Sourdough Flatbread Recipe
Looking for a quick and easy way to use your sourdough starter? These sourdough flatbreads are the answer. They’re simple to make and incredibly versatile. Let’s get into the recipe.
Sourdough Flatbread Recipe
1. Activate Your Starter
The night before, feed your sourdough starter. A lively, active starter is key to a successful dough. If you are not sure if your starter is still good you can learn how to tell if your sourdough starter has gone bad in this post.
If you are brand new to sourdough and are looking for how to start a sourdough starter, I have an easy starter recipe for you that will walk you through the steps along with a video.
2. Initial Mixing
Start by mixing your sourdough starter, warm water, and olive oil together in the mixer bowl. Be sure to use a kitchen scale for accurate measurements; it’s key for getting the dough just right.
3. Add Flour
Add the whole wheat and bread flour to your wet mixture. Use a spatula to gently fold until a shaggy, somewhat sticky, dough forms.
Wondering about the best way to store your unused flour? Check out my detailed guide on how to store flour for optimal freshness and longevity.
Let your shaggy dough rest for about 30 minutes. This will allow the flour to hydrate fully, making the dough easier to handle.
4. Knead and Salt
Now, either by hand or with a stand mixer on a low setting, knead the dough while gradually adding the salt.
Salt not only seasons the dough but also strengthens the gluten structure. Continue kneading until the dough is cohesive and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl.
5. First Rise
Transfer the dough into a bowl lightly coated with olive oil, shaping it into a ball as you do. Cover it with a towel or plastic bonnet and let it sit for about 30-40 minutes. This is its first proofing stage.
6. Stretch and Fold
This step improves the dough’s structure. Gently pull the dough from one side and stretch it up and fold it over itself, repeating 3-4 times.
Your dough should become noticeably more elastic and easier to shape.
7. Second Rise
Let the dough sit covered for another hour or two until it doubles in size. This is when the yeast does its magic, fermenting the dough and developing flavor.
8. Divide and Shape
If you’ve refrigerated your dough, let it come to room temperature. Cut the dough in half to make it easier to work with. Then, from each half, shape 6-8 smaller dough balls.
The number of balls depends on how big you want your flatbreads to be. Take a small piece of dough, stretch it out a bit, and then fold it into itself. Repeat a few times to create air pockets and form a tight, round ball.
Once you’ve got your dough balls, cover them up and let them proof for another hour. This brief resting period relaxes the dough, making it easier to shape into flatbreads.
9. Shape and Cook
Heat a pan over medium-low heat and add a tiny bit of olive oil. Take each rested dough ball and stretch it into a flat shape about 6-8 inches across.
To stretch your flatbreads you want to flour a surface, and use your fingertips to gently stretch each ball flattening it out.
Then pick up a dough ball with both hands. Gently stretch it by pulling the edges and rotating, continuing until you’ve formed a round, flat shape about 6-8 inches in diameter.
One at a time, cook covered for about 2 minutes on each side. You’ll know they’re ready to flip when they start to bubble and gain a slightly golden color.
Managing Heat and Oil
Keep an eye on the pan. If it smokes, it’s too hot. Simply remove it from the burner for a bit. You’ll only need a small amount of oil for each batch of 3-4 flatbreads.
10. Enjoy
You made it—now you can enjoy your sourdough flatbreads. They’re good for making small pizzas, as the base for sandwiches, or simply with a bit of butter.
You can also cut them into wedges and use them for dipping in sauces or spreads. They’re a versatile option for any meal. For tips on how to store your sourdough starter for future use, and also how to store your bread once it has cooled check out my guided posts.
Ingredients
- 250 grams, freshly fed sourdough starter
- 600 grams of warm water
- 60 grams extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for cooking
- 200 grams of whole wheat flour
- 800 grams of bread flour
- 30 grams of kosher salt
Equipment
- A kitchen scale for precise measurements
- A large mixing bowl
- A spatula
- Optional: A stand mixer for easy mixing
- A cotton towel or plastic wrap to cover the dough
- A pan for cooking
- A dough scraper
- A cutting board
Sourdough Flatbread Recipe
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Mixer Bowl
- Spatula
- Towel or Plastic Wrap
- Frying Pan
- Cutting board
- Dough scraper
Ingredients
- 250 g Sourdough starter
- 600 g Warm water
- 60 g Olive oil
- 200 g Whole wheat flour
- 800 g Bread flour
- 30 g Salt
Instructions
- Feed your sourdough starter the night before to make sure it's active.
- Combine sourdough starter, warm water, and olive oil in a mixing bowl.
- Fold in whole wheat and bread flour until it becomes a shaggy dough. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Knead the dough while adding salt, until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover it, and let it sit for 30-40 minutes.
- Stretch and fold the dough about 3-4 times. Cover again and let the dough proof for about 3 hours or until your dough doubelesin size.
- If refrigerated, let the dough warm up. Divide it in half, then create 6-8 dough balls from each half by stretching and folding. Let them rise a proof for about an hour.
- Heat a pan with a small amount of olive oil. Stretch each dough ball into a flat shape about 6-8 inches in diameter and cook for 2 minutes on each side.
I have made flat breads without the oil on the pan. Why would you use oil? Also why not roll the flatbread out with a rolling pin? Thanks
Yes I always use a little oil in the pan when I make flatbreads and I don’t roll them out because I think them to be fluffy and thicker. However when if I want wraps I will roll them thin with a rolling pin and that works really well also.