No-Yeast Flatbread Recipe
This simple recipe for no-yeast flatbread yields 8 homestyle flatbreads that are perfect for using as wraps for gyros, shawarma, or burritos—without any leavening agent or rise time. They're perfect for the times you crave homemade flatbread, and don’t want to wait!
Servings 8 flatbreads
Ingredients
- 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- ⅓ cup (75ml) lukewarm water, plus more as needed
- ⅓ cup (75ml) lukewarm whole milk
- 1 and ½ tablespoons (14 grams) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) sea salt
Instructions
- Make the dough: Add one and a half cups of flour (190 grams), olive oil, salt, and the lukewarm water and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer. Combine on low speed with a dough hook for 5 minutes until well combined. The dough is too wet and very sticky. That's ok! *If you don't have a stand mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl and in the next step, add the remaining flour and mix the dough with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, then transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead for 6-7 minutes. A hand mixer works for this step, but not for the kneading process.
- Add the rest of the flour and knead on low speed until the dough comes together, about 5-6 minutes. The dough should be a bit stiff and pliable, but still workable. It should stick to the dough hook, and all the flour should pull away from the sides of the bowl as it mixes! If the dough is too sticky to handle, gradually mix in flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. If it is too crumbly, gradually add water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Make sure you do not add too much extra water—you want a pliable, slightly stiff dough.
- Divide & shape: Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Just eyeball it—it doesn't need to be perfect! A bench scraper is always helpful for cutting dough. Use a kitchen scale. If you want them all to be equal in weight, each piece should weigh about 70 grams. Shape each piece into a smooth ball. Arrange in a prepared baking tray. Cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 5-10 minutes to make rolling easier.
- Take one piece at a time and keep the rest covered. Using a rolling pin, roll out each one into a round flatbread about 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter and about 0.1 inch (0.3 cm) thick. Arrange the rolled-out flatbreads on the counter and cover with a kitchen towel, plastic wrap, or parchment paper. If you're using a skillet, you can roll out each piece and bake it immediately. But, if you intend to bake the flatbread in the oven, roll the dough out onto a square prepared parchment; this step will make it much easier to transfer it directly into the oven.
- Preheat a nonstick griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. To check the heat, flick a droplet of water onto the pan; it's ready when the water jumps, sizzles, and rolls into beads.
- Bake: When the pan is ready, place the flatbread on the hot pan and bake for about 45-60 seconds, until it starts bubbling up on the top and sees dark brown spots underneath. Flip it over with a slotted turner and bake for further 45-60 seconds, or until it is golden brown underneath. For a deeper golden brown color, bake for 15-30 more seconds. Your flatbread should puff up a little bit, but not as significantly as Turkish flatbread, since it is yeast-free. For the oven method: Place 2-3 flatbreads at a time on a preheated baking stone or baking sheet. Bake at 475°F (250°C) for about 5-6 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once baked, transfer the flatbread to a plate lined with a kitchen towel and cover it to trap the steam generated from the hot flatbread and make it much softer and more pliable. Repeat the process with all the other pieces of flatbread. Keep an eye on how they're baking and adjust the heat as needed. Lightly grease your pan if you see a big dark color in your yeast free bread.
Notes
Special Tools (affiliate links): Kitchen Scale and Liquid Measuring Cups or Measuring Cups & Spoons | Stand Mixer, or a Steel / Glass Mixing Bowl with a Wooden Spoon / Silicone Spatula | Bench Scraper | Rolling Pin | Nonstick Square Griddle / Nonstick Round Griddle / Cast Iron Skillet.
Double Batch: Dough may easily be doubled by doubling each ingredient without making any changes to the recipe.
Can I turn this into gluten-free options? I haven't tested this recipe myself with gluten-free flour. However, I suggest trying it with Caputo gluten-free blend, as you can use it at a 1:1 ratio. You may need to add a little extra liquid to the dough to achieve the correct dough texture. Let me know in the comments below if you succeed.
