The Nation's Health

Green Onion Kulcha - Better Than Na'an, If That's Possible

I think I've mentioned before that I make my own bread... or bread substitutes (?). Multiple times I'm sure. In any case, I love exploring different food cultures and get excited to try something new, especially if it is a new bread or something like a pancake. FYI this is nothing really like a pancake - the only similarities is that you use the same instrument to cook it - griddle or frying pan.
*As another side note, for as much as I like pancakes, I really don't have too many pancake recipes posted. I guess I'll have to fix that sometime in the near future. But on to kulcha. To give the simplest explanation, kulcha is another middle eastern/east/central asian flat bread. It is very similar to na'an, but the main difference is that na'an is made with yeast (at least traditional na'an that is) and kulcha is not. For this recipe I decided to bring in ties from the every delicious Chinese green onion pancake that my friends from China make so well. I suppose I was missing that part of my life and wanted to bring a little of that back to me.

Green Onion KulchaMakes 12-16
3 c. white whole wheat flour1/2 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp baking soda1 T sugar1/2 tsp salt1/4 c. oil1/2 c. plain yogurtAdded water
1/2 c. parmesan cheese2 green onions, chopped2 cloves garlic, minced
Sift first five dry ingredients together. Next, mix in oil and yogurt. Mix in cheese, onions, and garlicAdd in water 1 T. at a time until dough comes together. Cover and let dough rest for 1-2 hours.
After dough is rested, break off rounds balls of dough (slightly smaller than a tennis ball but larger than a ping pong ball). Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. As you can see - although I am a baker, I still haven't bought a rolling pin. Instead, I improvise and use wine bottles that are always on hand. Classy, I know.
Heat 1 T of olive oil in a pan and brown flat breads on both sides - about 5 minutes total.

Stack to keep warm and if you're not eating them immediately, wrap in foil or a towel to stay warm. Serve with hummus, or any other spread, soup, etc. If you're being really traditional, hold the bread in one hand and use it to gently scoop up food (no utensils required).

I bet these would taste fantastic with edamame hummus! (One of my Trader Joe's obsessions.)