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Adapted from my favorite pizza crust recipe, this homemade flatbread pizza features a thin and chewy base perfect for your favorite toppings. This flatbread dough is quicker, easier, and thinner than traditional pizza dough, taking about 1 hour from start to finish—ideal for beginners. I love adding garlic and Italian seasonings for extra flavor!
Margherita Flatbread Pizza
If you've ever wanted to recreate restaurant-style thin crust flatbreads at home, this recipe is the perfect starting point. This easy homemade flatbread dough is also the foundation for recipes like zucchini & herbed ricotta flatbread and veggie pizza. If you haven't tried it yet, here's why you should:
Why Make This Flatbread Pizza?
- Requires minimal ingredients
- Quicker to prepare than homemade pizza
- Yields 2 flatbreads
- Perfect for 2-4 people
- Easier to shape than regular pizza dough
- Delicious plain or with toppings
In other words, it's a simpler, faster, and more convenient version of traditional pizza dough.
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What’s the Difference Between Flatbread Pizza and Regular Pizza?
Flatbread can be made with or without yeast. My version uses yeast for a slight rise, similar to a thin crust pizza. For a no-yeast flatbread, look for a different recipe specifically designed without yeast.
Regular pizza dough bakes into a thick, chewy, and soft-centered base for toppings, while flatbread pizza is flatter and doesn't require as much yeast or rise time. This makes it more manageable for beginners. This flatbread is similar to my focaccia, another simple homemade bread recipe.
6-Ingredient Yeast Flatbread Pizza Dough
- Yeast: Use instant or active-dry yeast with no changes. If you're new to working with yeast, review my Baking with Yeast guide. 1 teaspoon is enough for a thin flatbread crust.
- Sugar: Granulated sugar feeds the yeast. Only 1 teaspoon is needed.
- Water: We use water instead of milk to achieve a chewy and crisp texture.
- Flour: Use bread flour or all-purpose flour. Bread flour provides a slightly chewier texture.
- Olive Oil: Adds flavor and is also brushed on the dough before baking.
- Salt: Adds flavor.
Optional Additions: Add garlic, Italian seasoning, fresh herbs, or freshly ground pepper for extra flair.
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.
- Place the 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 a rolling pin until they are about 1/4-inch thick. Dimple with your fingers or a fork. Brush with olive oil.
- Top with your favorite flatbread toppings.
- Bake at a high temperature for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
Enjoy it Plain:
If desired, skip the toppings and enjoy plain flatbread. Top with fresh garlic, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper before baking, then sprinkle with fresh parmesan cheese after baking. Serve with marinara sauce, hummus, homemade pesto, or mashed avocado and fried eggs for an avocado toast variation.
Flatbread Pizza Toppings:
- Tomato, Basil, & Mozzarella Flatbread: Add fresh arugula on top after baking.
- Zucchini & Herbed Ricotta Flatbread
- Goat or Blue Cheese & Fresh Apple or Pear Slices: Plus fresh arugula or a drizzle of honey after baking.
- Cold Veggie Pizza
- BBQ Chicken Pizza & Pesto Pizza Toppings
- Spinach Artichoke White Cheese Pizza Toppings
Pre-Cook Toppings:
Pre-cook meats before using as toppings. Sauté or gently cook vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower for better flavor. Spinach, peppers, and mushrooms can be added raw.
Get Creative!
I can't wait to hear how you top your flatbread pizzas. Feel free to email or share your recipe photos on social media. Enjoy your delicious homemade flatbread pizza!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
The above recipe draws inspiration from the renowned culinary experts, Sally and Lindsay.
Ingredients
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.
😎 Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- 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
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- 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.
