If you haven’t tried making homemade flatbread you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy and fun it is to make! This versatile bread can be served in many ways and can be customized with a variety of ingredients such as herbs, spices, seeds, or cheese to add flavour and texture. This is a great recipe that the whole family will love!
There are many different types of flatbreads around the world, each with its own unique characteristics and regional variations. Some examples include pita bread, naan, tortillas, and lavash. This particular homemade flatbread is dairy and vegan free, making it a great option to serve guests with dietary restrictions.
Ingredients
This homemade flatbread recipe is made with 5 simple ingredients, you may even have everything at home. I like to use active dry yeast, this way I always know my yeast is ‘active’ and ready before getting too deep into the recipe. You can buy yeast at your local Bulk Barn store and buy as little or as much as you like. Make sure to store yeast in a dark coloured jar in the refrigerator (and mark the date when you bought the yeast).
- Active dry yeast
- Warm water
- All-purpose flour
- Oil
- Salt
- Fresh herbs (optional)
Flatbread Varieties
Make flavoured flatbread by adding your favourite herbs, garlic, seeds or cheese to the dough.
How To Use Flatbread
Get creative and make your own flatbread variations by adding your favourite toppings. It can be as simple as brushing the bread with butter and garlic powder or making it a fun pizza night with your own crispy flatbread. Here are some more ideas to help you along the way:
- Make individual pizzas
- Wrap kabobs or make sandwiches
- Dip into hummus, baba ghanoush or tzatziki sauce
- Serve with curry or rice dishes
- Serve with Greek pasta salad
Tips for the Perfect Flatbread
- Make sure your water is at the right temperature to activate your dry yeast, approx. 100°–110°F. If your water is too cold or too warm it will affect the yeasts’ activity.
- When letting the dough proof (rise) use the time allocated as a recommendation. No two kitchens/homes/or spaces are the same in temperature. Your dough may take one hour to rise or two. This can be because of how active your yeast is, how much you kneaded the dough and/or the proofing temperature. Look for dough that is doubled in size before continuing.
- Try and keep all the dough balls the same size. This will help with nailing down the correct time for each cooked flatbread, making your life a lot easier! It also makes for unified and professional looking flatbread.
- The trickiest part is getting the frying pan or griddle at the correct temperature. You want the pan to be hot enough that the flatbread immediately starts to cook but not so hot that it burns and crisps the bread.
- Use a cast iron pan (or a large skillet) for even cooking.
- Avoid oiling the pan, instead oil the flatbread a little bit so the bread doesn’t get ‘deep fried’.
- Use vegetable oil to cook flatbread. Do not use olive oil as it will burn.
Storing Homemade Flatbread
Store cooled flatbread in resealable plastic bags and keep at room temperature for approx. 2 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days. Freeze flatbread in an airtight container and place wax paper or parchment paper in between each flatbread. Flatbread will last for up to 3 months frozen. Let bread come to room temperature to defrost.
How To Make Homemade Flatbread
Step One: Bloom your yeast. In a small bowl add warm water, yeast and sugar. Let rest until foamy and frothy. In a large mixing bowl add flour and salt, mix together. Add yeast mixture and oil to the dry ingredients. Using a fork mix until dough is ragged. Turn out onto a work surface and bring dough together. Knead dough for approx. 5 minutes until smooth and elastic and shape into a ball. Place the ball into a greased bowl and cover to let rest until doubled in size.
Step Two (optional): While the dough rests make your herbed butter (click here for the full recipe). Add fresh chopped herbs to a bowl (such as basil, thyme, parsley, oregano, chives). Add room temperature butter and mix until smooth and well incorporated. If using unsalted butter add sea salt.
Step Three: Once dough has doubled in size remove from the mixing bowl and divide dough into 6 equal pieces. Use a kitchen scale if you have one.
Step Four: Heat your frying pan, cast iron skillet, or griddle pan. Using a rolling pin, roll dough into approx. 7-inch ‘circles’. Lightly oil one side of the dough and place oiled side down in the hot pan. Cook for approx. 1 minute or until golden brown. Meanwhile, carefully oil the other side of the flatbread, flip and cook for another minute. Remove the cooked flatbread to a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep bread warm. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Brush with herbed butter if using.
Homemade Flatbread
These thin homemade flatbreads are soft and chewy with a light, neutral flavour. They make a great addition to use as a base for pizzas, wrapped around fillings for sandwiches or wraps, or served as a side dish alongside dips and spreads.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 2 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil or sunflower oil
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl add warm water, yeast and sugar. Let sit for approx. 10 minutes until mixture is frothy.
- In a large bowl add flour and salt. Mix to combine. Add yeast mixture and oil. Mix until ragged.
- Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface. Using your hands, knead the dough for approx. 5 minutes (you’ll want to knead the dough a little less than you would regular bread). Shape dough into a ball.
- Grease a large bowl with oil and roll the dough to cover the entire ball in oil. Cover with plastic wrap (I like to use a clean shower cap that I can reuse) and let the dough rest in a warm draft free place until doubled in size, approx. 1-2 hours.
- Once doubled in size turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and cut into 6 equal pieces. If you have a scale use it to make equal sized pieces. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean tea towel and let rest for 20-30 minutes.
- Using a rolling pin, roll one piece of the dough into a thin 7 inch round (if the dough is springing back and difficult to roll then the dough isn’t ready, let it continue to rest a further 10 minutes).
- Heat a frying pan or griddle on medium to low heat until hot.
- Lightly brush the top of the rolled out dough with oil. Then place it oiled side down in the hot frying pan. Cook until the dough starts to blister and is lightly browned, approx. 1 minute. Meanwhile, brush the other side of the bread with oil. Flip using tongs and continue to cook a further 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Transfer the flatbread to a plate and cover with a clean tea towel to keep the bread warm.
- Repeat with the remaining dough (keep the dough covered at all times so it doesn’t form a skin).
- Brush bread with herbed butter, garlic butter, or keep it plain.
Notes
Store cooled flatbread in resealable plastic bags and keep at room temperature for approx. 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Freeze flatbread in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
For a thicker flatbread double recipe and cut into 8 pieces.Â
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 1.1g
- Sodium: 314mg
- Fat: 4.9g
- Saturated Fat: 0.9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 25.2g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3.6g
- Cholesterol: 0
FAQ’s
Flatbread and naan are very similar but are made with different ingredients. Flatbread is typically made with flour, water, oil, salt and sometimes with yeast. Naan is a specific type of flatbread that is traditionally made with wheat flour, yogurt, water, yeast, and sometimes other ingredients like ghee. It can often include seasoning such as garlic or herbs. Because of these ingredients, naan is fluffy and soft compared to basic flatbreads that can be crisper and a little more dense.
Yes, you can use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast. The ratio and technique will differ a little. The recipe calls for 1 1/4 teaspoons of active dry yeast, use 1 teaspoon instant yeast instead. Then add all ingredients together and knead as directed. There is no need to ‘bloom’ instant yeast.
Yes, you can use a stand mixer with the dough hook instead of kneading by hand. Be careful not to overmix the dough when using the mixer.
This blog post has been sponsored by Bulk Barn Canada where you can find all your baking needs! All opinions are my own and I’m so happy to work with brands I love so I can continue to share these recipes with all of you! I hope you guys get to a Bulk Barn soon and try out this recipe.
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