Fast & Easy Gluten-Free Flatbread Recipe
When was the last time you had a good, gluten-free flatbread? The answer for me, up until I tried this recipe, was never, ever, ever. But thankfully, it’s super-awesome, and easy to do too, and it makes a perfect flatbread for all your flatbread needs (which I’m sure are many).
Jump to RecipeRecipe card, instructions updated 5/26/22
If you have ever made gluten-free pizza dough–the kind that’s slimy that have to spread into a circle–you will find this much the same process. The dough, even though it’s not yeasted, puffs up in the oven wonderfully and has a great texture. It even holds up to heavy toppings so that it can be eaten without tearing. As a bonus, it can be cut in half, then gently cut open with a sharp knife to make a pita! It’s a total win.
How to Make Gluten Free Flatbread
- If you have a pizza stone, place it on the lowest rack of the oven and preheat it to 425 degrees. (If not, that’s okay too, you can cook the bread on a baking sheet).
- Place all the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix to combine. Add the olive oil, eggs and milk, and beat until the mixture comes together (it will be crumbly). Slowly beat in 1/2 a cup of the warm water. The texture of the dough should be quite wet and sticky, but not runny. Add more water if needed.
- Scoop the dough into 6 balls and place the balls on evenly 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Dip your fingers in water and spread each dough ball into about a 5-inch circle, starting in the center of the dough and working your way out. Leave the edge of the circle a little thicker than the middle.
- Bake the flatbread on the pans for 8 minutes, Lift the bread from the pans, flip over and place on the baking stone for another 8 minutes, or until it is puffed and lightly golden brown. (Or flip and continue to cook on the baking sheet). Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. When cool, place in a sealed bag and store at room temperature. Reheat in the microwave before serving.
Look at that pocket! Amazeballs, right? Stuff it with anything you’d put in a regular pita…tuna salad, egg salad, fajita chicken, or quinoa tabbouleh. Make sure you use a good quality flour blend when you make it and you’re good to go.
Here’s what to serve with this gluten free flatbread recipe:
- Light & Easy Turkey Kofta Kebabs
- Tabbouleh with Quinoa is Delicious & Naturally Gluten-Free
- Egg Salad Sandwich with Fennel & Radish
If you make this recipe, or any of my others be sure to tag me on Instagram, and use the hashtags #agirldefloured #deflouredrecipes!
Gluten-free Flatbread
Equipment
- Pizza Stone optional
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose gluten free flour blend
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already has it
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 extra-large egg lightly beaten
- 1 egg white lightly beaten
- ¼ cup warm milk
- ½ to ¾ cup warm water
Instructions
- If you have a pizza stone, place it on the lowest rack of the oven and preheat it to 425 degrees. (If not, that’s okay too, you can cook the bread on a baking sheet).
- Place all the dry ingredients (flour through salt) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix to combine. Add the olive oil, eggs and milk, and beat until the mixture comes together (it will be crumbly). Slowly beat in ½ a cup of the warm water. The texture of the dough should be quite wet and sticky, but not runny. Add more water if needed.
- Scoop the dough into 6 balls (I used an ice cream scoop that holds about ⅓ of a cup) and place the balls on evenly 2 parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheets. Dip your fingers in water and spread each dough ball into about a 5-inch circle, starting in the center of the dough and working your way out. Leave the edge of the circle a little thicker than the middle.
- Bake the flatbread on the pans for 8 minutes, Lift the bread from the pans, flip over and place on the baking stone for another 8 minutes, or until it is puffed and lightly golden brown. (Or flip and continue to cook on the baking sheet). Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. When cool, place in a sealed bag and store at room temperature. Reheat in the microwave before serving.
Good thing I have a good quality GF flour blend 😉 Can’t wait to try it.
Hey, is GF flour blends sold already blended and what does it usually contain? I have Crogns disease and must be careful what I eat. 🙂
Each blend is different. I make my own…https://www.agirldefloured.com/2012/01/27/all-purpose-gluten-free-flour-blend/. If you don’t want to make your own, you’ll just need to read the labels and see. 🙂
there is a trick to making it puffy and extra soft, I have a question please help
is it possible to only use only these 4 ingredients? e.g, when i make it, i have used
white flour, But i need to replace with gluten free, maybe quinoa?
mostly milk and dash of water,
sprinkled salt
when i puff them, the trick is to get for example, a toaster has those metal grills
dont use the tray, use the grill, because i fry 1 minute each side, then i toss on grill.
the grill is placed over the stove, so the dough is exposed to the heat.
the heat puffs up the dough like a pillow, and increases softness.
not sure if i can post a link, but its on youtube, thats how i learned. I didnt have the right stove, but i used my toaster grill over the electric stove to create some space,
dont put dough directly on the stove of course, the grill stands less than half inch from heat.
