Adapted from my favorite pizza crust, this homemade flatbread pizza bakes up into a thin and chewy base for your favorite flatbread toppings. Quicker, easier, and thinner than pizza, this flatbread dough takes about 1 hour start to finish and is perfect for beginners. I always love adding garlic and Italian seasonings for extra flavor!
If you’ve ever wanted to try making restaurant-style thin crust flatbreads, I have the perfect starting point for you. This is my EASY homemade flatbread dough, and the starting point for recipes like zucchini & herbed ricotta flatbread and veggie pizza. Have you tried it yet?
Here’s why you must…
Make This Flatbread Pizza Because:
- you don’t need many ingredients
- it’s quicker than homemade pizza
- the dough yields 2 flatbreads
- 1 full recipe is perfect for 2-4 people
- it’s easier to shape than regular pizza dough
- you can eat it plain or with toppings
In other words, it’s the easier, quicker, and more convenient version of pizza dough.
What’s the Difference Between Flatbread Pizza and Regular Pizza?
Flatbread can be made with or without yeast. My version requires yeast for the smallest bit of rise, similar to a thin crust pizza. If you want a no-yeast flatbread, I recommend searching for another recipe that’s modified without its addition. (Don’t simply leave the yeast out of this one!)
My regular pizza dough bakes into a thick, chewy, and soft-centered bed for your favorite toppings. It’s a deeply loved recipe on this website and the only pizza dough recipe I use. Flatbread pizza is just that– flatter pizza. Since it’s flatter, it doesn’t require as much yeast or rise time and is perfectly manageable if you’ve never made homemade bread before.
This flatbread is similar to my focaccia, another simple homemade bread recipe.
6 Ingredient Yeast Flatbread Pizza Dough
- Yeast: You can use instant or active-dry yeast with zero changes. If you’re new to working with yeast, I recommend reviewing my Baking with Yeast guide. I used to make flatbread with 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of yeast, but recently reduced it down to 1 teaspoon. This is plenty for a thin flatbread crust. Note that 1 teaspoon is less than 1 standard packet.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar feeds the yeast. You only need 1 teaspoon.
- Water: Flatbread and pizza dough are lean doughs, meaning there isn’t a lot of fat present. While I make rich overnight cinnamon rolls and glazed doughnuts dough with milk, we don’t need that extra fat here. We’re aiming for chewy and crisp, not voluptuous and soft.
- Flour: You can use bread flour or all-purpose flour. Bread flour leaves a slightly chewier texture, but the difference is barely noticeable since the crust is so thin.
- Olive Oil: Adds flavor. We’ll also brush the dough with olive oil before baking, too.
- Salt: Adds flavor.
Optional Additions: You can also add some flair to this dough with a little garlic and/or Italian seasoning like we often do when making homemade breadsticks. Or add chopped fresh herbs or freshly ground pepper, too.
Overview: How to Make Flatbread Pizza Dough
- Mix the dough ingredients together by hand or use a stand mixer.
- Knead by hand or beat the dough with your mixer. Reference my How to Knead Dough video tutorial if you need extra help with this step.
- Place dough into a greased mixing bowl, cover tightly, and let it rise for 45 minutes.
- Punch down the slightly risen dough to release air bubbles. Divide in half.
- Flatten the two doughs with your hands or with a rolling pin. The flatbreads can be any shape you want as long as they’re about 1/4-inch thick. (Very thin!) Dimple with your fingers or with a fork. Brush with olive oil, which helps protect the crust from any sogginess lingering from the toppings.
- Top with favorite flatbread toppings.
- Bake at a very high temperature for only about 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
You Can Enjoy it Plain
If desired, you can skip the toppings and leave the flatbread plain. In the next two pictures, I topped the doughs with fresh garlic, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper. After baking, I sprinkled with fresh parmesan cheese. Freshly baked plain flatbread feels like a total treat when served with marinara sauce, hummus, homemade pesto, or even mashed avocado and fried eggs (for an avocado toast variation!).
Flatbread Pizza Toppings
Or you can get creative with various toppings. Add these before baking.
- Tomato, Basil, & Mozzarella Flatbread: I have this version pictured today, and with some fresh arugula on top. See recipe note.
- Zucchini & Herbed Ricotta Flatbread
- 1/2 cup goat or blue cheese per flatbread (1 cup total) and 1/2 cup fresh apple or pear slices per flatbread (1 cup total), plus a handful of fresh arugula and/or drizzle of honey after baking
- Make a cold veggie pizza! (Note the dough is very slightly different in that recipe.)
