By:Nagi
1,771 Comments
An easy, soft flatbread recipe that’s made without yeast, an excellent quick option when you don’t have hours for yeast dough to rise.You’ll love how soft and pliable this flat bread is, making it perfect to use as wraps forGyros,Shawarma and Doner kebabs. Or as naan to dunk into Tikka Masala orButter Chicken. The possibilities are endless!
Flatbread recipe
I love fresh homemade bread.And thoughI bake bread with yeast more frequently nowadays,I still find it easier and a general preference to make bread without yeast.
Maximum taste, most tasty outcome with minimum effort – but without compromising on the end result. That’s my ultimate goal and the ethos that underpins every recipe I share here on RecipeTin Eats.
Over the years, I have tried a lot of flatbread recipes. Flatbreads from many different cuisines, from blogs and cooking sites, by home cooks, from reality cooking shows (yes, Master Chef and My Kitchen Rules!), serious chefs and celebrity chefs.
But I always found they were too doughy (e.g. the ones that only use yoghurt as the wet ingredient) or too crisp to use as a wrapunless they were moistened with lashings of butter. Absolutely delicious, mind you. But not what I was after.So this recipe is my idea of a perfect flatbread recipe.
How to make Flatbread – with NO yeast
This flatbread recipe is made with no yeast. It is very easy to make, requiring just a minute or two of kneading.
And it honestly is beautifully soft and pliable. So soft you can use it as a wrap and it won’t crack.
And of course, it is perfectto be used as pita bread, for things like Greek Gyros and Greek Chicken Souvlaki.
And here I have used it as “naan” as a side for Butter Chicken. When I make it to be like “naan”, I cook it on a slightly higher heat to get larger and more brown bits on it – just like real naan! The crust gets slightly crispier so it’s not as suited to use as a wrap, like in the above photo. (PS If you’ve got the time to make proper naan, try my Naan recipe. It’s just like the real deal!)
If you’ve never tried homemade bread before, this flatbread recipe is a great oneto start with because it really is that easy. The worst that can happen with this flatbread recipe is that the heat is too high when you cook it so the exterior ends up a bit too crunchy and cracks when you roll it. If that happens, just spray it with olive oil or brush lightly with oil or butter and it will moisten the surface.
Try this once, and store-bought flatbreads will never be the same again. That I can promise! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
I’ve added oil but it’s not necessary. Please follow your recipe card below.
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Easy Soft Flatbread (No Yeast)
Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Cook: 10 minutes mins
Resting: 30 minutes mins
Total: 45 minutes mins
Flatbread
Greek, Mediterranean
4.96 from 546 votes
Servings6 x 20cm / 8″ flatbreads
Tap or hover to scale
Recipe video above. The dough for this recipe is ridiculously easy to make with only a minute or two of kneading. The bread is soft and pliable so it’s perfect for using as a wrap, stuffed with whatever takes your fancy. It’s also a great make ahead recipe – the dough keeps for around 3 days. See NOTES for substitutions, including using GLUTEN FREE flour. 30 minute resting time. Recipe VIDEO below.
Ingredients
- 2 cups plain flour (all purpose flour) (level cups, unsifted, not packed), + keep 1/4 cup extra for dusting & adjusting dough
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 1/2 tbsp / 50g unsalted butter (1.75 oz)
- 3/4 cup milk
Instructions
Melt butter in milk: Combine butter and milk and heat until butter is just melted – on stove or in microwave.
Combine Dry: Combine 2 cups flour, salt, butter and milk in a bowl.
Knead 2 minutes: Sprinkle work surface with flour then knead for a few minutes until it is smooth – it doesn't need much kneading. Add extra flour if the dough is too sticky.
Rest 30 minutes: Wrap with cling wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes or so.
Roll into rounds: Dust bench top with flour, cut dough into 6 pieces, roll into balls, then roll out into 20cm / 8" rounds, 2 – 3 mm thick.
Heat pan: Heat a non stick pan over high heat (no oil). (Note 1)
Cook: Place one flatbread in the pan, cook for around 1- 1 1/2 minutes – it should puff up dramatically. Once the underside has nice golden patches on it, flip and cook the other side for 45 seconds to 1 minute until the underside has golden spots and it puffs up again.
Keep wrapped in tea towel: Stack the cooked bread and keep wrapped with a tea towel – the moisture helps soften the surface, making them even more pliable. Continue to cook with remaining pieces.
Brush with butter or oil (optional): Brush or spray bread with olive oil or melted butter, for a more luxurious finish. Or even with melted butter mixed with minced garlic for a garlic butter version!
Recipe Notes:
1. Higher heat and the thinner the dough = crispier crust, though still pliable inside, the thin crispy crust on the outside might crack when you roll it. This is how I make naan. The larger darker brown spots on the bread (see image in post) make it look like authentic naan, just like what you get at Indian restaurants! (If you got the time, here’s my proper naan recipemade with yeast. It’s just like you get at Indian restaurants – super soft and fluffy!)
2. STORING: Dough keeps in the refrigerator for around 3 days. Tip: Roll out the rounds, ready to cook. Just make sure you use baking paper or cling wrap to keep the pieces separated, flour will not suffice.
Cooked breads keep really well in the freezer!
