Metropolitan Bakery’s favorite recipe for April is the black olive and thyme matzah. It comes just in time for the holiday, but won’t require hours slaving in the kitchen–maximum family-bonding time!
Note: The matzah recipes is not kosher for Passover.
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for preparation
½ cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups cold water
Directions:
1. At least 20 minutes before baking, place a large baking stone on the center oven rack. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, olives, thyme and salt. Add the water and stir just until the dough comes together. Do not knead. Scrape the dough onto a flat surface; divide into 4 or 8 equal pieces. Gently shape each piece into a round.
3. Place 1 piece of the dough on a lightly floured surface; sprinkle top with flour. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a roughly shaped 6 inch or 12 inch circle, one-eighth thick. Flip the dough over and sprinkle with flour as needed to prevent sticking. (Do not worry about making the circle perfectly round. It will look more authentic with imperfections.)
4. Sprinkle a baker’s peel or the back of a baking sheet with flour. Carefully slide the matzah onto the peel. Prick lightly with a fork. Slide the matzah onto the baking stone. Bake 3 minutes. Flip the matzah onto the other side. Bake 3 to 4 minutes more or until it is tinged golden brown and has blistered slightly. Transfer the matzah to a wire rack and cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. The matzahs will finish crisping as they cool.
Makes 4 twelve-inch matzahs or 8 six-inch matzahs.
