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
I’ve added oil but it’s not necessary. Please follow your recipe card below.
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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 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:
Nutrition Information:
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Sue says
If I was to prepare the dough in advance and put in fridge- at what stage and would you let it rest again when it comes out of the fridge? What if pre roll them- do they go straight in the pan?
Nagi says
HI Sue! The dough is resting in the fridge so just roll it out when you take it out. If you pre roll, yes they go straight into the pan 🙂
tony knapp says
Hi,
Wheatgern contains most of the good nutrition in wheat. Would it be possible to use all purpose flour and add wheatgerm? It should be a beneficial
Tony
Nagi says
I think that will be fine!
Rachael says
I need to make a lot for a party, how long could they be kept warm in a low oven do you think? Or would they stay soft and be ok at room temperature?
Thanks
Dee says
Hi Nagi,
Sorry if I’m repeating myself… would this work as a pizza base? I imagine I’d cook them before using as pizza base.
I love your recipes…as they always work!! Not to mention totally delicious 😋
Many thanks,
Dee
Nagi says
I JUST TRIED IT YESTERDAY!!! IT WORKS AMAZING – use my pizza recipe I shared last Friday!! N xx PS Yes cook before adding toppings 🙂
Dee says
Belated thanks Nagi!🙏
Andrea says
Superb recipe. Thank you. Family thoroughly enjoyed theses. We had them to accompany a Morroccan Lamb Tagine. Delicious.
Simple to make. Will deffo be making again….and again.
Nagi says
That’s wonderful to hear Andrea!! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N x ❤️
Lib says
Just an idea. I cook flatbreads when we make curry at home and they don’t usually need resting so I saw that it took 15 minutes to make but as i started making it it said rest for 30 minutes, so maybe add that into the time at the top of the recipe. Worked great though.
Nagi says
Hi Lib, I’m sorry about that, I don’t know how to add a field for resting time. I will add it to the description!
Les says
I am a Brit living in Thailand and find it difficult to get decent bread at a reasonable cost here. As I don’t have an oven I have been trying different flatbread recipe’s from all over the net and have to say that this one is definitely about the best I have come across and the first I have ever felt the need to comment on. I followed your ingredients to the letter but found I needed a bit more flour than you listed. Not a problem as I expect different flours from around the world will have slightly differing properties. As with another here in the comments section I needed more like 15 minutes of kneading to get the desired texture but the end result was superb. The dough rolled out better than any I have so far tried and when cooked was exactly as described. Soft, pliable, and very tasty. I had a couple as wraps for lunch just now and the rest are in the fridge waiting for my keema curry to be finished and I am sure they will enjoy being married up with that dish. Thank you for posting your recipe.
Nagi says
I’m so pleased to hear that Les! Thanks for letting me know! N xx ❤️
Salina says
What type of milk did you use? Evaporated milk, cow’s milk? Etc….? THIS IS A REALLY GREAT RECIPE. THANKS
Nagi says
Hi Salina! I use ordinary cow’s milk, low fat or full fat 🙂 N x
Carmen says
Hi. I normally require a bigger batch for my family. Should I just double up on all the quantities? Thanks
Nagi says
Hi Carmen! Yep, just use the servings scaler by hovering your mouse of the Servings 🙂 N x
Lute says
My family and I really enjoyed this. I have a question- do I need to let the milk and butter mixture cool down before I add the flour. While tasting great the flat bread did not bubble as much as I thought it would.
Thanks for the recipe!
Nagi says
Hi Lute! Nope it’s fine to mix while warm, actually makes it easier to knead 🙂 How thin did you roll the dough?? 🙂 N x
Razia says
I want to know what type of gluten free flour I used. Can I make gluten free all purpose flour at home.if yes can you please send me the recipe how to make gluten free flour. Thank you.this tortilla recipe is great.
Nagi says
Hi Razia, I’m sorry but I don’t know how to make GF flour 🙂 Try googling it? 🙂
Katelyn Ramsay says
Hey Nagi!
Big fans here! Can I cook these a few hours beforehand and then reheat either in oven or hot pan? Also do I store them in fridge in between?
