By Tracey Ceurvels, contributing writer

The word nigella might bring to mind an image of the cookbook author Nigella Lawson, but in fact, nigella is the name of a not-widely-known spice that’s grown in India and Egypt. These triangular, jet-black seeds are often confused with black sesame and onion seeds, but nigella is distinct with its own unique flavor: smoky and mildly bitter.

In my quest to incorporate this unusual spice into a recipe, I followed suit with how it’s frequently used in India and Turkey: sprinkled on flatbread. It’s such a pleasure to have warm, just-grilled bread for nibbling with dips, spreads, cheese and charcuterie: an ideal lunch, in my opinion.

Although this flatbread recipe is simple, making any kind of dough does require time and attention. Therefore, I suggest making it when you have a long stretch of time to keep your eye on the dough. If you want to begin preparing it in the evening, however, you can refrigerate the dough, covered, overnight. And one other tip: roll out the dough so it’s on the thin side, that way it won’t come out too thick and chewy.

Once the dough has risen and you’re ready to cook, have your favorite dips and snack foods ready to serve, so you can enjoy the bread while it’s still warm. I made sweet potato/chickpea purée and tzatziki, a Greek yogurt dip, to enjoy with my nigella seed flatbread.

Flatbread with nigella seeds
Makes 4 pieces

Ingredients
1 ½ cups warm water
½ teaspoon active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon nigella seeds (or as desired)

Make the Bread
Mix water and yeast in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Gradually pour in 2 cups of the flour and stir to combine. Stir for about 1 minute to form a sponge. Let stand, covered (I use a kitchen towel), for an hour and a half.

Oil a bowl with olive oil. When the hour and a half has passed, place the sponge in the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the dough hook on medium speed. Add the salt and oil, then add the flour, slowly, to form the dough. Remove from bowl and knead together. Place in the oiled bowl and let rise, about 3 hours. Divide dough into 4 balls, let rise again for ½ hour, and then roll out as desired. Grill in a pre-heated griddle pan or cook in a frying pan for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Sprinkle dough with desired amount of nigella seeds.

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