Amaranth flatbread with fig, sweet corn, and shallot cream sauce. And also basil. Try saying that 5 times fast! I try to avoid using recipe titles that are literally just a list of the ingredients, but I have to admit I can’t think of anything more concise for this one.
We have been getting more and more settled in with our new kitchen (amazing how long that can take, right?). Due to the wacky, cold weather we’ve been having, we’ve also been enjoying evenings in the backyard with the grill. By cold, of course, I mean that it’s only in the low 80’s, which is quite strange for August. Often I’ll chop up and season an assortment of seasonal vegetables, throw them on the grill, and call it a meal, but this time around I made something a little more formal. This flatbread recipe works perfectly fine in the oven, as well, if a grill isn’t easily available.
I started with an amaranth flatbread dough that’s very similar to my white bean pizza dough. Like in that recipe, this is about half and half with amaranth flour and whole wheat flour. It’s a great approach to incorporating different grains into the meal while still taking advantage of the properties of wheat. Okay, technically, like quinoa, amaranth is a seed – not a grain. But anyway. I chose amaranth in particular because the nutty, slightly malty flavor complements sweet summer corn. Amaranth is high in protein and in lysine, a nice addition to your diet. If you don’t have amaranth flour, you can use the white bean dough (linked above), or simply use all whole wheat flour. This dough is very flexible and easy to work with.
There’s a more close-up shot of the toppings. 🙂
Once the amaranth flatbread was crisped up, I topped it with this amazing shallot cream sauce. I based that recipe on my favorite cashew “mozzarella”, with a few modifications to give it a better texture for pizza. Then we added sliced black mission figs and freshly-grilled summer sweet corn. After that all went on the grill for a few more minutes to get the sauce all melty and delicious, it’s topped with fresh basil. A celebration of summer!
At the market this past Saturday I bought at least a gallon of sweet summer nectarines. I’ve got a very special nectarine (dessert!) recipe to share later this week. Until then, happy Monday!
Amaranth Flatbread with Fig, Sweet Corn, and Shallot Cream Sauce
Ingredients
For the amaranth flatbread dough:
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar (or other sugar)
- 2 and 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet / scant 1 tbsp)
- 1 cup amaranth flour (or additional whole wheat flour)
- 1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour plus more for kneading
- 3/4 tsp salt
For the vegan shallot cream sauce:
- 1/4 cup raw cashews soaked overnight
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 shallot diced
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp tapioca starch
For assembling the flatbreads:
- 12 fresh black mission figs sliced
- 1 cup cooked corn kernels
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
To prepare the amaranth flatbread dough:
- Stir together the water, sugar, and yeast. Set aside for a few minutes until it starts to get foamy (this is to verify that the yeast is working).
- In a bowl, use a fork to stir together the amaranth flour, whole wheat flour, and salt until fully combined. Pour in the yeast mixture. Stir everything together until a homogeneous dough is formed. It will seem pretty sticky.
- Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Either continue in the bowl or transfer to a floured surface. Knead the dough, working in additional whole wheat flour whenever it starts to stick, until the dough is smooth and a little stretchy. 4-6 minutes. Though it won't be as elastic as 100% wheat dough, you should still be able to see formed strands of gluten throughout it.
- Cover the dough with a damp towel and set in a warm place to rise for 60-90 minutes, or until approximately doubled in size.
- Punch down the dough, divide in half, and transfer to a sealed container or Ziploc bag in the fridge, until ready to use. The dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before using.
To prepare the shallot cream sauce:
- Get a small saucepan ready. Puree all ingredients in a blender or food processor until completely smooth.
- (optional) If you don't have a high-powdered blender, you will want to pour the mixture through a mesh sieve into the sauce pan, using a spatula to get all of the liquid through. This will filter out any tiny cashew pieces that didn't get fully pureed.
- Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently (but not constantly). The mixture will start to thicken and look kind of chunky. Keep stirring and cooking until it smooths out again.
- Turn the heat to low, cook for 1-2 more minutes, and then remove from the heat. Once cooled, you can store in the fridge until you're ready to use it. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To prepare the amaranth flatbread:
- Set out the dough at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before using (if stored in the refrigerator).