Love the Ramsay family xx
Nagi says
Yes! I’ve done that for camping 🙂 N x
Berenice says
Really enjoying your website. Tried this recipe today for the first time: my ten year old twins pronounced it “a keeper, Mama!’. I agree. However – I disagree, heartily, with ‘…only a minute or two of kneading’. I have made yeast breads many, many times, and I had to knead this (delightfully soft) dough for a good fifteen minutes before it got close to the pliable, uniform dough demonstrated in the video. Lesson learned – next time I will invite my good friend Kitchen Aid to the flatbread party! Other than that -a definite keeper. Didn’t last long enough to discover how it freezes. Can’t wait to use this with the chicken souvlaki recipe on the site. And – your photos are exquisite!
Nagi says
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this Bernice! Thanks for letting me know! N x ❤️
Eve says
Hi Nagi! Greetings from Borneo!
Omg! Thank you for your recipe. Im a beginner and this is my first time making a flatbread.My husband loves them and he said they are much better than store bought!
Definitely gonna make them again!
Nagi says
I’m so happy to hear that Eve!! N x ❤️
Rick S. says
Good recipe. However, the bread still isn’t as pliable as I’d like and it’s difficult to make the pieces as large as I’d like too (I used whole wheat flour). Store-bought flatbread is still superior to homemade flatbread in those two respects. I’ve had the same problem with pita recipes I’ve tried too. Store-bought flatbread has other ingredients that this recipe doesn’t have like “guar gum.” Those other ingredients must be the key.
Kate says
Hi Nagi, I love this recipe, much better than store bought tortillas! But I think they are best eaten on the day they are cooked. Do you think you can freeze the uncooked rounds, after resting and rolling them out?
Nagi says
Hmm! I haven’t thought about freezing it but actually, I think it will work! I freeze yeast dough so I figure this should definitely work!
Mo says
Hi Nagi, I have always thought that making flat bread would be daunting. I have watched friends (who claim expertise) make them. But waiting for the dough to rise and then making them was always a long wait (sometimes 2 or more hours) until we ate. So, I chose to buy them, usually from a restaurant that makes really good naan. Today, for my dinner guests, I decided to make your chicken souvlaki, Greek salad and try my hand at your flat bread. Now, usually while my guests are busy with the bartender, I am always stuck in the kitchen cooking for hours. But this time, in the thirty minutes it took for the flat bread dough to rest, I was able to complete both; grilled chicken souvlaki and Greek salad. Also clean up my kitchen, and set the table. It took me another ten minutes more to completely fry (I did not use any oil) all the flat breads. I could not believe that it was so easy to make. My quests was astonished that flat bread could’ve been made so easily. Then they raved on about the flavor and tenderness of the flat bread, the well seasoned chicken and freshness of the Greek salad. I also followed your note about slathering on the butter on each one I made. My dinner party was a huge success and all due to your recipes. After dinner, I showed them your site and they were so amazed by all your recipes and how easy it was to follow your directions. I am afraid they were all converts. Thank you so much for a no fail dinner party. I absolutely love your recipes. They are amazingly delicious.
Nagi says
WOW!!! I absolutely LOVE hearing that Mo! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a lovely message! N xx
Liza says
Loved this recipe, got better results than those with yeast, yoghurt etc and so quick and easy. This is my favourite flat bread tecipe ever. Thanks for sharing 😊
Nagi says
That’s fantastic to hear Liza! Thanks for leaving a review! N x ❤️
Fran says
Hello.Unsalted or salted butter ?Thank you in advance .🤔
Nagi says
Either 🙂 I usually use unsalted. N x
Katrina says
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. It is quick and easy. I will never worry about not having pita bread on hand! I used whole wheat bread flour, which can have a tendency to absorb a lot of moisture and the ratio of milk to flour worked. Also, I forgot to buy buttermilk for this recipe, so I used 1 cup milk to 1 tablespoon lemon juice as a buttermilk substitute.
Nagi says
That’s great to hear Katrina! Thanks for letting me know! N xx