Food / 1 August, 2017 / My Baba

10 Fantastic Flatbread Recipes That Have us Drooling Over our Computer Screens

If you’re looking for a simple solution to hungry tummies then why not try the flatbread? Simple, tasty, quick (unless you’re making the dough) and easy. Flatbreads are also a great platter to feed guests, so why not try one of these out when you’re next hosting?

Pancetta, Kale & Pumpkin Flatbread

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 Tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
• Cornmeal

• 1 cup cooked fresh pumpkin
• 1 Tablespoon spiced rum
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 Tablespoon fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons honey

• 2 ounces pancetta
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/8 cup chopped yellow onion
• 2 cups chopped fresh kale
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 cup pine nuts
• 6 ounces extra sharp white cheddar

Method:

• Dissolve the yeast in the water in a large bowl. Add the flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough is shaggy. Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle the salt over the dough, add the yogurt, and knead in the bowl, using your hands, until the yogurt is well incorporated, about 5 minutes. The dough will be soft and wet.
• Cover and let it rise until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
• Punch down the dough. Lightly flour a surface, and roll out dough into a rectangle, keeping it about 1/4″ thick.
• Sprinkle the cornmeal over a baking sheet and place the flatbread on it. Cover and rest while you prepare the toppings.
• To make the pumpkin sauce, in a blender or food processor, combine the cooked pumpkin, rum, salt, pepper, thyme, and honey. Pulse until smooth and creamy.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the pancetta until crispy. With a slotted spoon remove from the grease and set aside.
• Heat up the olive oil and saute the onion for 3-4 minutes until softened and translucent.
• Stir in the kale, garlic, and pine nuts. Toss until the kale begins to soften and the pine nuts become toasted.
• Preheat oven to 425°. Toss in the flatbread in the oven and precook for 3-4 minutes. Remove.
• Spread the pumpkin sauce evenly over the dough. Sprinkle with the cheddar, evenly lay out the pancetta, and top with the kale and pine nut mixture.
• Pop back in the oven for 13-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Enjoy!

Aged Cheddar, Pancetta, Apple And Arugula Flatbread

Ingredients:

Flatbread Dough: (makes four 5×14-inch flatbreads)

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1 Tbsp. dry active or instant yeast
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Toppings: (for one 5×14-inch flatbread – increase as necessary)

• 1 cup grated or crumbled aged white cheddar
• 1/4 cup cooked, diced pancetta or bacon
• 1/4 – 1/3 of a large apple, cored and very thinly sliced (no need to peel)
• Handful of fresh, baby arugula

Method:

• In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the flour and salt. In a two-cup glass measure, combine warm water, yeast and honey. Let stand 5-10 minutes.
• Add proofed yeast mixture and olive oil to bowl with flour and salt. Stir into a smooth dough, adding a few more tablespoons of flour, if necessary to make a smooth, moist (but not sticky) dough. Place into a greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Pre-heat oven to 400° F. with racks in upper third and lower third of oven. Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Remove risen dough to a well-floured surface. Cut dough into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion on a floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Your flatbread can be any size or shape. If making oblong ones, just be sure they aren’t longer than the length of your baking sheet, so it doesn’t hang over the edge. Somewhere around 5-inches wide to 14-inches long works well. Place two flatbreads side-by-side onto each baking sheet. Let stand at room temperature for 10 – 15 minutes to rest.
• Bake in pre-heated oven for 5 minutes, then switch baking sheets top to bottom and front to back. *If you have some large bubbles, poke them several times with the point of a sharp knife. Bake another 5-7 minutes, until firm and starting to turn golden in spots. *Don’t over-brown if you intend to re-bake flatbreads with toppings later on, to avoid over-browning when you bake the second time with toppings.
• Remove flatbreads to a cooling rack to cool. (If making cheddar-apple flatbreads immediately, leave oven on and set to 400° and keep baking sheets with parchment handy to re-use)
• Once flatbread have cooled a bit, top with cheddar and cooked pancetta/bacon. A little freshly ground black pepper, is nice here. Arrange thinly sliced apples overtop. Return to parchment-lined baking sheet and pop back in to the oven for 7-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden and apples have softened. Allow to cool slightly, then top with fresh arugula. Cut into triangles for serving.

Sweet Potato, Ricotta & Arugula Flatbread

Ingredients:

• 1 pound pizza dough, store-bought or homemade
• 1 medium sweet potato (roughly 10 ounces)
• 1 cup ricotta
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, loosely packed
• 2 ounces arugula (2 big handfuls)
• Salt and pepper

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 550°F. If you have a baking stone, set it in the oven now.
• Use your hands to gently press the pizza dough into a large oval. If the dough starts to spring back, let it rest for a few minutes and then try again.
• Peel the sweet potato and slice it into thin 1/8″ coins (or use a mandoline). Toss the coins with a little olive oil in a small bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the thyme into the ricotta.
• Spread the ricotta mixture across the top of the dough. Arrange the sweet potato coins in slightly overlapping layers on top. (Make sure the layers don’t overlap too much or the sweet potatoes might not cook through where they touch.) Sprinkle the entire surface with a little salt.
• Bake for 5 minutes directly on the baking stone or on a baking sheet. Rotate the flatbread, then bake for another 4 to 5 minutes, until the edges of the bread are deeply golden and the sweet potatoes are soft. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake for one more minute.
• As soon as you take the flatbread out of the oven, scatter the arugula over top. Let it stand for a few minutes before cutting so the arugula wilts a little. Slice and serve either warm or room temperature.

