Homemade flatbread tastes the best. I love making it myself because it turns out moist, soft, and fluffy.
Is it easy to make your own flatbread?
Yes, it’s easy! All you need is five simple ingredients, which you probably already have: flour, baking powder, salt, yogurt, and oil. You just mix it up in a bowl, knead the dough, let it rest, roll out the rounds and then cook them in a skillet.
The process is really simple, from start to finish – just follow my easy instructions below. If you can make pancakes you can make flatbread! This is a fun recipe you could even make with kids.
How to use flatbread
It’s so versatile and can be used in many meals. Try it with my Chicken Shawarma with Garlic Sauce.
Other ways to serve flatbread are with souvlaki, kofta, falafel, Indian curries, soups, saucy meals, for a pizza base, or simply for scooping up hummus, tzatziki or raita dips.
This flatbread is soft and pliable making it easy to fold or roll up around your filling. If you want pliable flatbread for folding or rolling, immediately stack the hot rounds on a plate and cover with a kitchen towel. If you prefer flatbread that is crispier on the edges, then cool the rounds on a rack.
As soon as the flatbread comes hot off the skillet, my family will typically tear off pieces to taste and eat them quicker than I can make them! For this reason, I often make a double batch.
Kneading and resting the dough
The kneading is important as this is what creates the structure of the dough. Flour contains proteins that form into gluten when kneaded which is what allows the dough to stretch. After you knead it, make sure you let the dough rest so the gluten can re-distribute which makes for easier stretching and rolling.
Use a cast iron skillet
Ideally, you want to cook the flatbread in a cast iron skillet but if you don’t have one, any non-stick skillet will work. Keep in mind, if using other types of skillets, you may have to adjust the cooking time as the heat may penetrate differently.
Make ahead and reheat or freeze
Flatbread can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for a few days. When needed, place flatbread on a plate, cover with a kitchen towel and microwave on medium-high heat for 30 seconds.
The flatbread can also be frozen so you’ll conveniently have some on hand to thaw and warm up whenever you need it. Thaw the flatbread first then reheat it following the refrigerated flatbread directions.
Here’s a great tip for freezing flatbread: place a piece of parchment paper between each round before packaging them for the freezer. This way you can pull out one frozen flatbread at a time. I love doing this when I need just one round for a quick lunch.
Have fun making flatbread!
Yogurt Flatbread
Simple flatbread recipe with only five ingredients. Cook on a stove with a cast iron or non-stick skillet. The result is tasty, soft and fluffy.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup Balkan-style plain yogurt
- 3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil (divided)
Instructions
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In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add yogurt and 1 tablespoon of the oil. With a spatula stir until the ingredients are combined and the dough becomes ragged.
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Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead until the dough binds into a ball. Continue kneading pushing it down and then outward using the heals of your hands. Rotate the dough and repeat the process, kneading for about 1 minute. The dough should remain slightly moist and tacky but become smooth. Sprinkle only small amounts of additional flour as necessary as too much flour results in tougher flatbread.
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Divide the dough into 6 equal size pieces. Knead each piece into a smooth ball. Transfer the balls to a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for 20 – 30 minutes. This allows the gluten to re-distribute and makes for easier rolling.
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On a lightly floured work surface and with a floured rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6” - 7” round about ⅛” thick. Sprinkle only small amounts of flour; the dough should be slightly tacky but smooth. Leave the rounds on the work surface in a single layer.
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Meanwhile, heat a 9” cast iron skillet over medium heat until hot. Add 1 teaspoon of the remaining oil. Cook one round at a time until the bottom starts to bubble and becomes golden-brown in spots. This should take about 1 or 1 ½ minutes. Flip the round over and cook until golden-browned in spots – about 1 more minute. If the flatbread starts to bubble up, press it down with a spatula. Check browning at all times. Wipe out the skillet with a sheet of paper towel between each flatbread.
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Repeat process with remaining rounds and remaining oil, reducing heat as necessary as the skillet will build heat.
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For pliable flatbread suitable for folding or rolling, immediately stack them on a plate and keep wrapped in a kitchen towel. For crispier flatbread cool the rounds on a rack.
[…] take this shawarma over the top – I also developed an easy-to-make Yogurt Flatbread. This flatbread is soft and pliable which makes it perfect to wrap shawarma […]