Grilled flatbread is an easy way to add fresh and delicious homemade bread to a meal. It requires a handful of pantry ingredients, has a short rise time, and is very forgiving. Basically, you can’t mess it up!

grilled flatbread stacked on a plate

I love to make this grilled flatbread in the summertime since it doesn’t require an oven, but it’s a perfect addition to any meal year-round. Serve it as a side to almost any meal, use it alongside your favorite dip, or even as a base for a flatbread pizza.

It starts with a simple yeast-risen dough that’s rolled out thin and cooked on the grill (or in a cast iron skillet) until golden brown. The outside gets crisp and slightly charred, while the inside stays soft and chewy. It’s delicious!

Table of Contents

Ingredients you’ll need

grilled flatbread ingredients

Bread flour vs. all-purpose flour

Bread flour is ideal for this grilled flatbread (and other yeast recipes) because its higher protein content creates a stronger dough that holds its shape and rises well. It makes for a chewy but also light and airy flatbread. 

If you have bread flour in your pantry, I recommend using it for this recipe. However, if all you have is all-purpose flour, it will work just fine. I tested both, and while bread flour is better, the results were not incredibly different. 

Note: if you’re using all purpose flour you will need as much a 1/4 cup more flour as bread flour absorbs liquid better than all-purpose flour.

How to make grilled flatbread

  1. Hydrate the yeast. Combine warm water and active-dry yeast or instant/quick rise yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
  2. Make and knead the dough. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and sugar. Add yeast mixture and milk and stir to make a shaggy dough. Using a stand mixer with dough hook on low speed, or using your hands, knead dough until it’s smooth and elastic and mostly clears the bowl, about 6-8 minutes. risen dough and cutting into portions
  3. Rise. Cover and let the dough rise for 30 minutes.
  4. Divide into portions and rise again. Gently punch down the dough and divide into 8 equal portions (or 6 if you want larger flatbreads). portioning and rolling out flatbread dough
  5. Roll out flat. Use a rolling pin to roll out each dough portion as thin as you can. You can keep them round, or make them more oblong, the shape doesn’t matter.cooking flatbread on the grill
  6. Cook over grill or cast iron skillet. Brush the tops with melted butter or olive oil and flip over onto a grill or cast iron skillet preheated to medium high heat. Cook for 2-4 minutes per side (watch them so they don’t burn!), flipping halfway through. Cook in batches as needed until they’re all done.brushing grilled flatbread with butter
  7. Brush with butter or oil and serve. While flatbread is still hot, brush with more butter or oil. Add herbs or flaky salt, or top as desired. Serve immediately!

Flavor variations

This grilled flatbread is delicious as it is, but it’s also easy and delicious to infuse it with other ingredients and flavors either mixed right into the dough, or added on top before serving.

  • Up to 1 tablespoon of herbs (dried or fresh) or garlic
  • Up to 1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes, chopped olives or grated cheese like parmesan or asiago
  • Or, get creative and add whatever you’d like!
grilled flatbread on a baking sheet pan

How to serve flatbread

Flatbread is such a versatile side dish or base for other recipes! Here are a few ideas for how to serve this flatbread:

  • Plain: Serve flatbread as a snack, appetizer or side dish. Serve it with hummus, baba ghanoush, guacamole, or your favorite dip.
  • As a wrap: Stuff flatbread with your favorite fillings, such as grilled vegetables, chicken, or beef. Add cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and ranch or vinaigrette. 
  • As a pizza: Spread flatbread with pizza sauce and your favorite toppings. Return it to the grill or put it under the broiler for a few minutes just until cheese is melted.
  • As a salad base: Use flatbread as the base for a salad. Top it with your favorite greens, vegetables, and dressing.
  • As a dessert: Spread flatbread with Nutella, peanut butter, or your favorite sweet spread. Top with fruit, nuts, or chocolate chips.

TIP: Keep flatbread warm by wrapping it in a clean towel or placing it in a tortilla warmer. To reheat, place it in a skillet over medium heat and heat until warm and soft.

grilled flatbread torn open so you can see the inside

How to make flatbread ahead of time

This grilled flatbread is best served right after it’s made for the best flavor and texture. It’s just so darn delicious when it’s fresh and hot from the grill!

If you’d like to prep this recipe ahead of time for easy grilling later, prepare the dough as written. Once portioned, roll into balls and place on a greased sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, or freeze for up to a month (once frozen, transfer to a ziplock bag for freezer storage).

Thaw and let come to room temperature before rolling and grilling.

Get the recipe

This recipe was originally published July 2010.

grilled flatbread stacked on a plate
5 from 1 review

Grilled Flatbread

Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Rise Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Grilled flatbread is an easy way to add fresh and delicious homemade bread to a meal!

Ingredients
 

  • 2 ¼ teaspoons active-dry yeast or instant yeast (1 envelope, 7 grams)
  • 1 cup warm water
  • ¼ cup milk , whole or 2% (57 grams)
  • 3 cups bread flour , plus more as needed (360 grams)
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ¼ cup melted butter or olive oil (56 grams)
  • Chopped chives or parsley , for garnish (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Combine the yeast and warm water in a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes until foamy.
  • Add the yeast mixture to a large bowl (or bowl of stand mixer) along with milk, flour, sugar and salt. Combine with spoon or dough whisk to make a shaggy dough. Knead by hand or with electric mixer fitted with a dough hook for 5-7 minutes until dough is soft and smooth and clears the edges of the bowl. If needed, add more bread flour a few tablespoons at a time. (The dough should be very soft and tacky, but shouldn't come off and stick to your fingers.)
  • Cover dough and let rise for 30-60 minutes.
  • Preheat grill or cast iron skillet to medium-high heat.
  • Gently punch down the dough to release gases, then divide into 8 equal portions. Roll each out as thin as you can. Use greased or parchment-lined sheet pans to store dough rounds and rolled out flatbread as needed while you're working. Keep covered with plastic wrap so they don't dry out. 
  • Brush one side of the disk of dough with the melted butter or olive oil and immediately place that side face down on the grill or cast iron pan. Allow to cook for about 3-4 minutes until bubbly and bottom is browned (watch so they don't burn!). Brush the other side with butter/olive oil, flip over, and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Batch cook as needed until all the flatbreads are done.
  • Serve immediately. Brush with more melted butter or olive oil, and sprinkle with parsley or chives before serving, if desired. See notes for additional flavor ideas.

Notes

  • This recipe makes 8 single-serving portions. If you’d like larger pieces of flatbread, divide into 6 larger balls of dough. 
  • To cut into 8 equal portions, use a bench scraper to cut dough in half, cut each of those halves in half again to make 4 pieces, and then halve each of those to create 8 total pieces.
  • Only brush rolled out flatbread with butter or oil right before putting them on the grill, as they get sticky and hard to work with if you do it much beforehand.
  • Flavor variations, add to dough or on top before serving: 
    • Up to 1 tablespoon of herbs (dried or fresh) or garlic.
    • Up to 1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes, chopped olives or grated cheese like parmesan or asiago.
    • Or, get creative and add whatever you’d like!
Calories: 233kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 16mg, Sodium: 631mg, Potassium: 69mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 191IU, Vitamin C: 0.003mg, Calcium: 19mg, Iron: 0.4mg
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Course: Snack
Author: Annalise
Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a rating and review below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.