A super easy, soft, light and fluffy flatbread recipe that is really versatile and perfect for beginners to bread making. Made on the stovetop or outside on the grill!
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"Fantastic Bread. My son who lived in The Middle East, could not get his favourite pita, so I made him a batch of these flatbreads. He loved them and asked if I would make more. Great recipe!" - Michael ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
Let me paint a picture for you...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! If you really don't want to use yeast though check out my quick and easy no yeast flatbreads instead.
Mel x
Let's Make Fluffy Flatbreads!
Can't wait to make this simple flatbread recipe? Gather your flour, yeast, salt, sugar, oil, and water and let's go! See the recipe card for the full and detailed version, or check out my recipe video to watch me make it.
1 - Activate the yeast (full details are in the recipe). Skip this step if you are using instant/quick action yeast.
2 - Add all of the ingredients along with the yeast together in a bowl and knead for a few minutes to form a dough. This recipe doesn't involve the amount of kneading a loaf of bread does. Let it rest for an hour while you put your feet up.
3 - Cut into pieces and roll out into rough circles or ovals
4 - Throw each one on a hot griddle or in a large skillet for a couple of minutes each side.
Bubbles start to form very quickly.
Some bubble gently and others puff up like balloons but once they come off the griddle they deflate and become flat again. And then it's on to the good part: Your first bite of warm, fresh off the griddle, soft, yeasty flatbread ... and yes that's me stealing one .....
I cook these outside on the grill all summer too. I've included directions in the recipe card!
You can use all purpose flour or bread flour to make this recipe. All purpose flour makes softer, less chewy flatbreads than bread flour. Both are great though! Note that if you are in the UK you need to use strong flour.
Serving Suggestions
You name it, these flatbreads work with it! Some ideas:
- Eat them with curry hummus, beet hummus along with some spicy roasted cauliflower and call it dinner.
- Top with vegan feta cheese or vegan cream cheese, piles of peppery arugula, sliced tomato, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.
- Turn them into mini pizzas: Spread with marinara sauce or tomato paste, some vegan cheese, toppings of choice and bake at about 400°F (200 °C) for 7 to 10 minutes.
- Brush them with melted vegan butter or vegan garlic butter and serve with curry.
- Serve with salads and soups.
Variations
This is a really versatile recipe. You can switch it up with all sorts of flavorings:
- 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.
Recipe
Easy Flatbread Recipe
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1½ teaspoons active dry yeast , or instant/quick action yeast
- approx 1 cup & 1 tablespoon (255 mls) warm water (not hot!) , divided (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 grams) all purpose flour or bread flour , (strong flour in the UK)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoons (45 mls) olive oil , or any other neutral 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 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).
- Use your hands to bring it all together and knead gently for 2 to 3 minutes to form a smooth slightly tacky 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 a clean work surface and tip the dough out onto it. Form into a round ball. Using a sharp knife, cut into 6 even pieces. Roll each one into a rough ball then use a rolling pin, roll each ball into a disc or oval shape about 3 to 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 it's 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 trap the steam and keep them really soft.
- Continue until they are all cooked.
TO GRILL/BBQ
- Follow the recipe until step 5 so you have your dough ready and rolled out into circles/ovals.
- Place the flatbreads straight onto the cooking plates of a very hot preheated to high gas grill. If it has a lid close it for 3 minutes. Then open and check the bottoms. Turn the flatbreads over when there are some nice grill lines. If no lid cook until puffy with grill lines then turn. Cook for a further 2 minutes or until there are grill lines, then remove and wrap in a clean dish towel to trap the steam and keep them nice and soft until serving.
NOTES
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Laurie says
This was very easy and very delicious!
Kim van Greunen says
Absolutely stunning recipe. So easy & worked first time....thank you! Im looking through the other comments & love the idea of toppings, will try that.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Kim! I'm really pleased you're enjoying the recipe and thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review/rating!
Susan Maxey Townsend says
Have you tried any gluten free flours?
A Virtual Vegan says
No I haven't.
Dolma says
This is a really delicious recipe! I had never made flatbread before, but the instructions and recipe were so easy to follow that they turned out so well! I added 2 gloves of garlic and Thyme for some extra flavour.
I'm never going to buy flatbread from the shop again!
Thank you!!!
A Virtual Vegan says
Yay! I'm rally pleased you enjoyed them so much! One downside of making your own is that shop bought just don't compare and you have to keep making them yourself ;O)
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!
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?