Thyme, Black Garlic & Tomato Flatbreads

A few months ago I was lucky enough to win a little pot of black garlic via a competition on Twitter. I've used it in a few different recipes including a chicken stew and in a couple of tomato based dishes and it definitely adds an extra element to the dish. I then decided that before I finish up the pot, I would have to have a go at baking with it. If you haven't tried black garlic before, I only came across it a few months ago, it's fermented garlic that has an almost sweet taste to it and is reminiscent of balsamic vinegar. You can eat the cloves of black garlic straight from the pot if you want to and I did just that when I received it. There is none of the harshness that you get when you eat a piece of raw garlic, instead it is quite a mellow taste. For these flatbreads, I decided to combine the black garlic with some fresh thyme and tomato purée, the result is a bread that works equally well alongside a warming winter casserole or by itself for a quick snack.

Ingredients - makes 10-12

350g strong white bread flour
150g strong wholemeal bread flour
7g sachet fast action yeast
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp fresh thyme, leaves stripped from stems and chopped
3 cloves black garlic, crushed to a paste
300ml lukewarm water

• Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix to form a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise for about and hour or until doubled in size.
• Knock back the dough and knead lightly before dividing into 10-12 equal sized pieces, the size depends on how big you want them to be. Shape each piece of dough into a rough circle either by rolling with a rolling pin or stretching by hand, whichever feels easier for you. 
• Heat a non stick frying pan over a medium-high heat and when the pan is hot begin cooking the flatbreads, you can do 2 or 3 at once depending on the size of your pan. Cook for a couple of minutes on one side until the dough starts to puff up and then flip over and cook for a further minute. You should get nice blackened patches on the bread although take care not to burn them. Transfer the cooked flatbreads to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes before serving warm.

I'm entering these into Fresh From The Oven run by Utterly Scrummy Food For Families and Purely Food where the theme is flatbreads this month, Herbs On Saturday, this month hosted by Bangers & Mash, Yeastspotting and into Bake Your Own Bread.