Asparagus and Ricotta Flatbread

Remember that time I admitted to my fear of yeast and then resolved to get over it? Two-plus years later and it hasn’t happened … I still cringe every time I hear the word, and have yet to make a yeasted bread.

My excuse? There are plenty, most of which are exceedingly flimsy:

a) I don’t have time to sit around kneading and rising and kneading and rising. (Since I’m still sick and watching episode after episode of The League resting, this is mostly untrue.)

b) There’s zero counter space for me to actually knead anything, which is why I haven’t made any pies or pizzas recently either. (This kitchen is actually bigger than my last one, as 1-1/2 people can fit in it at the same time.)

c) It’s starting to get warm out, which means keeping the oven on for hours is slowly losing its appeal. (As evidenced by this recipe, that’s not really stopping me.)

d) I’m trying to cut back on my bread eating, as part of an overall effort to shore up my diet for summer. (Trying and failing would be more accurate.)

e) There’s an abundance of bread recipes out there in the world that don’t require yeast, and a lot of them look pretty awesome.

That last reason is pretty compelling, as it turns out you don’t need any fungus to make a wide array of good bread. The Irish are all over this with their soda bread, but there’s also this gorgeous seeded bread, Mark Bittman’s beer bread, and this amazing flatbread recipe, which in its original form requires only three ingredients and three steps.

The recipe, from Top With Cinnamon (and courtesy of Nila), is amazing heavenly perfection and all the other superlatives in the world. It’s so easy that it is literally foolproof (trust me, I tried hard to break the recipe and still couldn’t) and can be gussied up a million ways — cinnamon sticks, pizza breadsticks, cheddar beer bread, rosemary-garlic focaccia … SO. MANY. IDEAS. In its almost-original form, it’s got a crisp and craggy exterior and a plush interior, with a nice balance between the malty, caramelly flavor of the beer and the savory herbs.

I topped the flatbread with a shaved asparagus salad and my new favorite discovery: goat’s milk ricotta. It has the creaminess of ricotta plus the tanginess of goat cheese, and paired nicely with the grassy, crisp asparagus. I bought it through Fresh Direct, but if you can’t find it, either regular ricotta or softened chevre will work too. The end result is a lovely spring lunch, no yeast necessary.

Asparagus and Ricotta Flatbread
Flatbread recipe adapted from Top With Cinnamon; topping adapted from Just a Taste

The original recipe calls for self-rising flour, but if you don’t have that, you can easily make it with baking powder and salt (as listed below). I also swapped in some whole wheat flour for some of the AP, used oil instead of butter and added Italian seasonings. Next time, I might stir a bit of Pecorino in there and a little black pepper.

For the flatbread:

– 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour

– 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

– 1 tablespoon baking powder

– 1 teaspoon salt

– 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (or a mix of dried oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil, etc.)

– 1 12-ounce bottle beer (I used an Ommegang Abbey ale)

– 1/4 cup olive oil

1) Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a baking sheet and set aside.

2) Mix the flours, baking powder, salt, Italian seasoning, beer and olive oil in a large bowl. Knead a few times until the dough comes together (it may be very sticky). Drop it onto the greased baking sheet and form it into a 12-x-9-inch flatbread.

3) Par-bake for 30 minutes while you prepare the toppings.

For the toppings:

– 1 pound asparagus

– 2 tablespoons olive oil

– salt and pepper, to taste

– 1/4 cup Pecorino

– 1/2 cup ricotta (I had a bit less, and used goat’s milk ricotta)

1) Using a vegetable peeler, create thin strands of the asparagus — you can leave the tough stems on, and use them as a “grip” while peeling the asparagus.

2) Once the asparagus is peeled, toss in a large bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper and Pecorino.

3) After the flatbread has baked for 30 minutes, remove it from the oven and spread the ricotta in a thick, even layer. Top with the shaved asparagus salad, then return to the oven for an additional 7-10 minutes, until the flatbread is completely baked through and the asparagus has begun to char slightly. Slice into small squares and serve warm.