I tried a new grocery store on my way home from work and found that they had
skirt steak, so I got a couple family packs. Now I've got to figure out
what to do with them. I'm thinking fajitas, but I'm not in a tortilla kind
of mood. Maybe I'll try this wrap-bread recipe, gotten from somewhere on
the Internet. (It currently resides at a King Arthur Baking subsidiary site,
www.toptastes.com/features/kingarthur/soft.htm, but I probably got it from
some other now-defunct web site. I've had the recipe for a couple years, but
I still haven't tried it.)

================================================== ==========================
Soft Wrap Bread

Let's start with the sandwich basic: bread. There's sandwich bread -- a
rectangular loaf, baked in a pan and sliced -- and then there's "new age"
sandwich bread, any of a variety of tortillas, wraps or flatbreads designed
to enfold, roll around, or cradle their fillings. We've become really
enamored of these wraps; they're easy to make, quick to bake, and sturdy
enough to take wherever your meal ends up -- indoors, outdoors, or in the
car.

We use a rather unusual method to make this bread: boiling water is added to
the flour, "cooking" the starch and making the resultant dough soft and easy
to roll out. In addition, pre-cooking the starch this way eliminates any
possibility of a "starchy" taste in the final bread; all in all, we find
these wrap-like rounds better tasting than conventional flour tortillas or
other wraps. Texture-wise, they're more like a Taco Bell Gordita or a pita
bread than a tortilla, so if you like the bread in your sandwich to be a
substantial part of the whole, this is a good recipe for your files.

3 to 3 1/4 cups (12 3/4 to 13 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) boiling water
1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) potato flour OR 1/2 cup (5/8 ounces) potato buds or
flakes
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon instant yeast*

*This recipe works best with instant yeast because it dissolves during the
kneading process, so you don't have to knead liquid into the dough. If you
really prefer to use active dry yeast, use only 1 cup boiling water for the
initial dough, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, and add this
mixture to the dough along with the potato flour mixture. It'll be somewhat
"slippery" at first, but will knead in and eventually become smooth.

Making the Dough: Place 2 cups of the flour into a bowl or the bucket of a
bread machine. Pour the boiling water over the flour, and stir till smooth.
Cover the bowl or bucket and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the potato flour (or flakes or buds) and
1 cup of the remaining flour with the salt, oil and yeast. Add this to the
cooled flour/water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes (by hand,
mixer or bread machine) to form a soft dough. Note: You can allow the dough
to go through the entire kneading cycle(s) in the bread machine, but it's
not necessary; about a 5-minute knead in the machine, once it gets up to
full kneading speed, is fine. The dough should form a ball, but will remain
somewhat sticky. Add additional flour only if necessary; if kneading by
hand, keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled. Let the dough rise,
covered, for 1 hour.

Shaping: Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each about the size of a handball,
around 3 ounces), cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Roll each piece
into a 7- to 8-inch circle, and dry-fry them (fry without oil) over medium
heat for about 1 minute per side, until they're puffed and flecked with
brown spots. Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly,
or too slowly; cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center,
while too slowly will dry them out. Transfer the cooked breads to a wire
rack, stacking them to keep them soft. Serve immediately, or cool slightly
before storing in a plastic bag. Yield: 8 breads.

================================================== ==========================

For those who have never tried a Taco Bell gordita, the bread bears a
superficial resemblance to pita bread, but is much softer. In fact, it's
downright floppy. I'm hoping that this bread lives up to its billing,
because I think that's what I'm in the mood for. I'll marinate the steak in
a mixture of lime juice, California chile powder, and Maggi sauce, then I'll
grill it along with oil-brushed scallions, zucchini, yellow squash, and red
bell pepper. I got some decent-looking tomatoes and one of those monster
papayas, too; I'll probably make a simple salsa from the tomatoes and a
jicama-papaya salad/relish-type thing, especially if I make some simple
beans and rice to go along with it.

Bob

On 14 Aug 2005 08:33:12 -0500, Bob wrote:

> I tried a new grocery store on my way home from work and found that they had
> skirt steak, so I got a couple family packs. Now I've got to figure out
> what to do with them. I'm thinking fajitas, but I'm not in a tortilla kind
> of mood.

