This Flatbread Pizza Dough will make your next pizza night so easy and so much better. You can make your own dough with just 6 ingredients in less than an hour. So skip using the prepackaged grocery store flatbread baked who-knows-when!
Who doesn’t love pizza night? This flatbread dough is not too airy, not too chewy and ready for your most creative toppings, or baked plain for a great side for soups and salads. It’s less soft and spongy than this more classic focaccia bread, but it sure is fabulous with ricotta and blueberries.
Ingredients
This flatbread recipe only uses 6 ingredients – not including the toppings which can be whatever your imagination can dream up.
- AP Flour. Traditional Italian or Neapolitan-style pizza is made with fine “00-Flour”, but this flatbread can be a bit sturdier, so I use AP Flour here (plus is makes it easy for last minute pizza cravings).
- Instant yeast. Instant yeast can be found in any grocery store baking aisle. Look for a little paper packet. This gives us our air bubbles with little effort.
- Honey. Just a touch of honey helps the yeast activate. You can also use granulated sugar if you can have honey on hand.
- Olive oil. For taste and texture. A little olive oil makes for a more pliable dough so it’s easy to stretch into a thin crust. Plus browning while baking.
- Water. Some lukewarm water wakes up yeast and brings our dough together. Make sure it’s truly lukewarm, between 95-105°F.
- Salt. Flavor!
Flatbreads vs. Pizza
Flatbreads, to me, are actually very different than traditional pizza. But, seriously, there’s about 1,000 different styles of pizza and they all have their time and place and best pizza toppings!
Flatbreads typically have less sauce and cheese than a classic style pizza. The crust itself plays into the final product more because it’s not thin and crispy and it’s not big and chewy – it’s somewhere between and becomes a stable base for lots of fresh, fun ingredients.
When I make flatbreads, I feel like it opens up the possibility for more funky combos that I would never put on a red sauce pizza.
The best part? This flatbread pizza dough is a great two-in-one since it’s also great on its own as a type of focaccia bread.
Flatbread Toppings!
Looking for some inspiration, try some of these combos below!
- Top with a little coarse salt and grated parmesan
- Fig and goat cheese flatbread with arugula
- Fresh tomatoes, torn mozzarella and basil (classic!)
- Caramelized mushroom and gruyere cheese
- Green pepper and Italian sausage
- Pear, prosciutto and brie
- Keep the ideas coming!
Making Flatbread
Flatbread is a yeasted bread which means it will need a knead and rising time. But because it’s a thin, unstructured bread, it doesn’t require that much effort to perfect, making it a great beginner bread for introducing yeast into your baking arsenal!
Yeast
Yeast is what gives bread its lift and rise. It’s a living organism that likes to chomp on sugar and carbs; which then does tiny little poots of gas and gives us the air bubbles.
A few tips when working with yeast:
Temperature matters. Dried yeast is dormant, so we need to wake it up. Lukewarm water is key – too hot and you could kill the yeast, too cold won’t wake it up. Just above body temperature is perfect 95-105°F (35-45°C).
Keep salt away. Avoid pouring salt directly on top of the yeast, again it does not like that! Once everything is mixed into the flour you are good to go.
Give it time. Let the yeast rise for 30-45 minutes. This lets the yeast go through the process mentioned above creating the gas bubbles we need for a light bread.
Kneading Dough
In addition to yeast creating the air bubbles, we also need to create a bit of structure in the dough. We have to knead or work the dough to build up gluten or a more structured dough. Think of the difference between a crusty, chewy bread and a biscuit.
To knead, use both hands always! With one hand, fold the dough in half and push down with the palm of your hand.
With the other, turn the dough about 45 degrees then keep repeating until you have a nice smooth dough that springs back when you press with a finger.
Now the dough is ready for a rest to let the yeast take over!
Frequently Asked Questions
I would recommend at least a bit of coarse salt if you plan to enjoy this as a side of bread instead of a pizza dough.
Yes, but wait until the pizza is out of the oven to add any fresh herbs or they will wilt and burn.
No, the cook time is too short to significantly cook anything fully – things like sausage, green peppers or caramelized onions need to be cooked before adding to the pizza.
Yes! You can make the dough and let it rest in the fridge for up to two days before you are ready to use.
Flatbread Pizza Dough
Ingredients
- 240 g all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for brushing
- ¾ cup lukewarm water 95-105°F (35-40°C)
- Toppings as desired
Instructions
- Stir together all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add in water and stir until a dough forms with wooden spoon or Danish dough whisk.240 g all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon instant yeast, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 3/4 cup lukewarm water
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead with floured hands until dough is smooth and springs back when pressed, about 5-8 minutes. Only add as much flour as needed, dough should not be sticky. Avoid adding too much flour or dough will become tough.
- Shape dough into a ball and place in a large greased bowl (non-stick spray is a good option). Turn the dough over once to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.
- Divide dough into 2 balls. Roll each into a thin rectangle, about 8" x 12" in size. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan. You may need two pans depending on size. Lightly cover with a clean towel and allow to rest while preheating oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Once oven is preheated, brush tops of dough with generous amount of olive oil and add toppings as desired. See note below.Toppings as desired
- Bake for 8-12 minutes until golden brown. Heavier toppings will take the longer amount of time.
Notes
- Toppings can be anything from cracked pepper, coarse salt and dried herbs as a bread side, or any number of pizza toppings. Ensure ingredients that need to be fully cooked are done so before adding to the pizza. For example sausage should be cooked through or green peppers should be sautéed before adding to the pizza due to the short cook time.
- Dough can be made ahead. Prep dough through Step 3 then place dough in the fridge for up to 2 days. Allow to come to room temperature before continuing with Step 4.
- This flatbread is best the day of baking.
- The dough can also be made in a stand-mixer, however with such a small amount of dough, it can be difficult for larger bowls.
Disclaimer: We test all recipes using the metric weights shown, we cannot guarantee outcomes when switching to US measurements.
