A super easy, soft, light and fluffy flatbread recipe that is really versatile and perfect for beginners to bread making.
Let me paint a picture for you here. You are making an Easy Flatbread Recipe that starts with a bowl of soft, puffy, yeasty dough, and ends with warm, soft, fluffy flatbreads straight off the griddle or skillet and stuffed straight into your mouth.
Because not eating them while they are all puffy and warm is quite frankly pretty impossible. I tried and I lost. Welcome to carb heaven.
If yeasty recipes scare you, please be brave, trust me, like you have done with my No Knead Focaccia Bread, and give this one a try. It’s really super easy. As long as you follow my instructions step by step you will be making flatbreads like a boss in no time at all!
This flatbread recipe is kind of like homemade pita bread and a bit like naan bread. If you like both of those you will love it.
They are really soft and pliable.
Look at that! And because they are so soft and pliable they are really versatile.
Here are some suggestions for how to use them:
– eat them alone just as they are while freshly cooked – so good!
– eat them with hummus or other dips
– top them with whatever you fancy – how about my spreadable vegan feta cheese or vegan cream cheese with piles of peppery arugula and sliced tomato?
– use 2 to make a sandwich instead of regular bread
– fold them or roll them and stuff. Kids love them spread with peanut butter and jelly or peanut butter and banana, then rolled up.
– turn them into mini pizzas: add a schmear of marinara sauce or tomato paste, some vegan cheese, toppings of choice and bake at about 400°F (200 °C) for about 7 – 10 minutes
– brush them with melted vegan butter or vegan garlic butter
– serve them as a side with salads, soup or curry
You name it, this flatbread recipe works with it!
What do you need to make this flatbread recipe?
To make flatbreads you need just some basic ingredients. They are:
- all purpose flour or bread flour
- yeast
- salt
- sugar
- oil
- and water
How to make flatbread
SEE MY VIDEO FOR A VISUAL GUIDE. FOR INGREDIENTS & FULL DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST
This simple flatbread recipe is made in just a few easy steps.
STEP 1
Activate your yeast (full details are in the recipe), or if you use instant yeast you can skip this step
Step 2
Add the flour and salt to a large bowl and mix them together
Step 3
Add the oil, yeast mixture, remaining water and mix together with a spoon, then get your hands in and bring it all together right there in the bowl.
Step 4
Leave it alone, put your feet up, and let the yeasties get busy for 1 hour
Step 5
Break into pieces and roll out into rough circles or ovals
Step 6
Then throw each one on a hot griddle or in a large skillet for a couple of minutes each side. They start off flat
but bubbles start to form very quickly
Some puff up massively like balloons but once they come off the griddle they deflate and become flat again.
and then onto the good part: Your first bite of warm, fresh off the griddle, soft, yeasty flatbread … and yes that’s me stealing one …..
Flatbread success tips
Make absolutely sure that your yeast is fresh and active
Be sure to use all purpose flour or bread flour. All purpose gives slightly softer results. If you are in the UK use strong flour.
Make sure your griddle or skillet is nice and hot for ultimate puff and fluff
Follow the recipe closely and as always with recipes involving flour, I highly recommend you use a kitchen scale. Cup measurements are not accurate enough to get the best and consistent results, but if you do need to use them, spoon the flour into the cup then level off the top with a knife without compacting it or shaking it down. By doing it like this you will get roughly the correct amount. If you scoop the flour up into the cup, you will end up with much more than was intended.
Digital scales are available at most big grocery stores and all kitchen supply stores. You can pick one up for around $10. They are a great investment and are so worth having! I have this one:
Flatbread recipe variations and add-ins
Flatbread recipe variations and add-insThese flatbreads are great plain, but can be switched up with many different flavour variations.
Garlic and Herb – Add 2 minced cloves of garlic and 1 tablespoon of dried mixed herbs to the dough
Cumin – Toast 1½ teaspoons of cumin seeds in a hot pan for a minute or two to release the flavours, let cool then add them to the dough
Red Pepper Flakes – Add 1 teaspoon (or more) of spicy red pepper flakes to the dough
Cilantro – Add a handful of chopped cilantro leaves to the dough
Rosemary – Add 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary to the dough
Cinnamon Sugar – Make the flatbreads as they are, and while warm brush with melted vegan butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
Make pizza dough!
