Flatbreads

Flatbreads may use flour from cereal grains, commonly wheat, as well as pseudocereals, pulses, or tubers. Fat may be used as shortening, while other ingredients may provide nutrition or flavor. Depending on water content, the mixture is either a dough or a batter; the latter results in a pancake-like bread. The dough is rested, during which it may undergo fermentation. Fermentation is driven by a leavening agent, most commonly sourdough. Fillings or toppings are sometimes added. Flatbreads are commonly baked against a griddle or the walls of a vertical oven (such as a tandoor). Other methods include being baked in domed ovens, covered in embers, or fried in oil. Some flatbreads puff up as steam forms while baking, while others are pressed or stamped to avoid this. Flatbreads are divided into double-layered flatbreads, which contain leavening and puff up while baking, and single-layered flatbreads, which include thick, leavened varieties and thin, unleavened varieties.