Flatbread, homemade and fresh from the oven, is simply irresistible. Once you make this easy recipe, you’ll never buy it again. This flatbread recipe makes a bread that’s soft and chewy. It’s perfect as a scoop for a dip or ideal as the basis of the main dish. This yeast bread is so versatile your family will beg you to keep plenty on hand.
Searching for the best flatbread recipe
It all started when we took our oldest son, Jason, out to lunch. He picked out a Mediterranean restaurant and that’s where we discovered flatbread and baba ghanoush. OMG!! It was so good. It was decided. We’d make flatbread and baba ghanoush as an appetizer for Easter.
On the menu was Herb Roasted Lamb, Boned Brined Roasted Turkey breast. The yeast flatbread and eggplant dip would be a great accompaniment. We needed a special sauce, Tzatziki would be it!
Our children and grandchildren are very adventuresome in the culinary department. We knew that they’d love the idea of something new.
Reading the directions
I’m sure you know the saying measure twice; cut once. The same goes for cooking. Read the directions several times and make sure the measurements are accurate.
“No way is this dough going to come together to form a ball,” said Honey. He stood behind the stand mixer, staring at the dough as the dough hook worked around and around.
“What’s the matter?” I asked. I was at the computer working on a post.
He shook his head in disgust. “The dough looks like pancake batter and I put in the right amount of flour.”
“How much water did you add?”
“What the recipe called for, 2 2/3 cups,” he answered. He picked up the printed recipe and checked the ingredients. “Ooooh! I, uh, didn’t read it right. It calls for 2/3 cup water.”
A delicious flatbread mistake
He walked back to the mixer and started adding flour. And more flour. A tiny pinch of instant yeast. Then he added a pinch more of salt. A few more scoops of flour.
This looked like a mad scientific experiment. Flour puffed up with each addition of flour to the mixer bowl.
He looked up and smiled. “It’s coming together. It feels pretty good too.” He turned off the mixer, “I’m going to let it double in size.”
“I don’t know, Honey, with the number of adjustments you made to that dough it may overflow and take over our kitchen.” I really was trying hard not to laugh. But, I’d been in the same predicament before. Haven’t we all?
Putting the flatbread together
The bread doubled in bulk in no time. It was easy to work with and I found that when I rolled it into a six-inch circle it didn’t fight me. Most of the time spent with this type of yeast bread recipe is waiting for it to rise.
We used an iron skillet to make the flatbread and it was a breeze. You cook the pancake-shaped bread several minutes on one side, then flip it over and cook the second side until it is golden and spotty brown.
This bread ended up as a pocketless pita. We transferred the pita to a plate and covered it with a clean kitchen towel and piled each pita on top of each other.
The subsequent times we made the flatbread we used two skillets because we doubled the recipe.
Flatbread a new family favorite
This yeast bread freezes like a dream. There are quite a few flatbread recipes out there and we tried a few. This one was the best. We made a total of 30 flatbread but we saved some of the dough from two of the batches and made pizzas out of it. Let me tell you, the pizzas were phenomenal!! The crust was easy to roll out and once baked it was chewy and crunchy.
Let me tell you, the pizzas were phenomenal!! The crust was easy to roll out and once baked it was chewy and crunchy.
The kids took the rest of the meat and flatbread home with them. It certainly makes this mom and dad happy to feed their loved ones.
Next recipe on the schedule is baba ghanoush. If you’ve never tasted it, you’re in for a real treat!
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Tutti a tavola è pronto.
Un caro saluto e alla prossima.
Flatbread | Easy Delicious Mediterranean All-Purpose Bread
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 3/4 cup OR 14 2/3 fl oz. warm water (about 100 degrees, warm but not hot to the touch) See NOTE
- 1/2 cup 4 fl oz. warm milk (about 100 degrees, warm but not hot to the touch)
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 6 cups 29 oz. bread flour -- keep 1/2 cup out and use as necessary.
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook mix the yeast, sugar, water, milk and 2 cups of the flour until well combined.
- Add another cup of flour, the salt, and the oil. Continue to mix. When that's mixed in gradually add the rest of the flour reserving the 1/2 cup. Continue mixing until a soft dough forms and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. The dough will be soft to the touch. Knead the dough for 5-6 minutes until it is soft and smooth.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap or shower cap. We save all of our shower caps when we travel just for this purpose. Let rise until doubled, about an hour.
- Divide the dough in half and then in half again. Out of each half measure out 8 pieces. They will be about 3 oz. each. Form each piece into a tight ball. Cover with a cloth or plastic wrap and let the dough pieces rest for about 10 minutes -- this helps the dough relax so that it's easier to roll out.
- Work with one piece at a time on a floured surface. With a rolling pin roll the dough from the center out. Turning the disc as you work. Roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thick into a 6-inch circle. Cover with cloth as you work with another.
- Heat a lightly oiled skillet to medium heat. When the skillet is hot, cook the flatbread for 2-3 minutes on the first side until it bubbles and puffs. Flip it over with tongs or spatula and cook on the second side until it is golden and spotty brown. Make sure the skillet is hot! If the bread cooks too long it won't bend and can turn out dry. The right amount of heat is 2-3 minutes per side.