Potato and Bacon Flatbread

Ingredients:

• 1  Flatbread
  
• 2 russet potatoes, cooked
  
• 3 strips bacon, cooked
  
• 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  
• 2 Tbsp. scallions, chopped 

Method:

• Pre-bake flatbread for two minutes on a preheat grill or oven at 375 degrees.  Remove.
• Top flatbread with cheese, bacon, potatoes and scallions. Cook 4 or until cheese melts. Remove.
• Sprinkle basil over pizza.  Cut into slices

Cuban Ropa Vieja Flatbread

• 2 – 3 pound flap steak (you can also use flank)
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 1 Spanish onion, sliced into strips
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 can beef broth

Ropa Vieja Sauce:

• Green bell pepper, garlic, and onion from the crockpot
• 3 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 6-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 8-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

Flatbread

• 1 package Flatout® Flatbread Artisan Thin Pizza Crust
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Ropa Vieja
• 1/2 green bell pepper – sliced into thin strips

Method:

• Place all these ingredients into the crockpot in order. Add beef broth to just cover the steak.
• Set it on low and cook for 6 to 8 hours (or 35 minutes in a pressure cooker).
  When the meat is fork tender, remove from the crockpot (or pressure cooker) and finely shred into a separate dish.
• Remove onion, garlic and bell peppers from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan and saute vegetables removed from slow cooker. Add tomato sauce, tomato paste and beef broth.
• Add shredded beef to the tomato mixture and cook for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 375° F. Place the flatbreads on a cookie sheet. Top with the shredded mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with the oregano. Place cooked Ropa Vieja evenly over cheese. Place thin slices of green bell pepper over the Ropa Vieja. Cook for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Greek Flatbreads

Ingredients:

• 4 pita breads or naan
• 1 cups crumbled feta cheese
• 1 cup canned artichokes, chopped
• ½ cup Kalamata olives, sliced
• 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
• 3 green onions, chopped
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped
• freshly ground black pepper

Method:

• Preheat oven to 400ºF.
• Place pita breads in single layer on baking sheet.
• Top with artichokes, cheese, tomatoes and olives.
• Bake 10 to 12 min. or until heated through.
• Garnish with onions and parsley and season with freshly ground pepper.

Eggplant Flatbread on No-Knead Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

No-Knead Pizza Dough with Spelt:

• 11/2 cups whole spelt flour
• 21/2 cups white bread flour, plus more as needed
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon instant dry yeast (also known as rapid-rise or bread machine yeast)
• 11/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

Eggplant and Spicy Hummus Flatbread:

• 1/4 cup cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing dough
• 1 teaspoon fleur de sel or other flaky sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika)
• 1 small (5- to 6-ounce) Italian eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1 teaspoon za’atar spice (or substitute mixed Italian herbs)
• 1 (3-ounce) ball No-Knead Pizza Dough with Spelt (recipe below) or one round of your favorite store-bought pita or other flatbread
• 1/2 cup Spicy Hummus (below)
• 1/4 cup Citrus-Pickled Onions (optional; recipe is in the book, but you could use any store-bough pickled onions)

Spicy Hummus:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika)
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained (there is a recipe for homemade ones in the book)
• 1/2 cup chickpea cooking liquid or water, plus more as needed
• 2 tablespoons tahini, plus more as needed
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 plump clove garlic, peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

Method:

For the Topping:

• Preheat the broiler with the rack set 4 to 5 inches from the flame or element. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Spread the chickpeas on a paper towel on your countertop and lay another paper towel on top. Pat the chickpeas until very dry. Line a plate with paper towels.
• Pour 1/2 cup of the oil into a small skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, scatter in the chickpeas, being careful to avoid splatters. Fry the chickpeas until they darken and become crispy, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer them with a slotted spoon to the prepared plate. Immediately sprinkle them with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and all of the pimenton. Strain the oil and save it for another use.
• Lay the eggplant slices on the prepared baking sheet, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and all of the za’atar spice. Broil until browned and tender, 3 to 4 minutes, rotating the baking sheet if necessary to evenly cook the eggplant. Transfer to a plate to cool.
• If you’re making flatbread from the pizza dough, set the ball of dough in the middle of a piece of parchment at least 7 inches square or round. Press or stretch the dough into a 5- to 6-inch round, using a rolling pin if necessary. You want an evenly flat disk, so don’t worry about trying to keep the edge thicker as with pizza.
• Set a large cast-iron skillet fitted with a lid over high heat.
• Brush oil generously on top of the dough. Lift the parchment paper and dough carefully and flip the dough into the skillet so the oiled side is down. Quickly peel off the parchment from the top of the dough, and then brush the dough with oil, cover, and turn the heat down to medium.
• After about 1 minute, remove the lid and use tongs or a large spatula to flip the disk over. It will have puffed up in places, darkened in others. Continue cooking, uncovered, for another minute or two, until the dough is spotted brown, puffy, and cooked through. Transfer to a plate. (If you’re using pita or other store-bought flatbread, brush it with olive oil on both sides and heat it in the skillet, uncovered, for a minute or two on each side. Then transfer to a plate.)
• Spread the hummus on one side of the flatbread, then lay the eggplant slices on top. Scatter the fried chickpeas and pickled onions over the eggplant, and fold the flatbread in half around the filling. Cut it into two pieces, and eat.

