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 for Gyros, Shawarma and Doner kebabs. Or as naan to dunk into Tikka Masala or Butter Chicken. The possibilities are endless!
Flatbread recipe
I love fresh homemade bread. And though I 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 wrap unless 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 perfect to 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 one to 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
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Easy Soft Flatbread (No Yeast)
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 oil: 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:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Summer, autumn, spring and winter. Rain, hail or shine.
This was amazing and so easy. Served it with chicken kabobs, homemade tzatziki sauce, and sliced tomatoes. You could also add red onion, cucumber, etc. I followed the video and cut the dough into 4 portions, not 6 as stated in the written recipe. I also used oil in a cast iron pan, like the video. Mine didn’t puff very much but looked just like the picture and were delicious.
Honestly, why would I ever buy pita/naan again? It literally took me 5 minutes to mix everything together, shorter than the time it takes for me to locate my keys and put on my shoes to go to the store! I doubled the recipe, as we are having the doners tomorrow night!
This dough is dreamy to work with, delicious, and easy. Used my kitchenaid mixer with dough hook. I have made the dough twice in the past two days. For Nagi’s chicken schwarma. Love it for wraps or dippers. Best flat bread recipe ever!
Hi Nagi
Just made these flatbreads not very successfully I’m afraid. The first one was far too thin, quite disastrous so I checked your video. Your recipe says cut into 6 but in the video you cut into 4. I used some oil as you did in the video although your recipe says no oil. I would appreciate your comments as I would like to try again. Los do you fold in half whilst they are still warm or store them flat.
I feel your pain with the rain.
Kind regards
Jan UK
I had exactly the same problem! Read the recipe several times. Finally watched the video and hey presto discovered why mine were so different! All good now though.
Ugh
These are the instructions:
Heat oil: Heat a non stick pan over high heat (no oil). (Note 1)
Oil or not oil – SMH
This step is confusingly written:
Heat oil: Heat a non stick pan over high heat (no oil).
These turned out perfectly, even at high altitude. My husband loved them. I see many more in our future!
can this recipe be stored for long time in fridge? and heat it when needed?
Mine did not puff up at all.
Hi Marsha. Glynis here in Cape Town, South Africa. Not sure if you live at sea level like me. If you live at sea level, the air pressure is greater than if if you live at a higher altitude. Therefore you need to add a bit of leavening/raising agent (this recipe does not call for leavening) or if the recipe has leavening (like baking powder or yeast). So for this recipe I added a teaspoon of baking powder and it turned out great. This principle works for all recipes.
It could also be that maybe your heat is too high or too low.
WHAT is a “tea towel?”
Dish towel, drying up towel. Whatever you call the thing you’d dry dishes with. Not sure where you’re from.
Typical man question
So glad I found this recipe, it’s fabulous & so much easier than several others I’ve tried but with better results. Breads started to burn after 4 so had to turn heat down, otherwise perfect, thank you.
Almond milk and Woolworth’s
gluten-free flour works GREAT! Thank you SO much, Nagi!
Woo hoo!!! Thanks for that feedback Yvanna!! That’s so good to know for g/f and dairy free readers! N x
Hi Nagi, if am using a stand mixer (as opposed to kneading by hand), for how long should I let the mixer knead the dough for? Thanks
Two minutes is fine Liah!! N x
Thank you for asking that question – it was mine too. 🙂
Life changing recipe! So delicious and easy
I’m so glad that you enjoyed it Candice! N x