Check into how tapioca, potato, and corn starches raise your blood sugar higher than wheat, and increase insulin as a result (and how that is so detrimental to your health.)… Very few gluten free recipe contributors tell you that. Beware!
for those of us that have to eat gluten free for health reasons rather than by choice, we need to have those alternatives. Most of us do not eat the foods containing these flours on a daily basis as it is so much more expensive and time consuming to make. I only manage to buy perhaps one gluten free loaf of bread or pack of pizza crusts per month. I base my diet around items that do not replace wheat flour with gluten free ingredients to make it healthier. If you have carb concerns you should only be eating these items sparingly. There are healthier flours such as chickpea flour and ways to make baked goods out of chickpeas and beans that provide a lower glycemic index food.
If one has celiac, gluten free is a lifestyle, not an option.
Pinned this recipe a few days ago, but forgot to tell you how amazing I think it is! Cannot wait to try this. Thank you for sharing your adaptation of Nicole’s recipe, Ali! xo
I just made these and they turned out more like biscuits. They don’t taste like flatbread at all. What did I do wrong??
What flour blend did you use?
Mine came out more like biscuits as well. I used All Natural Gluten Free Cafe flour blend. I also do not have a stand or hand mixer. I mixed everything by hand. Despite the fact that they didn’t turn out as expected they made for tasty biscuits. 😉 Next time I’ll try your flour blend.
LOL! It’s always good to be flexible with gluten-free baking. 🙂
Will King Arthur’s flour blend be a good choice for these?
I haven’t tried it with KA, only my own flour blend. I think what you need to look for is a relatively “light” flour blend, about 60% whole grain flour, 40% starches…and no bean flour at all. Cup 4 Cup would be good for this, as would Better Batter. If you are happy with the results KA flour has given you in other baked goods (or even pancakes), give it a try. 🙂
hi is the xanthan gum mandatory? ive been looking for it and i cant find it! where can i get it? or is there any substatuition i can use?
Hi Katie. With gluten free baking, some kind of binder is needed to replace the gluten (which essentially holds breads together). I’ve seen xanthan gum at natural foods stores (Bob’s Red Mill makes it), but my regular super market has it too. It’s quite expensive for a bag, but it will last a long time, depending on how much baking you do. You can substitute guar gum, in equal measurements, though that can be tricky to find, as well.
There are some in the gluten free community who have been replacing the gums with ground chia seeds or ground flax seeds. To do that mix an the same amount of chia or flax as the called-for xanthan, with twice as much boiling water. So, if the recipe calls for a teaspoon of xanthan, mix a teaspoon of ground flax or chia in a small bowl with 2 teaspoons of boiling water to make a slurry. Add that to your dough and you’re good to go.
Finally, if your flour blend already contains xanthan gum (many do), you will probably be fine without it. 🙂 Whew!
As a binder l always use a tablespoon of physillium husk it’s always been successful, you might like to try it.
Xantham gum is available on line. I buy from Vitacost. .
Hi,
I tried the recipe and found the breads were very dense, not puffy. This is one of three flatbread recipes I tried tonight and I wonder if the difference isn’t due to my style of measuring. I dipped the measuring cup into the flour, as is traditional for gluten-y baking. Perhaps using a spoon to measure the flour into the measuring cup would be better? Such a method would certainly lead to less flour being involved in the recipe. Any comment on measuring technique? Thanks!
Hi Joan, sorry it didn’t work out for you. What flour blend did you use? And yes, fluff the flour first, scoop it into the cup, and then scrape off the excess with a knife.
And I should add that the bread is somewhat dense in the sense that it doesn’t create a natural pocket like a pita. However, as you can see in the photos, it will have puffy air bubbles.
Well… I was hopeful. Alas, it’s a quickbread recipe and tastes like a quickbread. That’s fine. I’m looking for that yeasty, chewy flatbread that’s as close to a gluten flatbread as possible. This isn’t it but it has potential as a bisquit-type bread.
