by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, retreat host, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC, Phoenix, Arizona.
This morning I was craving my sprouted spelt flatbread, so I started with activating the yeast and letting the dough rise. Honestly, my vision was to roast veggies, make a cashew nut cheese and white sauce. However, I was away from my home most of the day — shopping for superfoods and attending the Slow Food Phoenix Event: Slow Foods. Fast Friends Event. Such an energizing event around local food and sustainability, I’m so excited to get more involved in our local food movement in Phoenix.
Remembering the melt in your mouth simple Margarita Pizza that I enjoyed in Milan, Italy, so many decades ago, when I returned home in the evening I decided to make a really quick tomato sauce with garlic and sea salt for the flatbread. And, I loved it!
Three Tips to Activate Yeast “Perfectly”
Several weeks ago, when I blogged the steps to activate yeast and rise flatbread dough a few of my friends asked me how the yeast is so fluffy. My tips:
- Water Temperature. Get the water temperature in the right range, 112 -115 degrees Fahrenheit. To do this, bring water to almost a boil. Then mix that water with cooler water until the temperature is In the 112-115 degree range.
- Do not use a metal utensil to stir the yeast water. Use a wooden spoon.
- Add-in ingredients with the yeast and water. I use local Arizona honey, extra virgin olive oil, and a dash of sea salt.
Step-by-step: Dough rising.
Roll-out the dough with a rolling pin between parchment paper.
The Simple Tomato Sauce & Toppings
Ingredients
- Organic olive oil
- Tomatoes: Abby Lee Farms
- Fresh garlic
- Sea Salt
- Arugula: Blue Sky Organic Farm
- Goat cheese
- Olives
Simple Steps
- Heat saute pan on medium heat.
- Saute tomatoes and garlic for 3-5 minutes, adding sea salt after the tomatoes begin to soften.
Bake the Flatbread
- Place pizza stone into oven. Heat oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place rolled-out dough onto pizza stone.
- Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
- Coat top with olive oil.
- Bake for 5-7 minutes.
- Add toppings.
- Bake for 5 minutes.
- Enjoy.
Interested in Melanie Albert’s cookbook, “A New View of Healthy Eating,” order today and I’ll gift-wrap and mail a copy to you.
