I love flatbread! I prefer mine with a crisp crunch, but if it is a bit on the softer side I don’t really mind. Flatbread is so much like thin crust pizza which I love, and if we are being honest they are pretty much the same thing! A thin bread crust with toppings….the only difference I can come up with is typically the flatbread has the crispy cracker like crust-after that your guess is as good as mine! So call it what you will, but I have a really easy flatbread crust, that I love to make, and love to eat! It mixes up in matter of minutes, bakes in about 10ish minutes (or more if you like it crispier), then you add your toppings of choice (the possibilities are endless) and then back in the oven for another 10-ish minutes! It is worth making it at home and not buying a flatbread crust at the store…I promise! You can also try my Chicken Bacon Avocado Flatbread…you will love it!
Heat your oven to 425 degrees. To start, grab a mixing bowl and add the water, sugar, and yeast. Make sure the yeast activates and gets nice and foamy. Then add salt and olive oil. Next comes the flour, which is never an exact measurement. Start out by adding a little at a time. I have always used 3/4 cup so that is pretty safe to start with, but I never have gone over a cup of flour. (That being said, you be the judge and add enough that the dough starts to pull away from the side of the bowl but is still slightly sticky). Mix it all up, and now on to rolling it out.
I use a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (not to be confused with wax paper). I love parchment paper…..I mean LOVE. Silicone baking mats are great, but I love that parchment paper makes for an easy peasy clean up, usually without having to wash the pan or the fancy baking mat! And yes, you can argue the baking mat saves you money in the long run, which it does, although parchment paper is pretty cheap- it’s just a personal preference, especially with baking-and I digress! If you aren’t using parchment paper or a baking mat then make sure you grease your baking sheet so it doesn’t stick to it
Roll out your dough on a lightly floured surface (or right on your parchment paper) rolling it into a rectangle, about 8×11…give or take. There is really no set measurement, it all depends on your preference. Bigger/thinner will make a more crunchy flatbread, while smaller/thicker will give you a slightly chewier crust! After your roll it out to your desired thickness/size, then place it on your baking sheet, and poke holes all over it with a fork. Bake for 10-15 minutes, time may vary based on your oven. Length of baking time is again up to you (it will go back in the oven once toppings are added, so keep that in mind). If you bake it for 10 minutes the crust won’t brown much, but it will be done. I usually go for the entire 15 minutes and it perfectly starts to brown and get a little crispy.
Next comes the toppings! There are so many ways you can go with this! Below are a few ideas. You will top your flatbread with whatever you choose, then put it back in the oven at 425 degrees until it is done to your liking. Here are a few ideas:
Chicken Bacon Avocado: Garlic Aioli, pepper jack or mozzarella cheese, cooked chicken, bacon, topped with green onions, avocado after baking and a ranch-sriracha drizzle.
BBQ Chicken Bacon: BBQ sauce, cooked chicken, bacon mozzeralla cheese, green onions after baking if desired
Pizza Flatbread: Pizza sauce, pepperoni, sausage or whatever pizza topping you like
Chicken Alfredo: Alfredo sauce, cooked chicken, bacon, topped with green onions after baking
Greek Chicken: cooked chicken, crumbled feta, artichoke hearts, red onion, olives, cherry tomatoes (halved), and topped with a tzatziki sauce after baking
Veggie: Alfredo sauce or Garlic Aioli with your choice of veggies
Breakfast Flatbread: butter spread on crust, topped with cheese of choice, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage as toppings.
The possibilities are endless! You can top with whatever you can imagine!
Top your flatbread with the desired toppings. Then place it back in the oven at 425 degrees for another 10 minutes, or to your liking. The longer it bakes the crispier and crunchier the crust will be!
Hope you enjoy!
Quick and Easy Flatbread Crust
Ingredients
Flatbread dough
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp yeast
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4-1 cup flour see note
- your toppings of choice (see above for ideas)*not included in nutritional calculations
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper, a silicon baking mat, or lightly greased.
- In a mixing bowl, add the water, sugar and yeast. Let the mixture sit for about 5 minutes to activate, until foamy.
- Add the olive oil, and salt. Stir.
- Slowly add the flour, starting with 1/2-3/4 cup. Add in flour, up to 1 cup until the dough starts to pull away from the bowl and is slightly sticky.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough into a rectangle about 8 x 11. Poke the entire surface with a fork.
- Bake at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until baked to your liking.
- Remove from the oven. Top with your desired toppings.
- Return to the oven (425 degrees) and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until done to your liking.
- Cut into desired amount of pieces and serve warm!
Notes
- This flatbread is so easy to make, and can be adjusted- big or smaller, depending on the amount of people you are feeding. Just roll it out a little thinner/bigger as needed.
- If you like your flatbread chewy, then don’t bake it as long, and don’t roll it out as thin. If you like it crispy and crunchier then bake it for longer and roll it thinner.
- When you bake it the second time with toppings, you really only need the toppings to get warm and the cheese to melt, but you can absolutely bake it longer to achieve a crispier crust.
- Your flatbread can be stored in the fridge for leftovers and reheated in the microwave or in a 400 degree oven, just note crust will be a little bit chewier (but still so good)!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
