Whole Grain Za’atar Tomato Flatbread for Virtual Vegan Potluck 2014!

Its that time of the year again. Virtual Vegan Potluck is back. Today hundreds of bloggers are posting Vegan recipes and linking up to form a chain where you can easily navigate to get to the other participating blogs. 

This year I am bringing this 100% whole grain flatbread topped with juicy tomatoes and a good load of Za’atar. Za’atar is a middle eastern condiment which has sumac, dried herbs, sesame seeds and other spices. I use Israeli Za’atar from our local World Spice store. We ate the whole thing with some hot sauce. 🙂

The flatbread comes together within minutes and is ready quickly too. White whole wheat flour produces a less dense bread than regular whole wheat flour and works great for this flatbread. No dense, wheaty looking bread!

Soft, delicious and perfect to snack on or as a side. For gluten-free flatbread and pizza crust options see my pizza category here, or the my gluten-free breads here.

This is all whole grain bread. If you are not keen on strong grain flavor or texture, use half white flour and half wheat. 

Check out all the appetizers, soups, mains, desserts and more that everyone is bringing to the Potluck (Clikc here to go to the collection of all blog links)! 

Giveaways going on the blog right now. Becky’s Bowls cookbook (International and US giveaway), Julie’s Vegan Casseroles Cookbook (US giveaway)

Whole Grain Za’atar Tomato Flatbread

Ingredients: Makes a 12 inch flatbread
1/2 cup warm water
2 tsp sugar/maple syrup
2 tsp active yeast
3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp white wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried herbs like thyme or rosemary or 1 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs
1 Tbsp olive oil

Toppings:
tomato slices
a generous pinch of salt
1 to 2 tsp za’atar spice blend
hot sauce (optional)

Method:
1. Combine warm water, sugar and yeast in a bowl. Let it sit until frothy. 2 minutes. 
2. Combine the flour, salt, herbs in another bowl. Whisk to mix well. Add the yeast mixture. Add in the oil and mix and knead to form a soft dough. 2 to 3 minutes. (If you use a different flour, you might need less or more flour)
3. Roll the dough out into a 12 to 13 inch oval using flour. Place on parchment lined baking sheet. Spray water on it. Let the dough sit in a warm place (near the oven) for 15 minutes (30 minutes for a good rise and softer result). 
4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 
5. Place tomato slices on the dough. Spray or brush olive oil. Sprinkle salt and za’atar spice blend. Bake for 17 to 18 minutes or until the edges are golden. Sprinkle more za’atar and hot sauce, slice and serve with hummus or as a side.

This is all whole grain bread. If you are not keen on strong grain flavor or the somewhat dense texture, use half unbleached white flour (all purpose) and half wheat.