2 1/2 cups warm water 2 teaspoons dry yeast
3 cups unbleached hard white wheat flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 to 3 cups sorghum (milo) flour
Put the warm water in a big bowl and sprinkle the yeast on the surface; stir. Blend in white flour, one cup at a time. Stir this batter 100 strokes in one direction to develop the gluten. Cover and let the sponge work for about an hour.
Scatter the salt over the sponge, then gradually stir in sorghum flour until the dough is stiff. Turn out onto a surface floured with more sorghum flour and knead several minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Clean out the bowl and oil it lightly, put the dough in the bowl and roll it over so the whole surface is oily. Cover and let rise till doubled in bulk.
Punch the dough down, oil a large baking sheet, and knead the dough for a couple of minutes. Roll half the dough into an 8” x 14” rectangle and roll tightly, starting at the narrow end, into a log. Slice the log into eight pieces. Place one of the sliced about 4 1/4 inches from one end of the pan and arrange the others around it like a sunrise, leaving a thumb-width space between the pieces. Do the same thing on the other end of the pan with the other half of the dough. Let rise for half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 and bake half an hour or more till the breads are lightly browned and hollow sounding when tapped. Cool before serving.
Note: I plan to try making rolled out flatbreads cooked on a skillet with this dough.
From Flatbreads and Flavors: A Baker’s Atlas, by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. The book is in the town library and includes yummy looking salsas, stews, and whatnot to complement the flatbreads.
