I’ve been leaning on this garlicky flatbread a lot lately. I use them to dip into my favorite dips, love them for folded sandwiches, and even use them as the base for this Margherita flatbread pizza. The secret to these flatbreads is olive oil that we infuse with fresh garlic and sesame seeds. We use the same trick when making our homemade garlic and herb focaccia. The infused olive oil adds so much flavor.
How to make homemade flatbread
We’re going to start by making our garlicky olive oil. I add olive oil, fresh minced garlic, and sesame seeds in a small skillet over low heat until it smells like lightly toasted garlic. I love the sesame seeds in this flatbread recipe. They add a bit of crunch and nuttiness. I especially love these with hummus, which has tahini, a paste made with sesame seeds. To make the flatbread dough, we need yeast, water, sugar, flour, and salt. The sugar gives the yeast a head start — you only need 1/2 a teaspoon. The yeast helps leaven the dough and make it so soft and foldable (it does the same for homemade pita bread). If you don’t have any yeast, you can still make flatbread — we recommend hopping over to this no-yeast flatbread recipe. The dough comes together similarly to the dough for our focaccia. We’ll combine all the ingredients and knead them 10 to 15 times. That’s it, and then the dough moves on to proofing, which takes 1 hour at room temperature. To make the dough a day before, proof overnight in the fridge instead. You can do the same with our easy pizza dough. The cool air of the refrigerator slows the yeast down, but after a night in the fridge, it will rise enough to move on to cooking the flatbreads. To cook the flatbreads, roll them out (or use the tips of your fingers like in the photo below), and then cook over medium heat until puffed and cooked in the middle. Use a heavy skillet or grill pan. I used a grill pan for the flatbread pictured — I love the grill marks!
How to serve garlic flatbread
With dips: Serve this homemade flatbread with dips like our baba ganoush (a roasted eggplant dip), roasted red pepper hummus, our hummus with ground beef and mint, or this easy crab dip, which is delicious hot or cold. As a folded sandwich: Tuck fresh veggies, perfectly cooked chicken, chicken salad, egg salad, poached salmon, or falafel into the flatbread. With soups: Dip this soft flatbread into soups like our creamy veggie soup, this easy bean chili, classic beef chili, or this roasted cauliflower soup. Make pizza: We also love using these as a base for these easy flatbread pizzas.
2 tablespoons sesame seeds 3 tablespoons olive oil 3/4 cup warm water 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet) 1/2 teaspoon sugar or honey 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt Neutral flavored oil for lightly coating skillet such as grape seed or canola 2Add 1 cup of the flour and the infused garlic-olive oil mixture to the bowl with yeast. Stir 3 to 4 times until the flour has moistened. Let sit for another 5 minutes. 3Stir in the remaining cup of flour and the salt. Once the dough comes together, transfer it to a floured board and knead the dough 10 to 15 times until smooth, adding more flour if the dough seems unreasonably sticky. 4Transfer to a large oiled bowl, cover with a warm, damp towel, and let it rise for 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size. 2Shape it into balls, cover it with a damp dishtowel, and let the dough rest for 5 to 10 minutes. 3Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or grill pan over medium heat (see note below). 4Use your fingertips to press each dough ball into a flat disc about 1/8 inch thick. 5Lightly oil the skillet, then carefully lay down the flatbread and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until it’s starting to brown. Flip, then continue to cook until cooked all the way through. If the pan is too hot or smoking, turn the heat down slightly. Continue with the remaining flatbreads.