One more very special thing you can do with this recipe, is turn it into pizza dough.
How?
Well, just make it exactly as described until it has been left covered in the bowl for one hour. Then, instead of shaping into flatbreads, shape into a big pizza or a couple smaller ones, and while the dough is still raw, top with pizza sauce, vegan cheese and whatever else floats your boat, then bake in a really hot oven (about 450 °F (225 °C) on a pizza stone if you have one, but on a regular baking tray if you don’t, until cooked through and crispy.
Perfect fluffy pizza here we come!
Want more easy bread recipes?
For more great bread recipes, check out these very popular reader favourites:
No Knead Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread
Easy Flatbread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast , or instant/quick action yeast
- approx 1 cup & 1 tablespoon / 255 mls warm water (not hot!) , divided (Somewhere between 95°F and 115°F is fine). You might not need all of it.
- 2 teaspoons sugar , white sugar or cane sugar
- 2½ cups / 310 g all purpose flour or bread flour , (strong flour in the UK)
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 3 tablespoons / 45 mls olive oil , or any other liquid oil like vegetable, avocado, sunflower etc
Instructions
- If you are using active dry yeast you first need to activate it. (If you are using instant or quick action yeast skip to the next step). In a small jug or bowl, add the active dry yeast, the sugar and about 120 mls / ½ cup of the warm water. The water should be somewhere between 95°F and 115°F. If you drop some on the inside of your wrist it should feel warm but not hot. Stir it together and leave for 5 or 6 minutes. It will take about 2 to 3 minutes for the yeast to become thoroughly dissolved and 2 or 3 more for it to begin to show signs of life and start bubbling. Once that has happened you are set to continue.
- Add the flour and salt to a large mixing bowl. If you are using instant or quick action yeast add the sugar. Mix together. Next add the yeast mixture or instant/quick acting yeast and the oil. Stir it all together with a spoon then add just enough of the remaining water to form a slightly sticky dough (you might not need all of the water and you may need a tiny bit more). Keep stirring as you add it, then start using your hands to bring it all together. The dough will stick to your hands at first but keep kneading it around in the bowl until it comes together in a ball. If you prefer you can use a stand mixer but it's so quick and easy by hand that I never bother. If the dough feels too sticky, add a little more flour. It should only take 2 to 3 minutes of relaxed kneading to get a smoothish ball of dough. It doesn't need kneading as thoroughly as a loaf of bread might.
- Scrape the ball of dough loose from the bowl with your fingers and lift it out for a second, then with your other hand, pour a drop of oil into the bottom of the bowl. Put the dough back in and turn it all around so all sides have a layer of oil. Run a clean dish towel under warm water and wring it out, then place it over the top of the bowl. Leave on your kitchen counter for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, lightly flour your work surface and tip the dough out onto it. Punch the air out of it, then form into an even round ball. Using a sharp knife, cut into 6 evenly sized pieces. Roll each one into a ball then use a rolling pin, roll each ball into a disc or oval shape about 3-4 mm thick.
- Heat a griddle, skillet or frying pan over a medium high heat for a few minutes until very hot. No oil is necessary. Gently and carefully place each flatbread on the hot surface (you can do more than one at a time if you have space). Stay close by as it all happens pretty fast. Watch as bubbles start appearing and it puffs up. After 2 to 3 minutes, use a spatula to gently peek underneath Once the underside is golden in places (or slightly charred if you prefer - just cook for slightly longer) flip it over and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side. Wrap the cooked flatbreads in a clean dish towel to keep extra soft, or place on a cooling rack. Continue until they are all cooked.
Long time vegan, creator of A Virtual Vegan & author of the book 
Ada says
Dear Mel. I have been making these flatbreads very often lately – we live in Germany and being now in quarantine one must use some imagination while cooking for a family in a healthy way: we find the recipe easy to follow and it is such a versatile kind of bread.
We have used different kinds of flour, different toppings and all with good results: just baked as it is, flat with no additional ingredients fits well with soup and baked as a pizza it is indeed very delicious. Our last positive achievent while baking these was something new for us all: same dough but instead of toppings like tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese we used almonds, walnuts, sesame seeds, dry fruits and lightly springle it with brow sugar, cinnamon and butter. Amazing! Thank you Mel for all your great recipes.