- BBQ Chicken Pizza & Pesto Pizza toppings*
- Spinach Artichoke White Cheese Pizza toppings*
*If you’re using toppings from my pizza recipes, you’ll need about 2/3 of the amount. My pizza recipe toppings are enough for one 12-inch pizza and are more than plenty for 2 smaller flatbreads (the full recipe below).
Pre-cook: Any meats should be pre-cooked before using as a flatbread topping. If you want to top the flatbread with vegetables, feel free to sauté or gently cook them first. I usually don’t with spinach, peppers, and mushrooms, but with “harder” veggies like broccoli or cauliflower, they’ll taste better if they’ve been slightly cooked before using as topping.
Get creative! I can’t wait to hear about how you top your flatbread pizzas. Feel free to email or share your recipe photos on social media. 🙂
See Your Homemade Flatbread Pizzas:
PrintHomemade Flatbread Pizza Recipe
- Prep Time: 55 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Yield: serves 2-4
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Follow these basic instructions for thin yeasted flatbread pizza crust. The recipe yields enough dough for two small flatbreads, each perfect for 1 hungry person or 2 people to split (2-4 people total). Freezing instructions listed below. See all of my detailed topping suggestions in the blog post above or recipe notes below.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (180ml) warm water, (between 100-110°F, 38-43°C)
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour or bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for hands and surface
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons for brushing the dough
- 1 teaspoon salt
- optional: 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove minced garlic and/or 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Whisk the yeast, sugar, and warm water together in the bowl of your stand mixer. Loosely cover and allow to sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy and frothy on top. *If you do not own a stand mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl and in the next step, mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula is a better choice.*
- Add the flour, olive oil, and salt (and garlic/seasoning if using). Mix on low speed with the dough hook attachment until combined, about 2 minutes. The dough should be thick, yet soft and slightly sticky. It should pull away from the sides of the bowl as it mixes. When it does, it is ready to knead. If, however, the dough is too sticky to handle, mix in more flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time. Make sure you do not add too much extra flour; you want a soft, slightly tacky dough.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if using the paddle) and beat for an additional 6-8 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 6-8 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl (I use nonstick spray to grease) and cover with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow to sit and rest for 45 minutes at room temperature. Once it has rested and slightly risen, you can continue with the recipe or place the covered dough in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. More instructions in the make ahead Note below.
- As the dough is resting and rising, prepare your toppings. See blog post and/or recipe note below.
- Preheat oven to 475°F (246°C).
- Shape the dough: Punch the dough down to release any air. Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface with floured hands and working with one dough piece at a time, begin shaping and stretching the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick. You can use a floured rolling pin for this too. Don’t worry about the shape of the dough, just make sure it’s pretty thin. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Carefully transfer both pieces of dough to a parchment paper or silicone-mat lined baking sheet, or use a pizza stone. (You can also shape/roll out the doughs directly on a silicone baking mat or a large sheet of parchment if that is easier for you and then just transfer the whole thing to the baking sheet.)
- Poke your fingers all around the surface of the flatbreads or prick a few holes with a fork. Drizzle or brush each with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Top each with your favorite toppings.
- Bake for 15–20 minutes or until the crust and toppings are browned to your liking. Remove from the oven. Slice and serve warm.
- Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: The dough can be prepared through step 4, then after it has risen, cover and place in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Continue with step 5. To freeze the dough, prepare it through step 4. After it has risen, punch it down to release any air. Divide it in 2, if desired, then wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw the dough overnight in the refrigerator. Then let the dough sit at room temperature for about 1 hour before stretching out/shaping and topping. If the thawed dough keeps shrinking back as you try to shape it, lightly cover it with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it rest on the counter or your work surface for 15 minutes. (The gluten just needs a chance to settle.)
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer or Glass Mixing Bowl and Wooden Spoon / Silicone Spatula | Baking Sheet | Silicone Baking Mat or Parchment Paper | Pizza Stone | Pizza Cutter
- Yeast: You can use instant or active-dry yeast with zero changes. If you’re new to working with yeast, I recommend reviewing my Baking with Yeast guide. I used to make flatbread with 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of yeast, but recently reduced it down to 1 teaspoon. This is plenty for a thin flatbread crust. Note that 1 teaspoon is less than 1 standard packet. If you want a no-yeast flatbread, I recommend searching for another recipe that’s modified without its addition. (Don’t simply leave the yeast out of this one!)
- Flour: I haven’t tested this recipe with whole wheat flour, but let me know if you do. You may need a little extra liquid in the dough.
- Pictured Plain Flatbread: Top with 1 teaspoon each of olive oil as directed in step 8. Top each with 1 clove minced garlic. Sprinkle with your desired amount of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. After baking, sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese (if desired).
