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Why we love this recipe
There’s something about bread on the grill that is just out of this world.
There are so many things (looking at you, Buttermilk Steak and Buttermilk Chicken) that take on a magical quality with just that tiny bit of charred-ness you get only from the grill.
And one of my most favorite variations on this is just plain old flatbread on the grill. This easy flatbread recipe takes on five ingredients and grills up in about five minutes…honestly the hardest part of this whole recipe is remembering that you need to plan for an hour for it to rise just a little.
What is flatbread?
Flatbread is bread that is, well, flat. Think pita bread, or naan, or bannocks.
Sometimes they are unleavened (meaning nothing that will make them rise) and some (like this recipe) have just enough yeast to give it a small lift.
I am usually completely terrified of anything involving yeast, but this one never fails me. And it’s just plain perfect when you want a piece of warm bread on the side of chicken noodle soup or cold zucchini soup or mustard tuna salad, or to hold a slather of cheese or some easy homemade hummus as an appetizer.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Yeast: Don’t be scared of it! 😄 You can use either instant yeast or regular yeast. ..I tend to use instant because that is what I have around. Keep the extra in the freezer so you can use it for sheet pan focaccia or almost no knead bread.
- Water: You want it to be warm but not hot (if it is too hot the yeast won’t bubble up). I test it on my wrist just like I would do for a bath. 🛁
- Flour: Regular all purpose flour is just fine.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Put 2 teaspoons of salt, a teaspoon of sugar, a tablespoon of instant yeast and 1 cup of warm (not hot) water in a bowl and give it a stir. Let it sit until it gets a little bubbly.
STEP 2: and then stir in 3 cups of flour, drizzling in a little more water if the dough seems dry. Form it into a ball, cover it up with a dish towel and let it sit and rise for an hour. It won’t puff that much but it will get a little bit bigger.
STEP 3: When the dough has puffed up a little, put it on a well-floured surface (I love using a silicone mat for this) and knead it for 2 to 3 minutes. The dough is going to be kinda dense – that’s what we want! Cut the dough into 8 pieces and roll them into approximately 6 inch round pieces. Don’t worry if they aren’t perfectly – the different shapes are part of the fun!
STEP 4: Now preheat your grill on a medium high setting for 10 minutes. Brush one side of the dough rounds with some olive oil and put them on the grill, oil side down, and brush the other side with more oil. Grill until they start to puff up and the underside is brown (this can take anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes depending on your grill), then turn them over until the other side is browned (I use tongs for this). Take them off the grill and eat them while they are still warm!
Equipment we used for this recipe
These are some of my favorite kitchen tools! These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a little something if you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. (Which helps pay for all that bacon I keep buying! 😄) And I only share things I use and love. I’m so grateful for your support!
- Metal Bowls: We love these light and versatile bowls for everything from mixing things up to informal serving dishes.
- Measuring Cup: We love these angled measuring cups that you can read from both the inside and the outside.
- Basting Brush: Perfect for brushing on that olive oil.
- Silpat: We use these silicone mats for everything from rolling dough to making our favorite secret ingredient cookies!
- Tongs: We have these tongs in every size.
- Dishtowels: We use these sturdy dishtowels ON REPEAT in our kitchen.
Recipe FAQs
You can! You should need to add 10 to 15 minutes of rise time, but regular yeast will work just fine.
As with all homemade breads it is at its delicious best the day that it is made, but it will keep just fine for a few days. If you want to warm it up, pop it in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds, or pop it in a warm oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
You can! A super hot cast iron pan will work just fine. Heat it over high heat for five minutes and then toast your flatbreads one by one.
Leave your question (or comment or suggestion) in the Comments box below the recipe and I will answer pronto!
What can you do with your gorgeous flatbread?
You can tear it up and use it as something to spread cheese or hummus on. You can dip it into a bowl of olive oil seasoned with pepper and rosemary. You can use it as the base for an avocado, egg and smoked salmon sandwich. You can serve on the side of these shrimp cooked in beer, or our favorite Steak Caesar Salad.
Or you can just stand next to the grill the second it comes off and eat it right there. I may or may not have been known to have done that.
Grills! They aren’t just for steak anymore.
Other bread recipes we love!
We want to know what you think! 🤔
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
Easy Grilled Flatbread
This recipe for easy grilled flatbread is a snap to make, and a delicious addition to your grilling dinner menu.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Rising Time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- 3 cups flour
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Put the salt, sugar, yeast and 1 cup warm water in a bowl and give it a stir. Let it sit until it gets a little bubbly and then stir in the flour, adding a little more water if the dough seems dry. Cover it up with a dishtowel and let it sit and rise for an hour.
- When the dough has puffed up a little, put it on a well floured surface (I love using a silicone mat for this) and knead it for about 5 minutes until it is nice and soft.
- Cut the dough into 8 pieces and roll them into 6 inch round pieces. Don’t worry if they aren’t perfectly round by the way – the different shapes are part of the fun!
- Brush one side of the dough rounds with olive oil and put them on a medium high heat grill, oil side down, and brush the other side with more oil. Grill until they start to puff up and the underside is brown, then turn them over until the other side is browned.
- Take them off the grill and eat them while they are still warm!
Notes
-
- Yeast: Don’t be scared of it! 😄 You can use either instant yeast or regular yeast. ..I tend to use instant because that is what I have around. Keep the extra in the freezer so you can use it for sheet pan focaccia or almost no knead bread.
-
- Water: You want it to be warm but not hot (if it is too hot the yeast won’t bubble up). I test it on my wrist just like I would do for a bath. 🛁
-
- Flour: Regular all purpose flour is just fine.
Lin says
Kate we have to watch our sodium. I know the bread would be much blander, but other than that I wonder if leaving out most of the salt would affect the outcome?
Hi Lin! You can absolutely either leave out the salt or cut it down…it will of course alter the flavor, but the bread will still rise and cook just fine. :)
Meredith says
Flatbread is something I never would’ve thought to make on my own but this came out so great!! Definitely a new go to!
HI Meredith and thank you – I’m so glad you liked it!
Martha in KS says
I try to eat only whole wheat bread. Have you tried making these with whole wheat flour – can it be substituted 1 to 1, or do you need to use some all- purpose flour? I plan on making these in my grill pan. Thanks
Hi my friend! I’ve never made these with whole wheat flour, but I knew the good folks at King Arthur would know – here’s what they say about swapping whole wheat for all purpose. I’d love to know how they come out when you make them! :)
Martha in KS says
So KA says for 3 c. of flour, add 2T of water. Will try it as soon as I buy some yeast. Thanks!
KA always knows! Keep me posted! :) :)
Terry says
Hi, Kate! Love this flatbread recipe, but do you have any tips on how to bake these without a grill? Thanks!
Hi Terry! I sometimes make this in my cast iron skillet when it is too hot/rainy/freezing to send my wonderful Southern husband out to the grill. Crank up the heat as high as it will go, get your pan good and hot, and I would add a little canola oil so you are sure there is no sticking. And I would peek regularly with tongs to make sure you aren’t getting too much char, since you don’t have the grill rack. (Oh, and of course if you have a grill pan, that is perfect for inside flatbread! :) )
Terry says
Perfect! Thanks, Kate. Hope you are loving your new home!
We are!! Can’t believe it’s almost been a year!