This delicious, pillowy soft Turkish Flatbread is an easy, one-bowl-no-mixer recipe. It’s perfect with hummus, tabouli, for wraps and so much more!
If you think you have to have a bit of Middle Eastern heritage to make great Turkish Flatbread, think again! This recipe comes together quickly, without a mixer and minimal kneading and rising. These delicious, tender, pita-type flatbreads are cooked in a pan on the stovetop in minutes.
What is flatbread?
Flatbread has become popular restaurant and grocery store fare in recent years, but it’s definitely not a new invention. Rather, it has a long history, originating in ancient Egypt. Over the years, many other cultures, including India, Armenia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Afganistan, and Turkey have come up with their own version of flatbread, each one having slightly different characteristics. What’s really fascinating, is that some countries, like Turkey, have numerous types of flatbread, each region of the country having its own distinct version.
In Turkey, flatbread is a staple and there are shops that exclusively sell this simple, delicious type of bread. The variety is staggering. I’ve read about Pide, Lahmacun, Gözleme, Yufka, Lahmacun, and Bazlama, to name a few. The main differences are in the shape, toppings and cooking methods.
The Turkish flatbread recipe I’m sharing today is Bazlama. Bazlama is similar to naan and, in Turkey, is often baked over an outdoor, wood fire. Bazlama is also known as “village bread” as it’s often sold in stands at Turkish markets. One of the distinctions of Bazlama is that it’s made with Greek yogurt, making the bread super tender and giving it a tasty tang.
The ingredient list for this Bazlama is, like most flatbreads, super simple: yeast, sugar, water, flour, yogurt, and salt. The dough is stirred up by hand in a bowl, then turned out onto the counter for a short kneading time. It’s then covered and allowed to rest for 15 minutes and then it’s ready to roll into circles. A short stint in a hot pan and you’ll find these fragrant, tender flatbreads difficult to not devour, all by themselves. (Don’t ask me how I know!)
I’ve made several batches of this Turkish flatbread, tweaking it a bit each time and finding more and more ways to use it.
Ways to use this Turkish Flatbread
- Eat it plain or with a spread of peanut butter and a drizzle of honey for a delicious snack.
- Divide the dough into 14 or 16 portions and make the flatbreads smaller. Serve them warm in a bread basket as a dinner bread.
- Spread a spoonful of hummus down the center of a flatbread. Top with grilled (or rotisserie) chicken, diced tomatoes, cilantro, Kalamata olives, crumbled Feta and a drizzle of Zoe’s Copycat Dressing. Serve it as a wrap – delish!
- Make flatbread pizza. Just add toppings and bake for 5-8 minutes in a 450˚F oven.
- Stuff with scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast flatbreads.
- Use them in place of bread for your favorite sandwich.
- Heat a medium non-stick sauté pan over medium heat until hot. Add a small drizzle of olive oil and swirl pan to coat. Add a Turkish flatbread and cook until underside is golden. Flip to opposite side and continue cooking till also golden. Cut in wedges and serve as a delicious accompaniment to salads, soups or as an appetizer with hummus or spreads.
- Serve it with Grilled Chicken Swarama and Turkish Cucumber Tomato Salad – recipes coming!!
Café Tips for making this Greek Yogurt Turkish Flatbread
- You can make these flatbreads thicker or thinner by rolling the dough rounds bigger or smaller. I like a medium thickness and roll mine approximately 7 inches in diameter.
- Since every stove is different, you might have to experiment a little bit with the first flatbread. You want the heat high enough that bubbles appear on the top surface and the underside is getting a few golden spots after about 45 seconds to 1 minute. If you’re not seeing the bubbles, increase the heat. If the underside is getting brown too fast, decrease the heat a bit. On my stove a heat setting slightly below medium is perfect.
- Brush the dough rounds lightly with olive oil. You want to cover the surface but you don’t want greasy flatbread.
- I use whole milk Greek yogurt, but I think any variety of plain Greek yogurt will work fine.
- A tablespoon of kosher salt sounds like a lot, but it’s divided between 10 large flatbreads. I tried it with less and the results tasted somewhat bland. However, if you use regular iodized salt instead of kosher salt, definitely use less. Here’s a great conversion chart for kosher and table (iodized) salt.
- If you’re not used to working with yeast, don’t worry! The only trick with yeast is to use the right water (or other liquid) temperature. You want it to be right between 105-110˚F. If you test it with a finger, that’s fairly hot, but not so hot that you’d pull your finger back. If you’re not sure, use a thermometer to test the temp before adding the yeast and you’ll be just fine.
This delicious, pillowy soft Turkish Flatbread is an easy, one-bowl-no-mixer recipe. It's perfect with hummus, tabouli, for wraps and more!
- 1 ¼ cups warm water 105-110˚F
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dried yeast 1 packet
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ cup Greek-style yogurt
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
- Combine the yeast, sugar, and water into a medium-large bowl and stir well. Allow to sit in a warm place for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast. The mixture will be foamy and bubbly when activated.
Whisk in the Greek yogurt olive oil and salt.
Add flour and parsley and stir with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula and until the dough comes together. Turn dough out onto a well-floured counter and turn to coat. Knead for 3-4 minutes or until dough is no longer sticky and springs back when lightly pressed. Sprinkle more flour onto the counter if the dough is sticky during kneading.
Divide dough into 10 equal pieces, sprinkle lightly with flour, then cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.
Preheat a medium saute pan to a medium-low heat. While pan is heating, roll one of the dough portions into an approximately 7-inch circle. Brush the top surface lightly with extra virgin olive oil. When the pan is hot, pick up the first circle with your hand and place in pan, oiled side down. Lightly brush the top surface with oil. Allow to the flatbread to cook for about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until top surface is covered with bubbles and underside is golden around the edges and in spots.
