Hand-Pulled Flatbread

Ingredients

• 200 g plain flour
• 100 ml boiling water
• 50 ml cold water
• 15 ml vegetable oil
• 3 g salt
• 1 egg
• 30 g lettuce
• 30 g ham
• 1 cheese slice

Method

Make a scalded-dough base by pouring 100 ml of boiling water directly onto 200 g of plain flour in a bowl. Stir until fully hydrated and no dry flour remains — this rough mass is what you want. Once it cools enough to handle, add the 50 ml of cold water and knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. The boiling water gelatinises the starch, creating a softer, more pliable dough than standard bread flour alone would give; the cold water then allows proper kneading development. Cover and rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.

Divide into two 150 g portions and roll each into a tight ball. Flatten with a rolling pin into a disc roughly 3 mm thick, brush the entire surface with vegetable oil, then sprinkle salt evenly across. Roll tightly from one edge to create a spiral log, then coil the log inward to form a snail shape. Rest for a further 10 minutes — this allows the gluten to relax so the dough doesn't snap back when you flatten it again. Re-roll each coil into a thin sheet, 2–3 mm thick and as even as you can make it. The oil in the dough creates lamination that keeps the layers distinct during cooking rather than merging into a single dense cake.

Place a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat with enough oil to coat the base. Once the oil shimmers, lay in the flatbread. You're looking for a pale gold, not deep brown — too much colour means the interior stays doughy. Flip after 2–3 minutes, when the underside shows scattered freckles of deeper colour. The second side needs 90 seconds to 2 minutes. The surface will bubble and puff slightly as steam pockets form; that's correct. Transfer to a plate.

Layer the hot flatbread with a fried egg, fresh lettuce, sliced ham, and a single cheese slice. Roll tightly and serve immediately. The residual heat from the flatbread melts the cheese and wilts the lettuce slightly — both desirable. If the dough tears when you roll it, it's overworked; rest it for another 5 minutes before your next attempt.