau version of flat bread ‘takakau’ — meaning unleavened bread, scone or pancake — and this is something we make on the regular, especially to go with umu pulled pork. We cook this over an open fire in the back yard, or when camping, and of course in the trusty skillet on the stovetop in our kitchen. It’s a simple flatbread, which the kids love making (and consuming), made even better with a hearty brush of garlic herb butter, and perfect for your own version of a delicious wrap.
Serves
8
Ingredients
- 2½ cups high-grade flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup olive oil or melted butter
- Neutral oil to cook
- Butter or garlic herb butter to brush over the breads
GARLIC HERB BUTTER (optional)
- 100g butter
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- Small bunch fresh herbs, e.g. parsley, basil, coriander, chopped finely
Directions
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Add the milk and olive oil or melted butter and mix until it has come together.
Turn out onto a floured benchtop and knead for a few minutes until smooth, adding extra flour if the dough is too sticky.
Put the dough back into the bowl, cover, and rest for 30 minutes.
If you want to brush each flat bread with garlic butter, place the butter in a small saucepan, and when melted stir through the crushed garlic and chopped herbs. Cook for 30 seconds, turn off the heat and set aside.
When ready to cook the takakau, dust the benchtop with flour, and cut the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and then roll out with a rolling pin to the size of a side plate (about 15cm diameter).
Heat a frying pan or skillet over a medium– high heat and add enough oil to lightly cover the bottom of the pan.
Place one flatbread in the pan at a time, and cook for around 1 minute, until the underside has lovely golden patches and the bread has puffed up on top. Flip the bread over and cook the other side for 45 seconds to 1 minute, until golden. Remove from the pan and brush with butter, or the garlic herb butter if using (melt it again in the saucepan if it has solidified). Keep the cooked breads stacked under a tea towel to keep them nice and soft.
Best served warm, with slow-cooked meat.
Recipe extracted from Kai Feast: Food stories and recipes from the Maunga to the Moana by Christall Lowe, published by Bateman Books, RRP $59.99.
