Bake

Stove-Top Flatbread

May 18, 2015
5
7 Ratings
  • Prep time 1 hour
  • Cook time 20 minutes
  • Makes 6
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Ingredients
  • 1 cup lukewarm water, divided
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 2 teaspoons raw or granulated sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for kneading & rolling)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for the bowl
Directions
  1. In a cup, combine 3/4 cup of the water with all of the yeast and sugar. Stir together, then set aside for 5 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, place the flour and salt. Stir together, then make a well in the middle. Pour the water-yeast mixture into the well along with the olive oil. Mix together until it forms a shaggy dough. If the dough seems too dry, dribble in the remaining 1/4 cup of water and mix together.
  3. Scrape the contents of the bowl out onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle with a bit more flour. Knead for around 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and soft. Oil the bowl and place the dough into it. Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a warm place for 30 minutes.
  4. After 30 minutes, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 6 roughly equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a ball. Using flour as needed, roll each ball of dough out into a roughly 8-inch circle (no rolling pin? Use a thick glass or a wine bottle!). Flour each circle well on both sides and cover with a kitchen towel so the dough doesn't dry out.
  5. Heat a skillet over a medium flame, then place a circle of dough into it. Leave it to bubble and rise until golden underneath (1 to 2 minutes), then flip using kitchen tongs or an offset spatula. Cook on the other side until the dough looks dry with darkened spots. Remove from the skillet and wrap in a clean kitchen towel while you cook the others.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

Passionate about cakes, roasted vegetables and anything involving Maldon salt or maple syrup. Izy is a student living in London, UK who spends her spare time blogging and rambling on topwithcinnamon.com

9 Reviews

Nancy August 8, 2024
Great recipe and the pockets are great in a home made pita.
This can be made in oven, in grill or stovetop.
But I’ve also recently adopted my sandwich/panini maker for cooking one bread, Quick, easy, reliable and you don’t have to heat up the oven or the kitchen in summer. No pockets, unfortunately. But great for serving for a quick meal or snack.
Kate E. December 20, 2020
This is honestly life altering; we go camping for two weeks and any bread you bring in gets moody fast. Our only cooking method is a bbq and this was simply incredible!
Linda D. July 20, 2020
Thank you so much, Izy, for this delicious and easy stove top bread. Next time, I will make eight rounds; thought the six were a little too large.
Mquick March 29, 2020
Awesome recipe I am not very good at making any type of raised dough recipes. This has given me the confidence to try other bread recipes. This is a great accompaniment for dinner tonight. We are having a full Lebanese meal later on.
Sara M. December 25, 2019
WOW, WOW, WOW 😃❤️❤️❤️
After browsing, trying, and ruining a lot of recipes, I finally found this one. AMAZINGLY EASY AND DELICIOUS.
Thanks so much Izy 👍🏻🥳
krikri October 13, 2018
I had extra potato peel blended on the side for this https://food52.com/recipes/76633-potato-peel-focaccia so I used that in place of the water. It was much stodgier of course, and didn't really puff very well but it soaked up juices and dips all the same. I'll definitely do it again -- the non-potato version as well as the easier naan version.
beejay45 September 17, 2015
You know, if you actually want pockets (even if you don't), you don't need to bother with the yeast (and sugar). Just roll them out, cook the first side until it is well sealed and no longer porous. Then crank up the heat, flip it over, and watch as the steam inside builds and the pouch forms. It's the same principle as making naan. Puff, puff, puff! Yay! Silly but fun and faster than the yeast version.
Peony August 9, 2015
Just made these and they are both simple and delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe.
EmilyMarieC June 28, 2015
I made these tonight and they turned out absolutely beautifully! I used a cup of whole wheat flour and a cup of white AP flour but otherwise I pretty much followed the recipe exactly. I think for the first one my pan wasn't quite hot enough, because it didn't bubble up very much, but the rest puffed up with lots of small pockets that browned nicely once I flipped them over. Adding this to my recipe book!