The last time I was at Safeway, I glanced at the tortilla section and
noticed they even have spinach tortillas. IMO: that's as "wrappy" as
anything! Have you thought about trying soft lavosh? If you can't
buy it soft, you can easily soften it up.

sf wrote:

> The last time I was at Safeway, I glanced at the tortilla section and
> noticed they even have spinach tortillas. IMO: that's as "wrappy" as
> anything! Have you thought about trying soft lavosh? If you can't
> buy it soft, you can easily soften it up.

This gordita bread is much thicker than a tortilla or lavash. It's about
the thickness of a pancake (though it doesn't thin near the edges like
pancakes do), and it can soak up juices in a way that lavash or tortillas
can't. That's why I think I like it better than tortillas for fajitas.

Bob

On 14 Aug 2005 18:28:02 -0500, Bob wrote:
>
> This gordita bread is much thicker than a tortilla or lavash. It's about
> the thickness of a pancake (though it doesn't thin near the edges like
> pancakes do), and it can soak up juices in a way that lavash or tortillas
> can't. That's why I think I like it better than tortillas for fajitas.
>
Taco Bell Gordita is a new one to me, but if it's anything like pita
(which I split), it's similar to lavosh. No biggie if you don't want
to consider soft(ened) lavosh, it was just a suggestion.

"Bob" > wrote in message
...
> I tried a new grocery store on my way home from work and found that they
had
> skirt steak, so I got a couple family packs. Now I've got to figure out
> what to do with them.

Rouladen. An old German dish, skirt steak rolled around bacon and stuff and
braised. Very tasty way to do up fairly tough meat.

My Grandma used to do it, she emigrated from Germany at age 14 around 1900
on a sailing ship that took many weeks, arrived with the clothes on her back
and some recipes. My dopy aunts seem to have lost her recipe books but you
will find the dish on Google.

David

Bob wrote:
>
> I tried a new grocery store on my way home from work and found that they had
> skirt steak, so I got a couple family packs. Now I've got to figure out
> what to do with them. I'm thinking fajitas, but I'm not in a tortilla kind
> of mood. Maybe I'll try this wrap-bread recipe, gotten from somewhere on
> the Internet. (It currently resides at a King Arthur Baking subsidiary site,
> www.toptastes.com/features/kingarthur/soft.htm, but I probably got it from
> some other now-defunct web site. I've had the recipe for a couple years, but
> I still haven't tried it.)
>
> ================================================== ==========================
> Soft Wrap Bread
>
> Let's start with the sandwich basic: bread. There's sandwich bread -- a
> rectangular loaf, baked in a pan and sliced -- and then there's "new age"
> sandwich bread, any of a variety of tortillas, wraps or flatbreads designed
> to enfold, roll around, or cradle their fillings. We've become really
> enamored of these wraps; they're easy to make, quick to bake, and sturdy
> enough to take wherever your meal ends up -- indoors, outdoors, or in the
> car.
>
> We use a rather unusual method to make this bread: boiling water is added to
> the flour, "cooking" the starch and making the resultant dough soft and easy
> to roll out. In addition, pre-cooking the starch this way eliminates any
> possibility of a "starchy" taste in the final bread; all in all, we find
> these wrap-like rounds better tasting than conventional flour tortillas or
> other wraps. Texture-wise, they're more like a Taco Bell Gordita or a pita
> bread than a tortilla, so if you like the bread in your sandwich to be a
> substantial part of the whole, this is a good recipe for your files.
>
> 3 to 3 1/4 cups (12 3/4 to 13 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
> 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) boiling water
> 1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) potato flour OR 1/2 cup (5/8 ounces) potato buds or
> flakes
> 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
> 2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) vegetable oil
> 1 teaspoon instant yeast*
>
> *This recipe works best with instant yeast because it dissolves during the
> kneading process, so you don't have to knead liquid into the dough. If you
> really prefer to use active dry yeast, use only 1 cup boiling water for the
> initial dough, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, and add this
> mixture to the dough along with the potato flour mixture. It'll be somewhat
> "slippery" at first, but will knead in and eventually become smooth.
>
> Making the Dough: Place 2 cups of the flour into a bowl or the bucket of a
> bread machine. Pour the boiling water over the flour, and stir till smooth.
> Cover the bowl or bucket and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.
>
> In a separate bowl, whisk together the potato flour (or flakes or buds) and
> 1 cup of the remaining flour with the salt, oil and yeast. Add this to the
> cooled flour/water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes (by hand,
> mixer or bread machine) to form a soft dough. Note: You can allow the dough
> to go through the entire kneading cycle(s) in the bread machine, but it's
> not necessary; about a 5-minute knead in the machine, once it gets up to
> full kneading speed, is fine. The dough should form a ball, but will remain
> somewhat sticky. Add additional flour only if necessary; if kneading by
> hand, keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled. Let the dough rise,
> covered, for 1 hour.
>
> Shaping: Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each about the size of a handball,
> around 3 ounces), cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Roll each piece
> into a 7- to 8-inch circle, and dry-fry them (fry without oil) over medium
> heat for about 1 minute per side, until they're puffed and flecked with
> brown spots. Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly,
> or too slowly; cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center,
> while too slowly will dry them out. Transfer the cooked breads to a wire
> rack, stacking them to keep them soft. Serve immediately, or cool slightly
> before storing in a plastic bag. Yield: 8 breads.
>
> ================================================== ==========================
>
> For those who have never tried a Taco Bell gordita, the bread bears a
> superficial resemblance to pita bread, but is much softer. In fact, it's
> downright floppy. I'm hoping that this bread lives up to its billing,
> because I think that's what I'm in the mood for. I'll marinate the steak in
> a mixture of lime juice, California chile powder, and Maggi sauce, then I'll
> grill it along with oil-brushed scallions, zucchini, yellow squash, and red
> bell pepper. I got some decent-looking tomatoes and one of those monster
> papayas, too; I'll probably make a simple salsa from the tomatoes and a
> jicama-papaya salad/relish-type thing, especially if I make some simple
> beans and rice to go along with it.
>
> Bob