- Roll out one of the halves of the dough (on a floured surface if needed) into a disc.
- (GRILL OPTION): Place the dough onto a lightly oiled cast iron skillet. Place on the center of the grill and cover the grill. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the dough starts to pull away from the bottom of the pan a bit.
- (GRILL OPTION): Spread the shallot cream sauce on the base of the flatbread, add half the figs and corn, and return to the grill. Cook for another 5-8 minutes, or until the dough is cooked through and the sauce is melted. Remove from the heat.
- (OVEN OPTION): Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the flatbread in a cast iron skillet or on a lined baking sheet for about 8 minutes, until starting to crisp up.
- (OVEN OPTION): Spread the shallot cream sauce on the base of the flatbread, add half the figs and corn, and return to the oven. Cook for another 7-10 minutes, or until the dough is cooked through and the sauce is melted. Remove from the heat.
- Top with basil, salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
- Repeat with the remaining half of the dough as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Poppy says
That is stunning!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks, Poppy!
Lena says
This was my first try with vegan “cheese” and I loved it, great taste with the shallot and garlic. Thank you for the recipe, I shared an adaption on my blog (of course with a link to your recipe), made with tomatoes, olives, red onion and basil.
Also the amaranth in the dough was delicious, thank you for this inspiration.
http://engelchens-probierstuebchen.blogspot.de/2014/08/Pizzavegan.html
Lena
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Ihre Pizza sieht super lecker aus! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed the recipe and I love the toppings you chose.
rika@vm says
Wowwwwza, this is one yummy kind of a flatbread pizza! It looks so pretty with these black mission figs, corn and basil leaves and ahhh, need that shallot cream sauce! I love shallots in creamy sauce and pasta, must try this on a pizza! 😉
flavourphotos says
I would LOVE to eat this right now, looks so good! I’ve never used amaranth flour before so that’s something new for me to look out for. Thank you for sharing this at the VVLP.
Have you still got lots of nectarines left? I’ve been adding lots of fruit like peaches, nectarines and mango to my salads recently… one of my favourites.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I have to admit I ordered the amaranth flour online hoping to experiment with it – I think any flour would probably work with this recipe though. And yeah! I actually added peaches to my zucchini noodle salad the other week and it was a great combo. So nice to use fresh fruit to add a punch of sweetness to a dish – instead of adding sugar. I am also more than happy to just eat the nectarines straight up, plus used a few of them in the dessert recipe I’m sharing tomorrow 🙂
Amy @ Parsley In My Teeth says
Wow Shannon! This really looks amazing. Great job!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thank you, Amy!!
Chitra Jagadish says
Wow! This picture is beautiful! I love the idea of adding figs to bread! Really great recipe…looking forward to trying it out this weekend!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks so much, Chitra! There’s nothing like fresh figs 🙂
Annie says
Wowee, mama! What an incredible combination of ingredients! Thanks so much for sharing it at the weekly Potluck!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks, Annie!
CakePants says
Wow, this looks so fancy, like it came out of the kitchen of a trendy gourmet restaurant! What a lovely creation!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
That’s such a nice compliment, thank you!! 🙂
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
This looks fantastic! I understand about the naming thing too…sometimes, listing ingredients just has to do it 🙂
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks =]
Vaishali says
Those are some amazing flavors you have going on there! I love the vegan shallot cream sauce — it sounds totally yum and my mouth’s watering just thinking about those flavors of basil, corn and figs scattered on top of the pizza.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks so much! Ah, I just love how summer foods just seem to go together effortlessly 🙂
Cheryl says
Whoa. How insanely elegant is this?! The shallot cream sauce, the use of figs – I’m so impressed. Well, not impressed, because I’ve learned to expect this from you! But still, just gorgeous. Definitely making this once my figs come in in the backyard! They’re always late bloomers.. and I’m not so patient. It’s an interesting duo..
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
You flatter me too much, Cheryl! Thank you =] That’s really badass that you have figs growing in your yard. So far from my garden this year I have picked a single cherry tomato. So, not going that well. Hah.