Flatbread Pizza Dough Recipe - NO YEAST

This flatbread pizza dough recipe requires only flour, salt, water, and olive oil - NO YEAST! And it takes less than 5 minutes to throw together! Top it with your favorite sauce, cheese, and veggies, and dinner is done!

You Will Love This

• It takes 5 minutes to make. What more could you want? I love a nice homemade flatbread or pizza dough with yeast, but all that rising means that you need to plan at least a couple hours in advance. I'm not always that on top of things! This flatbread pizza crust can be made, topped, and in the oven in less than 10 minutes. Last-minute dinner for the win! Be sure to try my Easy Margherita Flatbread, BLT Flatbread, Blueberry Goat Cheese Flatbread, and Mediterranean Flatbread.
• You can make it as thick or thin as you want. If you're feeding a big family, roll the dough crispy cracker-thin. If you're more into a doughy flatbread leave it a little thicker for a more pillowy, chewy texture!
• Your kids can help make dinner! You might be surprised how much your kids are willing to help out with dinner if you give them the opportunity. Let them help you measure the flour and pour the water. Once the dough ball comes together, let them help you knead it and get their hands messy. Chances are good once they see all the hard work (their hard work) that went into making dinner, they'll be more likely to eat it.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• All-Purpose Flour - All-purpose flour makes a good pizza thin or thick flatbread pizza crust, and it’s what most of us have on-hand. If you prefer thin crust, though, using bread flour instead can add some depth of flavor and crisp texture to the crust.
• Table Salt - Kosher salt, or another large-grain salt, can work if that’s all you have, but a smaller grain mixes in better to create a more even gluten structure in your dough.
• Warm Water - Yes, the water needs to be warm. Cold water can leave you with sticky flatbread pizza dough.
• Olive Oil - Pizza dough needs oil to help it stretch. Most recipes call for olive oil because it adds a rich flavor, but veggie oil will work too if it’s all you have.
• Cornmeal - If you don’t have cornmeal, you can use flour to keep your pizza dough from sticking. You might have a little flour dust on the bottom of your flatbread pizza when you’re done, but it’s better than nothing if you don’t have cornmeal.

How to make flatbread pizza

Add flour and salt to a food processor and pulse until well mixed. You can also just use a large bowl and fork to combine all the ingredients!

Then add water and oil.

Pulse until a dough ball forms (about 1 minute or so). Scrape down sides with a spatula as needed.

Transfer dough ball to a lightly floured surface.

Knead the dough for about 1 minute or until the surface of the dough is smooth. 

Divide dough into 2 equal balls. Use a rolling pin to roll each dough ball out into a long oval of your desired thickness. 

Dust 2 baking sheets with cornmeal and place a flatbread crust on each.

Poke the surface of the flatbread all over with a fork. Bake flatbreads for 5-8 minutes or until the edges of the flatbread are turning golden brown and the flatbread is nearly cooked through. 

Brush with olive oil.

And top with desired toppings (this one is my Caprese Flatbread) and bake for another 5-10 minutes or so. 

Flatbread vs. Pizza

• The yeast. Pizza dough typically has yeast (and needs time to rise) while flatbread dough typically doesn't. HOWEVER, some pizza dough doesn't have yeast and some flatbread dough does. So...you'll learn pretty fast after a quick Google search that the lines are very blurred and there's a lot of gray area between flatbread and pizza dough. And that's okay! I use them interchangeably and you can too!
• The shape. Pizza tends to be round (and sometimes even square) while flatbreads seem to be more oval. Who made up these rules? I have no idea. I like to let my pizza and flatbread dough form organically as I roll it out or form it with my hands - don't worry about following societal norms. Let your flatbread pizza take on its own shape!
• The toppings. I read somewhere that flatbreads typically have little to no cheese...HUH?! Have you seen my flatbreads? Cause they are loaded with cheese. So again, who made these rules up? Cheese is life. Top your flatbread the way you want! Might I suggest a simple Caprese topping? Or perhaps a veggie-forward Mediterranean Flatbread? Better yet, how about a Mexican Street Corn Flatbread!

Freezing

• You can freeze the dough OR the par-baked flatbread crust! Yes, you read that right. Frozen dough means you can be ready for dinner at a moment's notice!
  • After you knead your dough, wrap it up and pop it in the freezer. Next time you want flatbread, allow the dough to thaw on the counter (for about 1-2 hours) and then follow the instructions in the recipe card.
  • After you par-bake the dough you can also wrap it up and pop it in your freezer so you've got ready-made flatbread for every occasion! When you're ready to eat, top your frozen flatbread and bake it according to the directions in the recipe card. You may need to add a couple additional minutes of bake time to get the crust cooked completely but with it being so thin this shouldn't take too long at all!

Tips

• Use table salt. I've tried this with Kosher salt and other larger cuts of salt and they just don't mix in as well. I rarely use anything but Kosher salt in my recipes, but this flatbread is much better with the smaller grains of salt. However, Kosher salt will work if it's all you've got!
• Par-baking the flatbread is a must if you're looking for a crispy crust. I am still surprised when people say they don't par-bake their crust! Par-baking allows the inside of the dough to cook without the outside getting dark golden brown. This means that when you top it, it's not going to get soggy. And when you bake it, it's going to get perfectly crisp!
• Give it a quick brush with olive oil after par-baking to get the crust just a little bit crispier and darker golden brown!
• Don't go too crazy with the toppings. As the famous saying goes, less really is more in the case of flatbread toppings. This is an unleavened, thin flatbread crust so it's not going to hold up to three cups of fresh mozzarella or a mountain of meat. Try adding more flavorful toppings so you need less. *See my favorite flatbread toppings below.

FAQ

Favorite Toppings

• Caprese Flatbread (pictured above) - fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes, and basil - pretty standard and also pretty great
• Mexican Street Corn Flatbread - sweet corn, tangy lime cream sauce, and crumbled cotija cheese - just like elote corn but piled high on a crispy crust
• Simple Mediterranean Flatbread - spinach pesto, artichoke hearts, feta cheese, ripe tomatoes, and black olives - your favorite Greek flavors on a crispy, crunchy crust
• Caramelized Onion & Gorgonzola Flatbread - seriously you've gotta try this one
• salami and green olives - sounds weird but it's not - it's delish
• olive tapenade and burrata - salty olives and creamy mozzarella come together for a match made in heaven

Favorite Pizzas and Flatbreads

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This post was originally published in May 2019. It was updated in March 2020 to include process shots, step-by-step instructions, and tips for making the best flatbread dough every single time!