Is skirt steak the same as flank???? brisket???? Tia Sharon

Sharon asked:

> Is skirt steak the same as flank???? brisket???? Tia Sharon

Skirt steak is also called "hanger" steak. It's the diaphragm muscle of the
steer. It's extremely lean and flavorful, but can be tough if not prepared
correctly. Like flank steak, cutting across the grain of the meat is one of
the keys to making it tender.

Bob

Bob,

I think you're wrong. Skirt steak and hanger steaks are different.
Skirt steaks are very fatty, hanger steaks are not.

You have to remove all the outside fat. It usually comes trimmed but
never enough. They are good marinated but I'd rather begin to cook
them, then once browned, put on some duck sauce or teriyaki sauce,
some garlic...etc I usually like meat rare to medium rare but skirt
steak can go longer because that way the fat melts out.

I also like it with ketchup. I never use ketchup on steak except for
skirt steak.

alan

PS: After I wrote this, I looked on Google and some sites say they
are the same but I don't think they are. Skirt steak has more fat
like the thick cut of brisket has more than the thinner cut. Check
out these sites:

http://www.foodsubs.com/MeatBeefB&F.html and this one:

http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Ar...5,5112,00.html




On 18 Aug 2005 08:08:10 -0500, "Bob" >
wrote:

>Sharon asked:
>
>> Is skirt steak the same as flank???? brisket???? Tia Sharon
>
>Skirt steak is also called "hanger" steak. It's the diaphragm muscle of the
>steer. It's extremely lean and flavorful, but can be tough if not prepared
>correctly. Like flank steak, cutting across the grain of the meat is one of
>the keys to making it tender.
>
>Bob
>

On Fri, 19 Aug 2005 10:19:17 -0400, alan wrote:

> http://www.foodsubs.com/MeatBeefB&F.html and this one:

Aha! Now I know what that "roast" I bought "back in the day" was made
of: several hanger steaks bound together with butcher's twine to form
a roast. It was very, very good!