Hi Karen,
Yes, it is definitely a quick bread and lacks that yeasty flavor we all long for. I do hope to work on a yeasted version sometime in the near future, but I suspect it will be much more difficult to master. I’ll keep you posted. 🙂
Alison
I was wondering if you could for your liquid use a rice flour sour dough type mixture. This might give that sour yeasty flavor.
You could certainly add that to the dough….let me know if you do and how it turns out. 🙂
I wonder is there any non-dairy substitutes for the milk?? I don’t do dairy but eggs are fine… I usually use cocnut or almond milk which recipes calls for…
Sure, Terri! Try it with an unsweetened almond milk first. 🙂
I just gave these a try, and they turned out great! They’re chewy and flexible, and taste pretty good (not like wheat pita, but good in their own right.) I did find that I had to cook them for a significantly shorter period of time than called for. About 4 minutes made them perfect. Might just be my oven though, it’s a bit funky, but thought I’d mention it in case anyone’s having trouble with them getting too hard.
Thanks for the recipe! For the first time in years I got to enjoy a falafel sandwich on pita! 🙂
Thanks for the feedback Raven! It’s possible that your oven runs a little hotter than mine. And it’s definitely a good idea to check in the oven a few minutes before they are supposed to be done to make sure they aren’t over cooking. 🙂
don’t know if I should be gluten-free or wheat free. Is this flour GF Flour also wheat free? What is it made of?
Hi Maureen, gluten-free flour blends are also wheat free. But if something is only wheat free, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s free of gluten. Confusing, I know. Gluten is contained in wheat, rye, barley and sometimes oats. It’s found in many processed foods, and things like soy sauce etc. Gluten free flour blends usually contain things like brown and white rice flour, sorghum flour, almond meal, millet flour, tapioca flour and or corn starch.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, I am gluten and yeast free and it’s been a real challenge, these are perfect! They worked really well , i’m in the UK and used Doves gluten free flour
Fantastic! I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
I made these with Dove’s farm plain blend at the weekend – they were great. soft, tasty and toasted well the next day. I added some cumin and black pepper too – which worked really well.
Mine came out like small frisbees/hard biscuits. I used Pamela’s Artisan Flour Blend and mixed by hand as I don’t have a stand mixer, or a pizza stone. Help!
I used Pamela’s too and they turned out great, but I did sift the flour first. I have found through many mistakes that the Artisan blend is heavy and sifting is required. This might help. Though your post was from October, I figured someone might find it useful. Oh, and I also blended by hand because I didn’t want to get my mixer out. 🙂
I’m glad you answered! I use Pamela’s as well for most of my baking needs and was wondering if this would work. I have a pop up restaurant and I’m promising GF flat bread this week! Fingers crossed 🙂
Hello,
I tried it but mine didn’t get so sticky like yours can you tell me where I went wrong?
I use dove gluten free bread flour.
Thanks
Hello! I’m not familiar with Dove bread flour because I’m in the US. But I did read on their website that their flour blend is best with additional liquid added. Perhaps try adding more water (tablespoon by tablespoon) until you get the texture called for in the recipe? 🙂
Thanks for your reply I will try and hopefully will manage to do it
Thanks again
Hi I have just made these, they are delicious, I cooked three at a time until they were lightly golden it didn’t take as long as it said in recipe, I managed to make them into a pitta they are lovely warm with some garlic and herb soft cheese thanks for the recipe made using Doves farm bread flour, I am in the UK
Great! I’m so happy you liked them. 🙂
Hi, can I store the dough in the fridge for a day or so?
I haven’t tried it personally, but I can’t think of a reason why it wouldn’t work.
I just found this recipe today and ran out and bought all the ingredients to make your flour. I am on a gluten free, sugar free, yeast free diet. I made the flat bread and ate 2 right away. I love the texture. Thank you for taking the time to put this together.
I agree with other reviewers that these creations are delicious, but texturally more like a biscuit than a pita. (This does make sense because they are a quick-bread, not a yeasted bread.) Baking time was less for me as well. I recommend pressing fresh rosemary into the dough before baking and dipping fresh bread into a mixture of fresh chopped garlic, olive oil, and sea salt. Yum!
Looking forward to your future recipes! Is a yeasted flatbread on the horizon?
Just tried this recipe with the gf all purpose flour from Trader Joe’s that I had on hand and it turned out perfect!! