Easy Homemade Flatbreads (3 ingredients!)

These homemade flatbreads are so easy to make, with no yeast required! They’re perfect stuffed with all kinds of sweet or savoury fillings.

I don’t often make bread (baking with yeast is pretty much my #1 fear in life) but these homemade flatbreads really couldn’t be easier to make. There’s no yeast, no need for a fancy dough hook, no risk of it not rising… They’re super straightforward, and totally foolproof. I promise you: If I can make these easy homemade flatbreads successfully, anyone can.

Italian piadina

These homemade flatbreads are inspired by an Italian flatbread called piadina (a.k.a. piada).

This type of flatbread dates back hundreds of years, and was initially a peasant food. The simple ingredients meant a batch of flatbread could be made daily, even if there was very little other food in the house.

Piadina are still popular now, since they’re such an easy way to make lunch. In parts of Italy, they’re served from small kiosks, made fresh with all sorts of fillings. The fillings can be either sweet and savoury, much like a French crêpe.

How to make homemade flatbread with no yeast

These homemade flatbreads are so easy to make – just 5 simple steps.

Step 1: Mix the ingredients

I’m terrified of cooking with yeast (I’ve very rarely had a good experience with it), so I love the fact that these flatbreads are yeast-free.

There are only 3 main ingredients:

• plain flour
• baking powder
• olive oil

You’ll also need some water, and you can add a pinch of salt and pepper to make your flatbreads more tasty, if you like. But surely those don’t count?

Mix all the ingredients together, and your dough will be pretty wet and sticky – something like this:

Step 2: Knead the dough for a few minutes

I’m never too excited when I see that a bread recipe involves kneading (I do usually wonder whether I can allow my laziness to prevail and just skip it), but I actually quite enjoy kneading the dough for these homemade piadina. Once you get into a rhythm, you can just zone out and get lost in your own thoughts.

It also helps that you can really see the difference the kneading makes. Just a few minutes of kneading transforms the mixture from a sticky mess into something that actually looks like a ball of bread dough:

Step 3: Rest the dough

The dough now needs to rest for about 30 minutes.

You can use this time to do something useful, like preparing your choice of filling. Grate some cheese, chop some salad, cook off some veggies – whatever you like.

Or, you can do as I usually do, and scroll mindlessly through your phone until you realise you’ve completely wasted the entire 30 minutes.

Step 4: Roll out the dough

Split the dough into about 6 pieces, and roll each one flat. You can make them super thin, or a little puffier, depending on your preference.

Step 5: Cook until lightly browned

Pop the flatbreads into a dry frying pan one at a time, and cook them on both sides until they’re nice and crispy. They only take a few minutes each side.

What do homemade flatbreads taste like?

These homemade flatbreads taste amazing. Usually, the bread in a sandwich is just a carrier for the fillings – but when you’re using these Italian-style flatbreads, the bread itself is just as irresistible as whatever you choose to put inside.

The flatbreads are nice and soft, but they also have that slight crispiness all over, which adds a beautiful flavour. They taste so fresh.

How to serve flatbreads

To be honest, I think these flatbreads would be so amazing served with just a smear of salted butter, melted onto them as soon as they come out of the pan.

But, I’m aware not everyone wants to just eat plain bread and butter for lunch every day (even if it’s super fresh and warm homemade bread). Luckily, there are plenty of other fillings you could put inside your homemade flatbreads.

I went for a classic Italian combination – fresh mozzarella torn into chunks, dark red tomatoes that smell like a greenhouse, and creamy avocado, along with some fresh basil and a handful of salad leaves. It was a brilliant lunch.

What to put inside flatbreads

Flatbreads can be stuffed with sweet or savoury fillings. Here are some ideas!

• Creamy mozzarella, sliced tomatoes and fresh basil
• Thick slices of mature cheddar cheese and Branston pickle
• Egg mayonnaise and fresh rocket
• A fried egg and vegetarian ‘bacon’
• Scrambled eggs and cheese
• Creamy garlic mushrooms
• Nutella
• Jam and whipped cream
• Sliced bananas and chocolate sauce

What would you use to stuff your easy homemade flatbreads?

Print Recipe

Easy homemade flatbreads (Italian piadina)

These homemade flatbreads are so easy to make, with no yeast required! They're perfect stuffed with all kinds of sweet or savoury fillings.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time45 mins

Course: Light lunch

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 6 piada

Calories: 328kcal

Author: Becca Heyes

Ingredients

• 450 g (~ 3 cups) plain flour (plus more for dusting)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 50 ml (~ 1/4 cup) olive oil
• 250 ml (~ 1 cup) water

Instructions

• Add the flour and baking powder to a large mixing bowl, and add a good pinch of salt and pepper. Roughly mix. Make a well in the centre, and pour in the olive oil and water. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to bring the mixture together into a rough, sticky dough.
• When the dough has just come together, turn it out onto a clean, well-floured worktop.
• Scatter a little more flour over the top, and use clean hands to start bringing the dough into a ball. Add a little more flour as needed to help the dough become less sticky and to stop it from sticking to the worktop. When the dough is less sticky, knead it for around 5-10 minutes.
• Place the ball of dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a tea towel, and let it rest for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, and roll one of the pieces very thinly, dusting with more flour to stop it sticking to the worktop.
• Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. When it’s hot, pick up the rolled-out dough by rolling it over the rolling pin, and lay it in the pan. Prick all over with a fork to help prevent large bubbles. Cook for a few minutes, until the underside is slightly browned, then turn the piada over and cook the other side.
• Remove the cooked piada from the pan, and repeat with the remaining balls of dough. Best eaten immediately, with your choice of fillings.

Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1 homemade flatbread, not including fillings.

Why not use your homemade piada for dipping in a tasty Italian soup – this Tuscan bean and veggie soup is ideal!