Foodbuzz 24,24,24: Appetizer and Video Bite: Flatbread

For an appetizer, John DiRocco prepared a homemade brick-oven flatbread with Venezuelan queso de mano, homegrown basil, and tomato. In this Video Bite, John demonstrates how he makes flatbread or pizza crust at home.

The queso de mano was my idea. I wanted to find some kind of local cheese, and the most local version I could find was the Venezuelan “handmade” cheese sold throughout Miami, but particularly in the Venezuelan enclaves of Doral and Weston. I was pleased to see queso de mano appear at my local Publix last week. I grew up eating this salty, watery, yet creamy cheese. It is similar in texture to bufala mozzarella cheese, so it was quite successful on the flatbread.

INGREDIENTS:

1 ¾ Cup + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tablespoons honey

5 cups of sifted Flour (preferably bread flour)

1 tsp – Rapid-Rise Yeast

EXTRA BITES:

Place the listed ingredients into bread machine “basket”, adding the Flour last. Spread out flour and make an indentation in the center.

Add yeast to mix, placing the yeast into the indentation.

Place “basket” into machine and set to dough cycle for 1.5 hours. Eye process for about 10 minutes, making sure mixture isn’t too hard or too mushy. If it’s too hard, add a little water; if it’s too mushy add some flour.

Once the dough cycle is finished, separate the dough into six pieces making 6 dough balls. Coat sandwich baggies and dough balls with oil and place each dough ball into a baggy. Place baggies into fridge overnight.

Remove the dough from the fridge at least 3 hours before using the dough the following day. Flour your hands and place a little dough into the bag on either side of the dough ball and remove the dough ball from the bag (Thanks to Cyndie So, John’s lovely wife, for the tip). Place the dough onto a floured surface. Flatten, press and stretch the dough out into a rectangular shape. You can stretch it out with your fists to help out. Create a crust to hold in any toppings you might add. Take some corn meal and spread it on a pizza pallet. Place flattened dough onto pallet and shake pallet to make sure the dough slides on the pallet. Sprinkle some olive oil onto dough and spread it around with your fingers, don’t be afraid to dirty your hands. Now it’s ready for the oven!

Set brick oven to about 550°F. Place dough into brick oven for about 7 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and add any ingredients you’d like. Return to oven toppings to heat up for a couple minutes. Remove from the oven, let it cool, cut it up and serve.