How long it takes: just under 2 hours (includes time for the dough to rest) Equipment you’ll need: large bowl, heavy skillet Servings: makes 8 flatbreads Goes with everything. What meal isn’t made more perfect with the addition of freshly made yeasty bread? It’s delicious with this roasted romaine salad with crispy chicken and tomatoes. With homemade hummus, flatbread is a perfect dipper, too. Or wrap dill chicken salad in a homemade flatbread. Yum! It’s great with beef stew or chili, too, or anything with a little extra gravy or sauce. Makes an awesome pizza crust. Is your family as crazy about homemade pizza as mine?! Often I buy frozen balls of dough from the grocery store, but these flatbreads are a great alternative. Just add pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, and favorite toppings for a delicious homemade pizza. My kids love the fact that each flatbread can be made into a personal pizza with exactly the toppings they like. Fun to make. My friend Megan shared this flatbread recipe from King Arthur Flour and I love it! It takes a little time to make but it’s mostly hands off time. Your kids will enjoy participating in the bread making process and it tastes so good when it’s fresh and hot off the griddle. (If you’re liking this idea, be sure to try homemade flour tortillas, too!)
How To Make This flatbread recipe
Hydrate the flour. With this flatbread recipe, you’ll be using the autolyse method. Mix part of the flour with boiling water and let it rest for half an hour. Why? This method fully hydrates the flour and activates the gluten. It reduces kneading time and results in more volume and a better crumb structure. Bread making is such a science! I am learning all the time. Knead and let it rise. After this first step, you’ll add the remaining ingredients, knead the dough, and let it rise for an hour. Roll the dough out. You’re up to the fun part! This is the part that kids really love to help with. Divide the dough into 8 balls. After the dough has another brief rest, you flatten each ball into a roundish shape. Irregular shapes are just fine; like my daughter learned in art class, these shapes are called “organic” shapes. Bake on the stovetop. You don’t even have to turn the oven on to bake this bread so there’s no need to heat up your kitchen. You bake it on a griddle or hot skillet, about 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until it’s flecked with brown and slightly puffed up. How fun is that!
How To Serve Flatbread
Naan, pita, wraps, or chapati. Homemade flatbreads would work just like any of those commonly used breads, only better, because you make them yourself. It doesn’t get much fresher or wholesome than that! “Grilled cheese”. Flatbreads are delicious with cheese sprinkled on it and popped under the broiler for a minute or two, kind of an open-faced grilled cheese. Go fancy with this ricotta flatbread with bacon, squash, apples, and maple pepitas! Breakfast. Try buttering a warm flatbread and sprinkling a little cinnamon sugar on it for a breakfast treat. We love to pile scrambled eggs and bacon on toasted flatbread. Pizza. Use individual flatbreads as pizza crust with all of your favorite toppings piled on. Bake at 400°F for 5 to 10 minutes depending on how high you piled your toppings. Sandwiches. Fill it with your favorite sandwich filling, whether it’s deli meat and cheese, or tuna salad. Fold it in half and enjoy.
Storage & Reheating Tips
Storing: Homemade flatbread will keep for two to three days at room temperature. Be sure it is completely cool before storing it in an airtight container or bag. It freezes well, too, and will keep for up to a month. Reheating: Flatbread can be reheated in your toaster, toaster oven, or regular oven. Wrap it in foil if you like it to be soft; for a crisper bread, leave it unwrapped.