- Pictured Tomato, Basil, & Mozzarella Flatbread: Slice 8 ounces of fresh mozzarella into thin slices, or use 8 ounces shredded mozzarella. Top each flatbread with 4 ounces. Top each with a handful of fresh tomato slices and a sprinkle of chopped fresh basil. If desired, sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese too. After baking, feel free to top with more chopped fresh basil and/or fresh arugula.
- Double Batch: Dough may easily be doubled by doubling each ingredient. Extend the rise time in step 4 to 1 hour.
- Optional Flavors in Dough: I love adding garlic and Italian seasoning to this dough, as listed in the ingredient list above. If you can’t find a spice labeled “Italian Seasoning” in the spice aisle, use dried oregano, dried basil, and/or dried parsley instead. Honestly, any herb (fresh or dried) that you love works.
So yummy and easy to make! I’ve made this several times now with new variations. Served simply with garlic, sea salt, and Parmesan as you mentioned – that I serve with a hearty soup/stew. My favorite pizza style version is a 4 Formaggi – 4 cheese – mozzarella, smoked mozzarella, Gorgonzola, and Parmesan. So good! I add some thinly sliced garlic and fresh basil too. Highly recommend. 🙂
This is the best flatbread recipe ! Its like having Blaze pizza at home. I preheat oven to
500 degrees with a pizza stone on a rack in bottom 1/3 of oven. Roll each one out on parchment and then slide that onto stone and bake right on parchment. Comes out perfect, the possibilities of toppings endless. Thank you Sally for a keeper recipe !
First time pizza dough success!! I did lower the temp a bit. Totally forgot to put the sauce and didn’t miss it at all 🙂 LOVE the savory recipes. Thank you Sally.
I made this today. Very easy recipe. Added basil,oregano, and garlic powder to dough. Used homemade pizza sauce. Didn’t have mozzarella so used cheddar. It will now be my pizza dough recipe as it is just my husband and I, and we both like the crusty edges.
Hi Sally! We LOVE this recipe! We like to make one type for the grown-ups and one type for the kids. On that note, I have a question. The kids prefer a more traditional style pizza, with sauce and mozzarella cheese. Whenever I do this and use shredded mozzarella cheese from a bag, the cheese burns very quickly. Suggestions? Should I not be using that kind of cheese, or should I grate my own cheese rather than buying the bag of pre-shredded cheese? Thanks!
Hi Corinne, Pre shredded cheese contains extra ingredients to help prevent it from clumping together in the bag – it also means it doesn’t melt down quite as evenly as a block of cheese you grate yourself. So it may burn before it’s perfectly melted to your liking, but honestly we use pre-shredded cheese for pizzas and flatbreads all the time! You can try moving your oven rack lower to help the top from burning and/or slightly lowering the oven temperature – both easy fixes for next time!
We are your number one fans of your Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, so I was a bit skeptical whether this would rate as high. This recipe is so easy, takes less time to make and is equally delicious. Our family loves the crispy thin crust for a change. We will definitely be making this lots more. Thanks for all your recipes, I’m a big fan.
Could this Dough be done in a bread maker? Anyone tried it?
I would like to pre bake the crust and have them in the freezer for quick prep by brushing with oil and adding my precooked toppings is this an options and how long would you prebake them and how long with toppings what temps
If I want to make the dough a few hours in advanced and put in the fridge, should I let it come to room temp before continuing with step 6? Or can I shape straight from the fridge?
Hi Jenna, you can shape it straight from the refrigerator.
This was amazing! Made one yesterday and saved the other in the fridge. The cold dough was easier to work with today. I added a bit more salt, but we’re a salty family. I am so pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to make flatbread this tasty, thank you 🙂
I baked mine separately. The first one was burnt at 12 minutes. I lowered the heat to 450 and at 10 minutes the second one had thinner overbaked areas while thicker spots were not browning. Ended up cracker like consistency.
This is so easy to make and makes great pizza. It’s very fast to make as well and is delicious. Frankly, I am not going to look at any other pizza recipe after making this one. It’s a winner!
Absolutely delicious….perfect pizza crust. Will use this recipe always.
Hi Sally, I made this flatbread pizza quite a few times and it always turns out great. I drizzled olive oil on the pan instead of using parchment paper and the oil makes the crust crispy underneath just like how focaccia is made. It always turns out delicious. I must also say that putting in garlic powder in the dough makes the crust more flavourful.
