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:
Life of Dozer
Summer, autumn, spring and winter. Rain, hail or shine.
Hi Nagi,
This ‘soft flat bread’ is known as Chapati or Chapatis for plural. It is widely cooked in Kenya and Tanzania and a staple in the east African region. I know because I grew up eating it and my sister was renowned in the family for her skills in making it. While you’ve used buttermilk as the liquid of choice the concept is the same. I applaud you for sharing foods from other cultures and showing how food can serve as a cultural bridge. It would have helped to give credit to the culture of origin or just mentioning where this type of bread is commonly made/eaten. Thanks.
I am LOVING hearing what people around the world know this flatbread as! I had some people on Facebook saying that this is how they make tortillas. 🙂 N xx
Are flatbread and tortilla the same? Can I use the flatbread for burritos and other Mexican dishes ?
Tortillas are a type of flatbread. 🙂 Many people have reported that they use this recipe for all types of flatbread, including tortillas, wraps etc! And yes this recipe can be used as a tortilla for burritos, and smaller ones I use as soft taco tortillas too!
Nagi did credit a culture of origin as – Course: Flatbread Cuisine: Greek, Mediterranean – at the very top of the recipe, above the list of ingredients.
As she graciously replied, there are about as many cultures that have some type of flatbread as there are cultures.
I will add, there are only so many basic ingredients with which to make them. Many things throughout the course of humanity have been discovered across several, disparate cultures within the same time-frame. It is doubtful anyone knows with absolute certainty all the varieties or discoverers of any basic foodstuff.
Also, this recipe specifies Butter and Milk, not Buttermilk.
Happy cooking!
I’ve been amazed how many cultures have similar recipes! Even Indian flatbreads – I didn’t realise, I thought Indian flatbreads had less ingredients. 🙂 N xx
Hi Nagi–
Just wanted to say thank you for this wonderful recipe. I’ve made it several times (doubling the recipe works very well!) and each time they have been delicious. I love that it can be made quickly with only a 30 minute waiting period. I also love that they are so easy to roll out that my kids can do it. We usually fill our flatbread with gyro meat and tzatziki sauce from Trader Joe’s, although I will definitely have to try making your butter chicken. Thanks again!
High praise!! ❤️ So pleased you enjoyed this Rose, thanks for letting me know! N xx
Hi Nagi I tried your flat bread to have with curry and it was amazing almost as good as some you get at the resteraunts ,thanks for your recipes they have all been a success so far,I like that all your recipes are doable by home cooks you don’t need a diploma or expensive shopping list.Thank you.
Rhonda.
High praise! I’m so pleased you enjoyed this Rhonda, thank you for letting me know! N xx
Made flatbread with your butter chicken recipe. Fabulous! So soft and flavourful. My mom loved it.
WHOOT! What a pairing! 🙂 N xx
Hello. Thanks for the recipe for flat bread: about to make another batch. I really enjoyed it. I can’t stop eating it. I never knew I could enjoy bread like this. Thanks a lot.
That’s terrific Pamela! So pleased you enjoyed it, thanks for letting me know – N xx
Hi Nagi and thank you for this recipe.
Would using buttermilk be OK?
Thank you!
Hi Lorry! I think it’s a bit thick for this, use 3 parts buttermilk and 1 part water (to thin it down a bit 🙂 )
Or use reg milk and add powdered buttermilk
Just made these delish so light n yummy🙂🙂🙂👌👌
Hi Nagi,
I haven’t made any & I have a few questions as I’ll be making this for the charity event to serve 40 people.
1. Do you use unsalted butter?
2. Once cooked, how long can it keep?
3. Recipe makes 4 large. So does it then make 8 medium? 16 small? I’m looking to make small. What’s the size for small do you reckon? If it’s a good size, then I’ll have to do 5 batches =O so that will give me 80 small (so 2 each). 🙂
Sorry Nagi just had time to look at the video Andy it has answered my question .i am going to try this today to go with my lamb curry.thank you.Rhonda
I hope you love it! 🙂 N xx
Hi Nagi can I put this in mixer with dough hook to kneed for a few minutes or will it make it tough.thanks.
can I use water instead of milk?
Yep 🙂 Not much difference!
thank you !
Would coconut oul work instead of the butter?
I am pretty sure it will, many readers have used all sorts of oil subs for the butter!
I love this and I am going to try it
Hope you do!! 😉 N xx
Wow fab recipe. My husband said he could live on them and your hummus for ever 🙂 Thank you so much
Fantastic to hear! 🙌🏻 So pleased you enjoyed it Maura! N xx
Sorry I have another question, which is due to the simple to make, and delicious nature of this flat bread. Please can this flat bread be used as a base for pizza topping?
Or rather, the recipe as a pizza base? Thank you for been there for us.
Hi!! I haven’t used this as a pizza base but I think I will try one of these days! I would probably roll them out a bit thinner. 🙂
This is wonderful and deliciously delicious. Thanks for sharing. Please can this same recipe be made and rolled out flatter and thinner, and be used as spring roll wrapper? Thank you for replying.
So glad you liked this! I don’t think it will work as spring rolls though, sorry!
It made lovely bread for my family, and was so easy an inexperienced cook like me could do it. Thanks!
WHOOT!!! 🙌🏻
My daughter was recently diagnosed with a yeast allergy. This very much hit the spot for ‘toast’ with an egg. We’ll be making this again and again… thank you.
I’m so pleased to hear that Shanna! Thank you for taking the time to write in and let me know 🙂 N xx
Doubled the recipe since I thought I’d get 4 small breads. Boy was I wrong. Ha ha. They are so good. I used the dough hook on my kitchen aid and it worked great. Thank you my family loved them.
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed it Joanna! Thank you very much for your message – N xx
I recently learnt i was coeliac, and i must admit GF cooking has since been the bain of my existence. I used to live in the middle east and since returning to OZ, have missed the arabic cooking, i was dreaming of sharwarma and found your recipe online along with this flatbread. i noticed in the comments it said would be GF appropriate. To be honest i was doubtful, even to the point of the cooking part, however i followed the recipe and wrapped it in a teatowel etc and OMG it worked! Hallelujah, i can have GF wraps, who would have thought it, and they didn’t fall apart and they didn’t taste floury. Thanks a million, this page is BOOKMARKED! for future.
PS the chicken sharwarma was a big hit. YUMMO!
I’m so pleased to hear that Shelley! And I KEEP MEANING to try this with GF flour! Thank you for reminding me!!