I have been curious about this recipe for a while. And it wasn't until last week that I gave it a try. Extremely easy, fast to do, gluten-free... and deliciously customizable!
All you need are 3 basic ingredients: red (split) lentils, water, and a good pinch of salt.
Wash the lentils thoroughly. It might take you 5-6 runs for that. The water you soak the lentils in mustn't be murky. After the rinse, I soaked my batch for about 4-5 hours because I was busy but you can go for as little as 30 minutes. Place in your blender cup with fresh water and mix for about 1 or 2 minutes. Add your seasoning, i.e. salt, and blend again. You can add whatever spices you fancy to customize your mix. It can be cumin, nutritional yeast, paprika, herbs, raisins, etc.
Let your "batter" rest until it thickens. This might take around 5-7 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your skillet over medium heat. When hot, add some vegetable oil so that the bread doesn't stick. Pour your batter into the pan and cook for the same amount of time on each side. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes for each. Make sure to stir your batter well every time before pouring the portion into the skillet. And because the batter contains no fat, make sure to spray your pan every time so that your bread doesn't stick to it.
Usually, the flatbread is soft and can be served as a naan, a wrap, or even a taco. If you want to use the lentil bread mix as a pizza base, make a thicker "dough" -about 5-6 centimeters- and then bake it in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius. Don't add the toppings right away. Allow the base to solidify first. This might require 4-5 minutes. Make sure that the heat is not too high. If you have leftovers of the flatbread or the pizza, you can conserve them in the fridge for a few days, not more.
Note that if you are using green or brown lentils for this recipe, you will need to soak them overnight as they are harder to crush. But the rest of the process remains the same. As to serving this flatbread, feel free to create whatever gets your taste buds going: from hummus to pesto, peanut butter to bananas, or even guacamole. Give it a try and let me know all about it!
Bon appétit 😋
