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.
I used garlic butter and added some finely chopped coriander and parsley to the milk mix, and a sprinkle of cumin seeds in with the flour! Topped them with labneh, a fried egg, some sumac, herbs and lemon – amazing!! Thanks Nagi!
This no yeast recipe is the bomb, we have made this numerous times now and everytime It is just as tasty as the last.
Will add some further ingredients to go along with one of your other recipes.
Awesome recipe! Could I bake it in the oven and if I can what temperature?
This recipe makes me feel like a pro in the kitchen! So good.. and so easy! We have it with grilled chicken tenders, tzatsiki, salad and chili. Delish!
Great!
Gorgeous flat breads. Good with anything, including curry, gyros and beef baracoa. We usually make 8 from this mix, find making just 4 they are a little thick. Thanks Nagi,
It’s time I left a comment, since I must have made these a dozen times or more! My favourite is using them for Nagi’s fish tacos – what a treat! This recipe – like the other recipes I’ve tried on her site – is simple, works exactly as described and, maybe most importantly of all, tastes fantastic! Thank you so much, Nagi & Dozer!
I made those the last minute before dinner and they turned out really good! 😊 I will definitely make it again!
Do you have any suggestions for adapting this recipe to use whole wheat flour? I tried and it came out more like oddly shaped brick patties
Hi KB, whole-wheat flour requires more liquid for hydration – something I’d need to test sorry! N x
Tried this recipe with plain flour and came out perfectly as you described! I have since tried twice with whole wheat flour and then once again with wheat flour+plain flour mix, but both times, the wrap turns out hard and brittle like a poppadom! (even if I make sure to cook slowly). Do you have any tips when substituting with whole wheat flour (or atta flour).
Success, I tried again today with whole wheat flour (atta flour) and it worked! The trick was to not roll out too thin, and cook on a low heat, and cook covered with a lid the whole time. Every single one of them puffed up and turned out delicious and super soft just as it had with the plain flour. Thanks again for sharing this recipe, it was your comment about needing moisture that got me thinking and I’m so glad it worked out!
I use 200g wholemeal Atta and 100g plain with 180ml milk and 50g butter. If you want crispy turn the heat medium to high, for pliable sandwich wrap, go low to middle.
It was easy to make and my family enjoyed it!
forgot to mention that I made the dough with the pizza dough setting on my breadmaker…..sat in the hottub and relaxed as the dough was made, and cooked it up when I got back to the kitchen…
I used Eincorn which makes a really sticky dough, and I used amaranth flour to roll it in.
Used water and evaporated milk as I do not keep regular milk.
I am very happy with outcome and will use it again with some experimentation.
Mine wasn’t bubbling and came out hard. What could I have done wrong
Hi Kayla, sorry you’re having issues here – how long did you cook them in the pan for? You may need a higher heat and shorter cook time. N x
Easy and delicious! Great with all of the curries. I would double the recipe too and if you have extra they are great for your leftovers. They warm up pretty nicely in the microwave for 20-30 seconds and are even more delicious buttered 🙂
Love these!! I make them to accompany the lentil curry or the tikka masasla.
O.M.G delicious and easy. I’m never buying shop made ever again!
I added garlic and onion powder, measure with your heart 😁. I used ghee, and just like my roti this wasn’t round either and that’s ok! I used this as my roti substitute tonight with potato and channa curry and can’t wait to try it as a gyro! As noted by comments and the author, this is so versatile and did I mention absolutely delish! Give it a try, just once and you’ll be hooked!! Thanks so much!
I made these tonight as garlic naan for the first time with your butter chicken recipe. They were so easy to make and made the meal. No need to go out for Indian!!
Wahoo! Perfect Kristen! I do have an authentic naan on the way soon too! N x
I quadruple this recipe every time I make it – we have 11 people in our family. 🙂
My son requested your greek chicken gyros with homemade flatbread of course for his 11th birthday!
This recipe was easy and delicious. I made it with vegan butter and almond milk because of a dairy allergy and they were a yummy side for our soup.
Thank you for the best flat bread recipe out there. I’ve tried so many and this, hands down, tops them all!! Gratefully, from British Columbia, Canada, I thank you