3. Wholemeal flour – Works great with WHOLE WHEAT flour, does not work with almond flour. See note 4 for Gluten Free.
4. Dairy free / vegan substitutions: A reader tried the original recipe then reported back that it also worked just as great substituting the butter with olive oil and almond milk for the dairy milk to make it a vegan / dairy free version. Brilliant! Another reader has also made this with coconut oil and reported it works great.
5. Gluten free option – This works pretty well with Gluten Free flour. You may need a bit of extra flour to roll it out – just add more as required. The texture is a bit different – a bit chewy, and you may not be able to roll them out into neat rounds like pictured.
6. Use this for: Gyros, Souvlaki, as naan for curries like Butter Chicken, Chickpea Curry or Beef Rendang.
7. Recipe source:Based on this Flatbread by Julie Goodwin.
8. Nutrition per flatbread.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 125gCalories: 370cal (19%)Carbohydrates: 49.9g (17%)Protein: 8.1g (16%)Fat: 15.2g (23%)Saturated Fat: 7.6g (48%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 7.6gCholesterol: 31mg (10%)Sodium: 386mg (17%)Fiber: 1.7g (7%)Sugar: 2.2g (2%)
Keywords: easy flatbread, flatbread, flatbread recipe, flatbread without yeast, no yeast flatbread recipe
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.
Life of Dozer
Summer, autumn, spring and winter. Rain, hail or shine.
Hi, I'm Nagi!
I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!
Read More
Free Recipe eBooks
Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!
Related Posts
Cheese Bread (no knead!)
Glazed lemon loaf
Lunchbox Pizza Bread (easy)
More Breads
Reader Interactions
Leave a Comment
1,771 Comments
Carol says
I always wanted to make one but didn’t have the time or energy. I finally tried this last night, easy peasy! Thank you for sharing the recipe,Nagi!Reply
- Deb Myers says
I’ve been making these flat breads for years now but reckon it was high time I put in a comment.
*AWESOME*
That’s it 🙂Reply
- Jess says
My son is allergic to both dairy and eggs( nuts too) .. do you have any Indian style bread recipes that can be made without, or substitute with nuttelex and oat/soy milk. Would that work or completely loose the tasty flavours!?
Reply
- Savanna says
Hi! If i’m cooking them one day ahead of when I need them, should I freeze them, fridge them, or leave them out on the counter? Thank you!Reply
- Sue Suitcase says
The flatbread was SO easy and was just like Naan with the Butter Chicken! Wonderfully easy and yummy flatbread!Reply
- Emma says
We had these last night with your chicken shwarma. My 9 yo made the flat breads and my 6 yo cried when they were all finished! Another big hit 🙏
Reply
- Chinwe Ogolo says
I made this flat bread! This is delicious. I made it to eat with my butter chicken, but I ate it without it. Yum!
Reply
- Dave says
Love this recipe. I made it with half plain flour and half cornmeal flour (Masa Harina). Extra tasty with the cornmeal flour mixed in.Reply
- Shelly says
I I have gone over this recipe multiple times and I don’t know what I did wrong but mine came out super dense, did not puff up and only made 3 rounds. Thought u would try a new recipe but this one was not a winner.
Reply
- Gabby says
Is it 370 calories for one flatbread?
Reply
- Christopher Davies says
So easy to make and nice thin & soft when eating. I no longer buy naan or wraps from the store.
So many of your recipes are a hit in the house! Thank you.Reply
- Sarah Hibbing says
SO delicious!! I have so many of your recipes saved in my app by now! You’re amazing!Reply
- Marianne says
So I just made 32 flatbreads (recipe x4 – dividing each instance of the recipe by 8) – each ball of dough was about 65-70 g. Flattened into discs then ran each through my pasta maker at dial mark 3 twice, rotating the doing on the second pass to keep the shape round instead of oblong. It worked!! Cooked them and I now have 32 flatbreads for my X-mas eve party next weekend. I’m going to freeze them and hope for the best when defrosting warming and serving. Will also be making Nagi’s lamb and chicken shawarma.
Reply
- Rachel says
Hi Marianne how did the bread freeze?
Reply
- Mariette says
I always make a large batch and freeze. Once cooled I place small sheets of baking paper (I reuse them a few times as they always stay in freezer) inbetween flatbreads. I put the whole stack in a ziplock bag and freeze. Then I either defrost in a wrapped tea towel at room temperature or warm in a pan.
Reply
- Lana says
Hi Naomi
How did freezing these go ?
ThanksReply
- Naomi Stoeckigt says
I make these about once a fortnight. A double batch every time!! 😁 They’re a bit hit in our house. I make balls from 50g of dough and roll to fit my frying pan. When they’re cooked, the leftovers go in the freezer in my decor pastry storage box!! 🙃 Reheat either in the microwave in my tortilla warmer or directly in the frying pan.Reply
- tania cox says
I always make these with the chicken shwarma and they elevate this dish to restaurant quality. Such an easy fail proof recipe and the flavour is sublime.Reply
- Sher says
Amazing! This is my go to when needing a quick naan bread to go with Nagi’s butter chickenReply
- Elisa says
Loved these!! So delicious and so easy to make!Reply
- Xavier says
delicious and super easyReply
- ju says
excellentReply
- Emily says
I ate 3 of these in the space of 5 minutes! Scratches the itch for naan and is ideal for scooping up curries:) Or just eating straight-up as a snack like I did with the first few!Reply