- Transfer the flatbread to a plate and cover with a towel. Repeat with the remaining dough. We use two skillets so that the process goes faster.
- The flatbread can be frozen with excellent results. We let it cool and wrap each flatbread with plastic wrap. Gently reheat in aluminum foil in a low oven. Our kids didn't wait for the reheating process - they were too anxious to get to the bread.
Notes
Nutrition
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Olga says
Marisa, it’s really awesome! This will quickly become a favorite in our house!
Brenda Russell says
Question, rather than review. I don’t get why a flatbread needs yeast. As I understand it, yeast is used to make bread rise, making air bubbles in the finished loaf. If it’s flatbread, there is no loaf, and, one assumes (yes, perhaps incorrectly!) that the rise is not a part of the process. What’s the story?
Marisa Franca says
Hello, Brenda! You don’t need yeast in a flatbread. There are many recipes that are made without. In fact we have done so and didn’t care for the results as much as the one with yeast. The one without yeast was more pancake like and we didn’t care for the texture. The yeast gives our flatbread a lighter texture yet it can still hold a filling or be used as a scarpetta with a meal. It is really a personal preferance. Our pitas also have yeast in them. We like the bread texture rather than the flat dense texture of the ones without yeast. I hope I’ve answered your query.
Lisa says
hahaha. Cute story. Glad it all came together and they look delicious. I love flatbread.
Lisa
Spencer Page says
hi these look amazing but i don’t get the water amount. could you help? “1 3/4 cup 14 2/3 fl oz.”
Marisa Franca says
Hi, Spencer! The amount of water is 1 3/4 cup OR 14 2/3 fluid oz. Some people measure with oz. grams etc. so I put that in there. Does this help? If you have any additional questions just ask.
Yola Rabe says
I don’t get the liquid amount either. From New Zealand what does 14 2/3 of a fluid oz mean. I get the 2/3 of a fluid ounce only not sure what 14 refers to, especially since I have my dough made and the mixture will not take another cup and a half of flour. Should have sorted this out before I started making them with people for dinner this evening. Oh dear!
Marisa Franca says
Hello, Yola! We give the liquid in two amounts. Either in the fluid ounce or you can use the cup amount. I’ll have to go in the recipe and make it clearer. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
Yola Rabe says
Further, went with intuition and made the most amazing flat breads. Thank you so much for your recipe.
Marisa Franca says
I’m glad you like the recipe. I did go ahead and clarify it a bit more. When I switched from one recipe card to another – some of the information was left out – like the water was included in cups and fl. oz. Happy baking!
valerie ross says
Absolutely fantastic recipe. Until I discovered this I always made a yoghurt and flour flatbread. It tried this and thought of Indian naan and garlic flatbreads!! Amazing thank you ! I made some and traded carrots for the flatbread with my polish neighbours…they asked for the recipe!!
Marisa Franca says
Hi, Valerie! I’m so glad you and your neighbors like the recipe. It is so good and easy, isn’t it?
Rachel says
Made this several times! It always turns out soft and yummy!
Rota says
Thank you so much for this recipe, the flatbreads turned out absolutely delicious, so soft and tasty! Some of them I rolled out thinner and they puffed up like pita breads. I was left with nothing to freeze 🙂
Marisa Franca says
I am so glad you liked the recipe, Rota! It’s one of our grandsons’ favorite and ours too. Have a Happy New Year!
Steffanie says
When you say to divide the dough in half, then half again, are you then splitting each quarter into 4 pieces, or 8 pieces? Also, at what point would you freeze half of the dough if you want to use it later for pizza? Thanks!
Marisa Franca says
Hi, Steffanie! Yes, we are splitting each half into 8 pieces or each quarter into 4 pieces. All total you’ll have 16 pieces. I’ll have to go in and clear that up. And after you split the pieces, the dough you don’t use freeze. If you make a pizza out of it be sure it’s warm so it doesn’t fight you. Let me know how it turns out. Happy Baking!!
Amanda says
I love your story about the measurements, because I have been there myself so many times! I’ve gotten better about reading and measuring everything out before starting (and re-checking), but sometimes when I’m in a hurry, it still happens. But, I love when “delicious mistakes” happen from it. 🙂 AThese flatbreads look fantastic! The perfect texture for a sandwich, or to put on the grill in the summer.
Miranda says
I wish my family was as adventurous as yours in the culinary department. I’ve never made flatbread, but I can see myself in the same situation as your husband. I’m horrible as following directions! I look forward to giving this recipe a try!
Tina says
I’ve been wanting to try making some flatbread, but felt so intimidated! This recipe makes it all look so easy. I’m looking for some new appetizers to make for the holiday season so this with hummus or baba ganoush looks like a wonderful one to try. My kids are adventurous eaters as well, so I am sure they will love it!
Debra says
OMG….I can empathize with your son. I have been there so so so many times!! These sound incredibly simple, I will definitely give them a try. I can think of so many uses for this type of bread. Thanks.
Dana says
I really needed a recipe like this up my sleeve! All too often I’ve decided on a whim that I need pitas, whether for hummus dipping, or for shawarma, or for mini pizzas, whatever! Only to realize I’ve got none. It’s amazing to now just be able to whip some up on my own 🙂