Anna’s Easy Flatbread
Makes:
2 flatbreads
Serves:
4-6
Prep Time:
15 minutes, plus rising
Cook Time:
Under 15 minutes
Category:
Excerpted from Anna Cooks: 125+ Delicious & Achievable Recipes for Every Meal of the Day, by Anna Olson. Copyright © 2025 Olson Food Concepts Inc. Photography by Janis Nicolay. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited.
This flatbread dough is a bit of a hybrid, developed over years of making naan, pita and pizza doughs. I like that it needs less than an hour of rising before I can use it, and in addition to its uses in this book, you can bake it, pan-cook it or grill it plain to serve alongside a curry, soup or stew, or you can top it with ingredients like I do for my Charcuterie Flatbread with Prosciutto, Peaches & Pistachios.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp fine salt
- 1½ tsp granulated sugar or honey
- 1¼ tsp instant dry yeast
- ⅔ cup (160 mL) lukewarm water
- 6 Tbsp (90 mL) plain Greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
NOTES
Baked flatbreads will keep well-wrapped on the counter for up to 1 day or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Unsure if to bake, pan-fry or grill your flatbread dough? Let your main dish be your guide. If topping your flatbread with ingredients to serve as a starter, pre-bake your flatbread in the oven and then reheat after adding your toppings. If the grill is already set on high heat to cook a steak or chops, then grilling your flatbread is easiest, and if you’re serving a curry, then pan-frying to get those naan-like bubble blisters is the way to go.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Into a large mixing bowl, measure the flour, salt, sugar (if using) and yeast. Add the water, honey (if using in place of sugar), yogurt and 1 Tbsp (15 mL) olive oil and stir with a wooden spoon until too difficult to do so.
Step 2
Turn the dough out onto a worktable and knead for about 5 minutes, until elastic. Return to the bowl, cover and let rise on the counter for 40 minutes before shaping and baking.
Step 3
Here are easy ways to shape and cook your flatbread, depending on how you wish to serve it:
To bake the flatbread:
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Divide the dough into two pieces and shape each into a ball. On a lightly floured work surface and using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a flat circle or oblong shape just under ½ inch (1.2 cm) thick. Place these onto a parchment-lined baking tray and dock with a fork.
Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden brown. If they happen to puff up like pita bread, pierce each with a skewer to allow it to deflate. Brush the flatbreads with olive oil after they out of the oven.
To pan-fry the flatbread:
Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat (do not grease the pan). (You can On a lightly floured work surface and using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a flat circle or oblong shape just under ½ inch (1.2 cm) thick (you can divide the dough first into three or four pieces to better fit into your skillet, if needed.).
Drop in a flatbread into the skillet and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, until the bread blisters and the blisters brown. Repeat with the remaining flatbread and then brush each with olive oil before serving.
To grill the flatbread:
Preheat your grill on high heat. Divide the dough into two pieces and shape each into a ball. On a lightly floured work surface and using a rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a flat circle or oblong shape just under ½ inch (1.2 cm) thick. Place these on a tray to bring to the grill.
Grilling one at a time, set a flatbread on the grill carefully, cover the grill and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side (use tongs to flip the bread over), until blistered and grill marks appear. Remove and brush each with olive oil before serving.
