Cheesy Daikon, Chives and Caraway Flatbreads

In my opinion, recipe development can be equally daunting and effortless. There are times when I put in a lot of effort to come up with something very unique and it takes several rounds of testing to get to the desired vision and it misses the mark! And there are times when I just combine some of my favorite ingredient combos together and it’s perfect at one go - these ones belong to latter category. I have been in love with chives and caraway seeds flavor combo since forever and equally obsessed with spiking grated daikon with different spice blends but combining with a sharp melty cheese is what makes the whole thing quite different and memorable. First, I tried with a regular paratha style dough (replicate Mooli Paratha nostalgia) but in order to maintain the crispiness I had to sacrifice the filling quantity which I wasn’t willing to! Then I tried with my go-to mashed potato flatbread dough and it just hit the bull’s eye. With slight adaptation of the OG recipe, here I present you your new favorite Sunday Brunch.

*Note: by using dairy-free cheddar you can totally veganize this

Ingredients (makes 4)
Flatbread Dough
120g Plain Flour
142g Boiling Water
60g Whole Wheat Flour
24g Instant mashed potatoes flakes
3g Fine Sea Salt
2g Sugar
2 tbsp Neutral Oil (extra for finishing)
1.5 tsp Instant Yeast

Filling
350g Daikon, peeled and coarsely grated (feel free to substitute with carrots and follow the first step to remove moisture)

1 tsp Fine Sea Salt
1 Jalapeño, de-seeded & finely chopped
15g Chives, finely chopped
15g Cilantro including stems, finely chopped
2 tbsp Caraway Seeds
1 heaping tbsp Curry Powder
1 tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder (substitute with red pepper flakes or paprika)
100g Sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated

1-2 tbsp Fennel Seeds (I like heavily seeded but use your judgment)
1-2 tbsp Nigella Seeds

Directions

💥 Add 1/2 tsp salt to the grated Daikon, massage thoroughly and leave it for 15-20 mins. Then squeeze out all the water out - as much as possible. Critical step for removing moisture to achieve perfect results

💥 Make the dough - Combine first two ingredients in a large bowl and mix until a smooth paste or a roux is formed. Let it cool and come to room temperature (about 25 mins). Then combine rest of the ingredients and mix well. Once the flour paste is cool enough, transfer the yeast mixture into the large bowl. Mix everything well, it will be sticky but resist the urge to add any extra flour and rather use some extra oil to knead into a smooth bell of dough. Cover and let it rise for 90 mins

💥 Resting and Filling - Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll into balls; cover with a wet towel and let it rest for 20 mins. Meanwhile prep the filling - in a medium bowl combine all filling ingredients, with remaining 1/2 tsp salt and mix gently until everything is well combined

💥Shaping and cooking - Pre-heat oven to 250F. Heat up a lightly oiled cast iron skillet on medium flame. Now roll out each ball into an 6” circle (keep remaining balls covered while working on one). Put 1/4 qty. of the filling in the middle, then bring the edges to the center to completely encase the filling, pinch and seal. Now gently roll it out into a 7-8” circle, don’t worry if theres any tearing or leakages. Sprinkle Fennel and Nigella seeds on top. Transfer the filled and rolled out dough disc onto the skillet, cook on high heat for 2-3 mins each side (no need to add any extra oil) - or until you observe puffing, brown splotches all over. Repeat the process for remaining 3 balls

💥 Serving - transfer the flatbreads on to a baking sheet and keep it warm in the pre-heated oven until ready to serve. These are very tasty as is but I like to serve with some tomato chutney or some some fresh pico di gallo. Enjoy!