I’m heading to a rental house that’s a few hours away from where I live. I was hoping to make this pizza dough in advance to then freeze when we get there for pizzas during our stay. I’ll have a cooler bag with ice packs. I would love some advice on if it would be ok in a ziploc bag, and if I should stick it in the cooler bag right after rising (as if I was storing it in the fridge for a few days or freeze it first and then put it in the bag? Thank you!
Hi Deb, prepare the dough through step 3. After it has risen, punch it down to release any air. Divide it in 2, if desired, then wrap in plastic wrap and place in a ziplock bag or cooler bag. I hope this helps!
Made margarita pizzas today as per your recipe. So damn good and it came out just like done in a pizzeria. Many thanks for this fabulous recipe. Am your biggest fan ever Sally.
SO Delicious!!
My husband and I had so much fun with this recipe! Made our flatbreads each according to what we like! Thanks for the video tutorial! We added minced garlic and italian seasoning to our dough! Great taste!!
I had a recipe that used store bought flatbread. It involved spreading goat cheese on the flatbread. So, I baked it first just until it was very light brown. Then spread the goat cheese, topped with fresh nectarines and prosciutto and reduced balsamic vinegar. Baked another 10 minutes or so and it came out great.
I love your pizza dough recipe and my family thinks its the greatest. Now, I am looking for a tomato sauce that will wow my family when I make pizza. Would you have a recipe.
Dough was easy to work with but my toppings were done before dough was, despite it being very thin. Will have to parbake next time.
Great recipe! Flat bread turned out perfectly. My oven runs hot, so it only took 10 minutes for mine to bake. I will try substituting 1/2 wheat flour next time. Thank you so much for all of your recipes! I’ve tried many and get rave reviews every time 🙂
Hi Sally, Going to try out your recipe today, very excited. If I am making plain flatbread am I cooking it at the same temp, 375 for 15 min?
Yes, same oven temperature. See recipe notes for directions for “plain” flatbread. Enjoy!
Made flatbread twice this week! Used four cheese for my toppings and it was so gooooood! I used APF when I first baked this last Sunday and used bread flour just last night. I prefer the texture of the bread flour though. But the taste is just amazing that’s why I had to make it again hahaha
I had so much fun making this flatbread pizza! My family will never settle for frozen pizza again. I accidentally added too much yeast so mine was a little thicker than intended, but will definitely try again soon. I was surprised how easy and quick it was, and the kneading is really fun! Like all your recipes, the detailed step by step instructions are clear and easy to follow as well as educational. Thanks for what you do, you are my “go-to” site for any baking recipes!
One question, is there any reason why you can’t just make one large pizza with this dough recipe? Or is it best to break in half to make two smaller? Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth, I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed this so much! I find it easier to work with the dough in two smaller pieces, but you can make one large flatbread.
I have only made this once but plan on making it again, but one question I have is, has anyone tried using it to make a dessert style pizza?? And if so what did you do and did you add any sugar/cinnamon to the dough itself?
Hi Sally.
This is my favourite flat bread pizza recipe. It has never gone wrong. I used to make the generic pizza crust for the family but this is the one I use like a pizza base because it’s more quick and easy!
I am baking this flatbread pizza every week now. Changing the toppings. Experimenting with wheat flour.
I have tried it with whole wheat flour only. I have also tried it with whole wheat and all purpose flour in 1:1 too. It has the most taste and can be eaten alone when made from all purpose flour. With whole wheat it gets sticky to the parchment paper so one has to brush olive oil on the base (downwards side) and the parchment paper on which one is baking. For me, it easiest to transfer the dough straight unto the parchment paper (when ready to roll out) and shape it directly there.
One question though, sometimes my flatbread pizza rises well after baking, and sometimes the crust is very thin. Both times they are delicious. But does the rising relates with temperature of the oven? (I let the dough rise properly for the required 45 minutes).
Thank you for your fantastic recipes!
Hi Mehreen! I’m so glad to hear that you love this flatbread dough recipe. Have you noticed that the whole wheat variation you use rises more or less or is it the same exact dough rising more/less? The variation could be simply how flat you’re rolling it out or even a slight variance in the kneading or mixing time. The thinner you roll out the dough, though, the flatter the baked pizza.
The family loves this recipe. We’ve had it multiple times and it’s great that even when we get back to school and work, this is still an easy weeknight meal. Thank you!
This recipe is amazing! My kiddos loved it.it looked amazing too.
WE LOVED!!!! Thank you! I’m making it again tonight for dinner. I’m going to be more creative with toppings!
Made this today. I added Italian seasoning and minced garlic instead of garlic powder to the dough. Used leftover chicken Marsala with mozzarella and pecorino Romano cheese and a little more Italian seasoning. My family loved it.
Do you think these would freeze well? I’d love to have some pre-made for when company comes over.