How to Make Homemade Flatbread

It’s been a long time coming, this recipe. With the love of easy vegetarian flatbread pizzas around here at FITK, it’s a surprise it’s taken me this long to post my own flatbread recipe. If you’ve ever wanted to make your own for those quick and easy weeknight pizzas, this is the recipe you’ve been waiting for!

The dough is easy to make, and you don’t need to mess with sometimes finicky yeast, because this is a no-yeast recipe. It’s also naturally vegan and can be rolled thin into a crispy flatbread to top, or it makes the most beautiful naan-like flatbread, perfect for topping individual pizzas.

It’s not just a turn-into-pizza recipe either. Although, you know my heart (and stomach) do go straight to pizza.

This flatbread is perfect for dunking in lentil soup and sopping up each last bite of delicious broth. It makes the perfect dipping vehicle for green olive tapenade or whipped ricotta, and you can 100% enjoy it wrapped up and filled with delicious pita sandwich fixin’s.

What You Need to Make Homemade Flatbread

5 simple ingredients are all you need to make this easy homemade flatbread in less than 20 minutes (and let’s be honest, most of that is a little rest time!). I’m willing to bet you’ve got them already in your kitchen, too. Let’s see…

• All-Purpose Flour – there’s not much to say about the flour except for this: please weigh it out to measure. You will end up incorporating a little more flour throughout the kneading and rolling process, so it’s important to not get too much flour when you initially measure it out. If you can only use measuring cups, make sure you sift and scoop the flour in, not packing it down whatsoever.
• Baking Powder – helps to create the air bubbles in the flatbread and gives the bread its lift.
• Fine Sea Salt – if you are using regular table salt, you should halve the amount.
• Olive Oil
• Lukewarm Water

What is the Difference between Pizza and Flatbread Pizza?

Flatbread in general is thinner than typical pizza dough, and because this version is made without yeast, it comes together much more quickly. Flatbread pizza is simply flatbread with pizza toppings, so in the end, there isn’t much difference at all.

You can make flatbread pizza with crispier crust, or leave it a little thicker for a softer crust. It’s quick, simple, and an easy alternative to making homemade pizza dough.

Mixing Flatbread Dough

Making flatbread is really as simple as 1,2,3! Whether it’s a weeknight that needs some delicious carbs, Friday night pizza night, or a lazy weekend, this recipe will deliver.

First, start by mixing the dry ingredients. This gives you the perfect place to start, knowing the ingredients are fully combined. And don’t forget to weigh out the flour to measure it…

Then, gently stir in the wet ingredients. I like to use a spoon to start, until a shaggy mixture forms (photos 3-4). Then, I go all-in with my (clean!) hands and continue to combine the dough. At first, it may seem too dry, like all the clumps are not coming together. Don’t add any more liquid just yet! Keep kneading the dough and it should all come together and result in a soft, supple dough.

At this point, you’ll likely need to start sprinkling flour on your surface and your hands to continue kneading the dough so that it doesn’t stick. Move quickly while kneading to prevent it from sticking, too.

Once the dough is soft, supple, and tacky but not stubbornly sticky, place it back in the bowl to rest for 10-15 minutes. I recommend covering it, too, so that it doesn’t dry out at this point.

If you’re making naan pizzas with flatbread, now would be the perfect time to prep your topping ingredients.

Rolling Out Homemade Flatbread

After the dough has rested, divide the dough in two. Please see the notes below for serving size, as you can adjust this dough depending on the texture of the crust you prefer, and how thin you’d like the flatbread. For right now, we’re walking through 2 servings, that will result in flatbread in similar texture and size to store-bought naan.

I recommend using a scale to weigh the dough and see what each piece should weigh. This will give you the most evenly sized flatbreads, however, you can totally eyeball it too.

Once you have the section of dough, sprinkle additional flour on your work surface so the dough doesn’t stick while rolling it out. Use a rolling pin – big, small, or a wine bottle – to roll the dough into an oval that’s approximately 7 inches by 9 inches, and about 1/8 inch thick.

Do your best to roll the dough as evenly as possible, so it is the same thickness all around.

How to Cook the Flatbread

There are two options when it comes to cooking this flatbread: on the stovetop, or par-baking it before adding pizza toppings.

To mimic using store-bought naan and turning it into a flatbread pizza, I highly recommend going the stovetop route. I would also recommend this method if using flatbread to serve alongside curries, soups, or otherwise. It provides a soft, fluffy flatbread texture with beautiful bubbles and slightly crispy edges.

Get a large cast-iron skillet hot, preparing it over high heat to do so. If your cast iron isn’t seasoned well, you may want to lightly – very lightly – oil it, using only a half teaspoon or less of olive oil. The flatbreads cook best when there isn’t much oil or none at all.

They will get crispier the hotter they cook, which also increases the risk of tearing if folded. If you plan on using the flatbreads to make pizza, this isn’t a problem. But if you want to wrap the flatbreads into pitas, you may want to reduce the heat when cooking in order to keep them completely soft and pliable.

Cook the dough on high for a couple of minutes until starting to turn golden brown. You will also notice bubbles developing on top as the first side cooks. Flip the flatbread and cook for an additional 2 minutes or so, depending on how hot your pan is, removing once golden brown.

Making Flatbread Pizza

Once the flatbread has cooked on the stovetop, it’s ready to be turned into an easy naan flatbread pizza! Be sure to see notes about par-baking the crust to make it into a pizza without the stovetop method, however, I prefer cooking it on the stovetop and then baking it like a pizza.

It allows the crust to get crispier and develops those lovely air pockets. It’s also the most comparable to my many flatbread recipes that start with store-bought naan.

From this point, you simply need to top the flatbread with your pizza toppings, then bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown and crispy, as desired.

You can easily prepare the flatbreads ahead of time, too, which means a quick dinner is in your future!

To par-bake the crust, then make it into a pizza, you can use the entire dough recipe or divide it into 2-4 pieces, depending on how crispy you’d like the crust. The more sections you divide the dough in, and the thinner you roll them, the crispier they will be.

Once you’ve baked the rolled dough for about 8 minutes until set, you can add your sauce and toppings, then continue to bake until the edges are golden brown. Again, the crispiness will depend on how thin it is rolled.

Recipes to Use with Flatbread

I’ve already mentioned some of my favorite ways to use flatbreads, and to recap, it’s turning them into easy weeknight pizzas. I also love serving them with hearty soups that I can dip them into, like Broccoli Butternut Squash Soup or Homemade Chili.

They’re an excellent option to serve alongside dips like Jammy Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Spread, Lazy Girl Tzatziki, or Creamy Artichoke, Kale, and Leek Dip.

But now about those pizzas. I have quite a few homemade flatbread pizza recipes on FITK already that can be made using homemade or store-bought flatbreads.

• Mediterranean Flatbread
• Bruschetta and Burrata Flatbread
• Artichoke and Arugula Flatbread
• Grilled Peach and Pesto Flatbread
• Grilled Corn, Burrata, and Pesto Flatbread
• Citrus Pesto Flatbread Pizza
• Zucchini, Corn, and Brie Flatbread
• Margherita Flatbread Pizza
• Rosemary Potato Breakfast Pizza

Frequently Asked Questions

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!

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But wait!

This recipe is part of our collection of easy flatbread pizza recipes. Check it out!

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