I decided to make this on a whim last week to see if it would be a suitable Thanksgiving Day appetizer. It passed! I am not making squash casserole this year, and I haven’t heard back from the family yet if broccoli casserole is in the works, so I decided to still incorporate them in a fun, new way: a flatbread!
This yummy flatbread is slightly chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside. It has a roasted garlic white sauce and is covered in Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheeses! It is a great appetizer for any time of year, but especially when you want to sneak in a little something healthy before a big meal.
I decided to make this gluten-free since I’ve been experimenting with gluten-free baking. I consulted with my two local experts, Hanna, who writes with me at Haute|31, and her sister Kristen who is studying nutrition and has already mastered gluten-free baking due to the sisters’ sensitivity to wheat. They gave me a great list of gluten-free flours to mix in order to enhance my gf baking journey, but my local grocery store didn’t have all those flours. Until I can get them, I just picked up a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pizza Crust mix.
Broccoli Squash Flatbread Recipe yields 10-12 slices
Dough:
8oz GF Pizza Crust mix half the bag, not using the included yeast
1C water
1/4C shredded parmesan optional
2T olive oil
1 flax seed “egg” or substitute one large egg
2t garlic salt
1t dried parsley
1t dried or fresh thyme
sprinkle of cornmeal
White Sauce: inspired by Emeril
1.5C milk
9 cloves of roasted garlic
2T butter
2T gf flour buckwheat or potato would work well
1t garlic salt
1/2t cayenne pepper
Toppings:
1 small yellow squash
1 head of broccoli
1/2C shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2C shredded Romano cheese
Optional: parsley and extra cheese for garnish
I chose to use a flax seed “egg” in this recipe instead of an actual egg, in case you would like to make this a vegan flatbread by eliminating the cheese (I’ve made this recipe with both 2% milk and almond milk and had equal results.)
Begin by preheating the oven to 425. In a mixing bowl combine the water, oil, and egg or flax seed egg.
Mix until combined. Then add in the pizza crust mix, herbs, garlic salt, and Parmesan if using. Be sure not to over mix the flour.
Once everything is well mixed, it should look like this.
Gluten-free dough tends to be very sticky so I sprayed the pan, spatula, and my fingers with oil to spread, thin, and shape the dough.
This is the type of dough that will not change once you stick it in the oven, so make sure it is the exact shape and thickness that you want it to be. Bake it for 10-12 minutes.
While the dough is pre-baking, make the white sauce. Begin by heating 1 cup of milk in a saucepan on medium and in a separate saucepan heat the butter on low. Once the butter is completely melted, mix in the flour with a whisk and keep whisking for 1-2 minutes straight. Slowly add in the warm milk while maintaining the whisking motion. Once all the milk has been added, toss in the garlic salt and cayenne and bring to medium heat.
Once it begins to boil, add the roasted garlic cloves and sauce into a food processor and process until smooth. At this point, decide if you want to thin the sauce out with more milk.
Once the sauce is to your liking, chop the vegetables and grate the cheese.
Once the bread has cooled slightly, spread the sauce atop it.
Then top with the vegetables and half the cheese.
There’s enough sauce to do a second layer of sauce and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 20-22 minutes.
Serve while hot and garnish with additional grated cheese and a sprinkle of parsley. Enjoy! And Happy Thanksgiving!!!
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