Whole Wheat Flat Bread with Nigella Seeds

One of the studies that were discussed at the 2009 Annual Meeting of American Association of Cancer Research was that thymoquinone in nigella seeds reduces the release of inflammatory mediators in pancreatic cancer cells. Since I believe that inflammation is the root of most western disease I will incorporate anything that I can into our diet that may help to reduce inflammation.

The obvious question is how to incorporate more nigella seeds into our diet? In the past I have only used nigella seeds when I make Indian dishes. I love their slight onion flavor, crunchy texture and black color and decided to add some to my whole wheat flat bread. My plan is to use the flat bread to hold the almond based feta cheese I made yesterday.

This is my 100% whole wheat bread recipe. The basic dough (without nigella seeds) is a very versatile dough that I use for pizza, focaccia, and flat bread. I have only included the directions for flat bread in this post. I will include pizza and focaccia directions in the future.

Whole Wheat Flat Bread with Nigella Seeds

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups warm water (105 - 110 degrees)
2 1/4 teaspoons active yeast
1/2 teaspoon agave or sugar
4 cups of whole wheat flour or 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 2 cups of sprouted whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons nigella seed

Directions:

Combine water, yeast and sweetener and allow to stand until yeast has bloomed (a foam has formed on the top of the water). This means the yeast is alive.

Add remaining ingredients and stir and knead to thoroughly combine. Add the optional dried herbs before you begin to knead, if using. If you keep your flour in the freezer you may need to add a little additional water to moisten all the dry ingredients. If using the optional olives or tomatoes mix those in at the end of the kneading process and mix evenly into the dough.

Move the dough to a greased bowl. Lightly grease the top of the dough. Cover the dough with a damp towel or plastic film and move to a draft free place to double in size. I find the microwave to be a great place to store the dough while it rises, which normally takes between 1 and 1 and 1/2 hours.

Once the dough has doubled in size it needs to be punched down.

For flat bread: preheat your oven, and pizza stone, to 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Next, divide the dough into sixteen even portions and form each segment into a ball. Cover the balls with plastic film and allow to rest at room temperature for at least five minutes. Once the dough has rested roll the dough into a circle until the crust is approximately an 1/8 inch thickness. The dough will rise and become thicker as it cooks. When the oven is thoroughly preheated move the crust, without the toppings, to the pizza stone and cook for at approximately 4 minutes. You want the dough to be cooked through, brown on the bottom, but not turning brown on the top.

Update:

A few people has asked where I get my nigella seeds. I order my unusual spices from an on-line company by the name of Zamouri Spices. They have a great website with many products. I have been very please with the freshness and quality of their products. If you aren't familiar with them you should check out their site.