Flip to opposite side and cook for another 60-90 seconds until a few small golden spots appear. Don't overcook on the second side. Repeat rolling, oiling and cooking with remaining portions of dough.
Sprinkle flatbreads with a bit more chopped parsley when finished, if desired. Stack flatbreads in a clean kitchen towel after cooking to steam a bit and retain softness.
- When cool, store in a ziplock bag. Reheat in a pan without oil for a minute or two on each side OR wrap flatbreads in paper toweling and heat in the microwave on low power until warm.
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Erin says
Very nice bread. will be on regular roster.
Chris Scheuer says
Yay, so happy you enjoyed these flatbreads, Erin! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
rob says
can sour cream be used as a yogurt substitute?
cooking in a saucepan seems weird. why not a cast iron skillet?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Rob, you could definitely use sour cream in place of yogurt. And thank you for noticing that typo. It should say sauté pan. I’ve correct that in the recipe.
A cast iron skillet would also work well.
Deanna says
Current favorite to keep stocked in the freezer! Easy to make & so very tasty 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Deanna! We appreciate you taking the time to share your results!
Natalie says
Can you make theses in a sandwich maker?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Natalie, I would say no as they wouldn’t rise properly.
Deb says
Do you think this could be made on a gas grill
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Deb, I have not tried this flatbread on the grill so I don’t want to say for sure but I think it would be delicious!
Kate says
Delicious! Made this for the first time, only used dried parsley instead of fresh. Still absolutely yummy. Served with chicken schwarma and mixed greens salad – big hit with the whole family. Can’t wait for the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Kate! Sounds like a delicious dinner! I LOVE chicken Shawarma leftovers!
Stu says
One suggestion: For a softer and more supple texture, add a tablespoon or two of instant mashed potato flakes to the dough. It retains more moisture and keeps the flatbreads easier to fold and roll without breaking. The potato flour imparts no taste; it’s strictly textural. This trick also works with pita bread. They can also be made on a gas or charcoal grill. This recipe is fool-proof. I do not recommend storing in the fridge. Either store for up to about 3 days at room temp or freeze in heavy plastic freezer bags.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, Stu, for sharing your review!
randy says
I saw chef Spencer Watts make this bread on one of his shows. I would like to know if I could use almond flour? Or maybe it would be to heavy.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Randy, I haven’t tried it but I think almond flour would be too heavy and would add too much of its own flavor. I love almond flour but it does add a unique flavor.
Afsheen says
Can younplease tell what can j subtstitute greek youghurt with, since its not available where i live.
Tha ks
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Afsheen, do you have regular yogurt? You could definitely use that.
Lucy says
I loved this recipe! So simple yet so tasty! Was cooking them for a room of vegans so used almond yogurt instead of greek yogurt and they were delicious! Thanks so much!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Lucy, so happy you tried this and enjoyed it. Great idea to sub the almond yogurt!
Chris Kujawa says
We LOVE this recipe in my family! Thank you so much!!! As we’re eating more and more Mediteranean/Middle Eastern food I know I’ll be making this again (as it is, this is the second time I’ve made it in the last month). Thank you for sharing!
Chris Scheuer says
You’re welcome, Chris! They are perfect with any kind of Middle Eastern cuisine! I’m so happy you’ve enjoyed them!
Ken says
Thanks for sharing this recipe. The taste was amazingly good. However, my execution of the recipe left a lot to be desired. I could not get the dough to the point where it was elastic and firm enough to roll out. I tried adding more flour but it helped only slightly and I stopped because I did not want to go overboard with that. I will confess to using the dough hook on a stand mixer – do you think that caused the problem? Another factor might be that I live in southern Florida – do you think it is necessary to adjust for higher humidity levels? Regardless, I managed to get the dough to the pan and fried up some larger dumpling-looking things that still tasted delicious — even if they did not resemble flat bread! And I have been happily eating leftovers this week. Will definitely try again.
Chris Scheuer says
I wonder if the mixer just overmixed the dough. I find I need less flour when mixing things by hand. Yes, the humidity could cause a looser dough, I wouldn’t hesitate to add a bit more flour. I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor!
George R says
My first comment in 2019. This bread was great!
I improvised and use half sour cream and half lemon nossa yogurt. That’s what I had. And used about 80% APF and 20% WW. Turned out great. Thanks and I’ll be back to look at what else you got here.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your results, George! So happy you enjoyed it.
Helen says
Ooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I’m going to try this recipe, too (I love the tortilla recipe) but will use homemade plant based yoghurt instead of a dairy yoghurt.
Thank you again!
Lisa says
These have become our favorite part of our Indian meals! So very good, simple, fresh, and pretty, too. Thank you
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome!
Karen says
I made these and they turned out great! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I want to try it next using some whole wheat flour, has anyone tried it?
Chris Scheuer says
I haven’t tried it with WW flour but we’ll see if anyone else has. Thanks for sharing your results, Karen 🙂
Jenny says
Hi Chris!! Your flatbread recipe looks delicious & I can’t wait to try it!! Love Middle Eastern food. One question though…can I sub a whole grain flour for the all purpose?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jenny, you could sub some whole grain flour, maybe 1/4-1/2 but I would try to do all whole grain as the flatbreads would turn out heavy.
Jenny says
Cam I use bread flour instead?
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, that would work fine Jenny.
Gaynor says
Awesome, we just loved these!
EDEl logan says
WAnt to make for my son, how many days will they stay fresh and can they be frozen?
Chris Scheuer says
They can definitely be frozen. I keep mine in the fridge for several days.