Book: Flatbreads and Flavors

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tpassin on 10 Mar 2025 at 05:57

Since there is  Community Bake going on that is focused on flatbreads around the world, I want to point to a remarkable book that some TFLers already know of and many may not:

Flatbreads and Flavors
A Baker's Atlas

by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

This book contains recipes for hundreds of flatbreads but it has more.  From the Preface:

This cookbook is in part a travel journal, a travel diary, a record of events and memories expressed in recipes. In the course of our travels we've filed away recipe after recipe, but with almost every one, in our minds we've also filed away images of places and people, and their lives.  How a food tastes has much to do with the associations we make with it. To pass on a recipe for Afghan snowshoe bread without also telling about the Mujahideen in refugee camps in Pakistan feels like an incomplete recipe, like leaving out the oven temperature or the amount of salt in the bread.

The book was copyrighted in 1995 when this sort of travel was still possible. The hardcover edition is out of print but you may be able to track down a used version.  There is a paperback edition, which I think can still be found new. I am lucky enough to have a hardcover copy.

The book contains many recipes for meals or sides to go along with the flatbreads.  For example, a recipe from India for Savory Country Corn Bread suggests serving with Spicy Tomato Chutney or Five-Lentil Stew, and both recipes are in the book.

TomP

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jo_en on 10 Mar 2025 at 23:06

I found it at Alibris, very good cond, and $2.61 (But $5 shipping).

Thanks! I 'll be looking forward to it!

I found a new hardback copy of the book. Initial impression is overwhelmingly positive. Have been looking for a good book about flat breads for quite some time.  One point is that there are far more recipes for dishes that use the flat breads than recipes for the flat breads. This is not a criticism. I wish that more bread recipe books were like this. Can't wait to try making some of these breads. One minor criticism is that the authors recommend using plastic wrap to cover the dough when rising. They find this technique better than using cloth. I've been trying to use less plastic in my bread baking, so cloth works fine. All-in-all, a fine addition to my ever-expanding library of bread books. Thanks to Tom for bringing this book to my attention.

I am thinking, ***smell of wood burning permeating the air.*** If a few of us fresh loafers end up with this book, it might be fun to do a bake- along with a couple of formulas? Possibly if we are up for it a bake though even!

Pretty cool, isn't it?  See the stamp used for Uzbek-style breads in the lower left corner? Have fun!

Maybe you can try one of the recipes for me?  I'm out of commission for a while after a hip replacement. Otherwise I would try it for the CB.  It's "Savory Country Corn Bread" on page 136 of my edition. The writeup says "There is nothing fine or delicate about this bread; it is simply very good".

same page on mine (I got the 1995 hardback for $5) ... and that recipe does sound smashing ... a flatbread with almost an entire veggie meal inside it! 

Rob

PS -- here's hoping your recovery is smooth

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The Roadside P… on 17 Mar 2025 at 07:22

Mine is due to land on the 24th! What are we baking first?

Afghan Home-Style Naan? Fenugreek Corn Bread? Bedouin Barley Bread? Hot Chile Bread? Lefse? Ethiopian Spice Bread? Tunisian Oasis Breads?

Glad I stumbled upon this thread. Thanks to all of you! I just ordered my used copy for $6.99 including shipping.

I first saw the authors on Baking With Julia in 1999 when they were promoting their book "Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia". They made stovetop Pita.

Dave 

both now & before the recent site revamp, notifications have always been haphazard. Sometimes they come right away, sometimes hours or days later, sometimes not at all. To me it's the electronic version of 'watch the dough, not the clock.' I have to visit the site to see if anyone has replied or messaged.

Rob

It seems I am not getting every single notification. Anyway be that as it may. Sending positive energy for a quick full, (better than before) recovery. Here is a old photo from the archives.

Baguette

 

I switched my account registration email from Hotmail to Gmail. From what I understand the issue is with the security protocols of the email handler. Messages from this URL are being flagged and not let though. Hotmail was listed as one of the ones with strict rules. I am very happy getting all my messages since zi switched.