A Virtual Vegan says
You’re welcome Ada. I’m really pleased you are enjoying the recipe!
Tomi says
Is it possible to use sourdough starter instead of the yeast?
A Virtual Vegan says
You could easily make flatbreads with sourdough starter but without testing it I can’t say how much starter would be required in this recipe. Also instead of an hour of rising you’d probably be looking at more like a minimum of 6, possibly up to 8 hours or several days if it’s kept in the fridge.
It would be better to find a recipe that already uses starter instead of yeast. That way there would be no guess work involved and you’ll be more likely to get a good result first time round.
Fed says
Can we use whole wheat flour?
A Virtual Vegan says
They will work with wholewheat but they won’t be as light and fluffy. Half whole wheat half white is a good compromise!
Jenall says
Delicious!! these turned out great !! Exactly what I was looking for … my kids are picky and they gobbled these up :-)
Thank you for sharing this 👍🏻
Naomi Pierson says
Good tasting, clear instructions, easy to make
Morgan Payne says
I am a bit confused re the use of yeast. My understanding is yeast is a living organism, therefore not vegan. Please can you clarify? Thank you.
A Virtual Vegan says
Yeast is vegan. It’s a fungus just like mushrooms are. It’s a single celled organism with no central nervous system.
Kelly says
Thank you so much for this recipe. I used to use another flat bread recipe but it uses yogurt and my son now needs to be dairy free. We tried this just this morning using gluten free flour with some psyllium husk powder. Turned out great! He was one happy child.
Susan says
My flatbreads didn’t turn out as pretty yours but they were delicious! Great recipe – thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
Mine don’t either when I’m not making them for the camera! ;O) Glad you enjoyed them!
KS says
Can these be made without the oil?
A Virtual Vegan says
They can be made without the oil, although they won’t be quite as soft and fluffy and they won’t keep as long because oil acts as a preservative in bread. They also might not puff up as much while they are cooking. If you do omit it you might find you need to add an extra 2 or 3 tablespoons of water to make up for the liquid loss.
Marcia says
We are fortunate to have a Breville “Air” oven. One of the settings is for “Proofing” dough. I haven’t tried making bread or anything else that needs to use the setting. Can I switch letting it sit out and using the Proofing setting? If so, do you have any idea how long and what temperature? If not, that’s okay, I’ll just do it as prescribed in the recipe. These really look amazing! Thank you for all your delicious recipes & ideas!
A Virtual Vegan says
A proofing setting on ovens like that uses heat to speed thing up. I’m not a fan of this because it affects the flavour of the finished bread. In the time that the dough is proofing good bacteria are developing, sugars are breaking down and fermentation is happening. When you speed things up you lose that so your bread won’t taste as good.
You really don’t need heat for the process unless you are in a rush. A normal room temperature kitchen (in a spot that is draft free) is absolutely fine and you will get much better tasting bread.
These flatbreads only take an hour to prove anyway so you won’t be saving yourself that much time.
If you really did want to use it though you certainly could but it won’t take long at all. You would need to catch the dough just before it’s doubled in size. As for temperature I’d say no more that 23 °C / 75 °F. If dough gets too warm the yeast will expand more quickly than the gluten structure then your flatbreads won’t puff up when you cook them and they will end up heavy.
Hope that helps!
Holly says
This was amazing. The best flatbread I have ever eaten. I did double the sugar just to give it a bit more sweetness. This is a simple and delicious recipe for the best flatbread I have ever eaten.
A Virtual Vegan says
I’m really pleased you enjoyed them Holly!
Denise says
I made these today to go with my vegan meatballs and they are fantastic! I made mine with Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour and even though they didn’t rise like AP flour ones would have, they still came out perfect! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Clara says
I’ve made these flat breads for the 2nd time and just wanted to let you know how delicious my husband and I think they are. They’re so soft and absolutely perfect for dipping into hummus! A recipe that I will come back to time and time again I’m sure. :-D
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Clara. I’m really pleased you are both enjoying them!
Dinah Woodger says
I have to be gluten free – is there any flour that will work, or is it just impossible without ‘traditional’ flour?
Melanie McDonald says
I haven’t actually tried this recipe with anything other than regular flour and don’t really have much experience with baking bread gluten-free so I’m not sure how they would turn out. I would imagine though that with a good like for like gluten-free flour and maybe some xanthan gum they would be ok.