For the Base:

• Combine the flours, salt, and yeast in a large bowl.
• Pour the water and oil into another bowl or measuring cup, pour the liquid into the flour mixture, and stir until blended.
• Lightly coat a large clean bowl with olive oil and transfer the dough to the oiled bowl. Turn the dough to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 8 to 12 hours at room temperature (about 70°F).
• After 8 hours, the dough should have risen and be bubbly on the surface. The timing is very forgiving here; you can let it continue bubbling and very slowly expanding for several more hours if you like. Transfer the dough to the refrigerator for about an hour before dividing, so it’s easier to work with. Lightly rub your hands and work counter with olive oil. Turn out the dough onto the counter in one piece. Lightly dust it with flour and fold it onto itself a few times, adding more flour if necessary, until the dough comes together and holds its shape when you form it into a ball. Cut into 5 equal pieces (for pizza), about 6 ounces apiece, or 10 equal pieces (for flatbread), about 3 ounces apiece.
• Refrigerate or freeze what you’re not going to use right away. Transfer the balls to individual freezer-safe plastic food storage bags, drizzle with olive oil, and turn the dough to coat it in the oil. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
• Sprinkle the piece(s) you are going to use immediately with flour and transfer to a lightly floured baking sheet. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 hour.

For the Hummus:

• Pour the oil into a small skillet over medium heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, sprinkle in the red pepper flakes and pimenton. Cook, stirring or shaking the pan frequently, until the spices are very fragrant, about 30 seconds. (Be careful not to let the spices burn.) Turn off the heat and let cool.
• In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, cooking liquid, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Pour in the oil and red pepper flakes from the skillet. Process until smooth. Taste, adjust the salt if necessary, and add more cooking liquid or water if you want the hummus thinner or more tahini if you want it thicker.
• Eat immediately, or cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Chilean Style Flatbread

Ingredients:

• 3 Flatout Artisan Thin Pizza Crusts
• 1/3 pound ground beef
• ¼ onion, thinly sliced
• ½ large ripe tomato (or 1 medium sized) sliced, seeds removed
• 1 cup grated pizza cheese (a mix of Havarti and Mozzarella)
• 1 small sweet banana or Hungarian pepper
• olive oil

Method:

• In a medium non-stick skillet, heat ½ tablespoon oil over medium high heat. Add ground beef, sauté for 2-3 minutes, stir and simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
• Dice the pepper and place in a bowl, cover with oil and season with salt.
• Prepare pizza crusts according to the instructions in the package. Preheat oven to 375° F or 190°C. Bake the crusts directly on the oven rack for 3 minutes. Then place the crusts on a baking pan and add the toppings.
• Top with cheese, tomatoes, ground beef, and the onion and bake for 4-6 minutes until golden.
• Serve immediately with chopped pepper spooned over the top.

BBQ Chicken Flatbread

Ingredients:

• 2 Flatbreads
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
• 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 6 ounces grilled chicken breast, torn into pieces
• 1 tablespoon red onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
• Non stick baking spray

Method: 

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick baking spray.
• Put 2 tablespoons of BBQ sauce on each flatbread and spread evenly on the flatbreads. Sprinkle both cheeses over the flatbreads.
• Mix the remaining BBQ sauce with the grilled chicken and place on pizzas. Top with the diced onion.
• Bake for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the cilantro on top and serve.

Grilled Flatbread with Peaches and Arugula Pesto Plus

Ingredients:

• 1 package naan flatbread, garlic or plain flavor
• 2 peaches, pitted and sliced
• extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup arugula pesto, recipe here
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced and quartered into chunks
• 1 cup fresh arugula leaves
• Balsamic glaze, if desired

Method:

• Preheat the grill to medium high heat and prepare your clean grate with a swipe of a paper towel moistened with grapeseed oil.
• Lightly oil the peach slices and place on the hot grill grates. Nudge them after about 1 minute to be sure they don’t stick to the grill. Flip after about 3 minutes or when you see them becoming caramelized and grill marks are forming. Cook for another 3 minutes then transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
• Spray your naan breads with cooking spray or lightly brush with olive oil. Place the naan on the grill grates for about 2 minutes or until grill marks form. Flip the naan and spread each with half of the arugula pesto. Remove from the grill and top each bread with the half of the grilled peaches, mozzarella and arugula. Drizzle with balsamic glaze if desired.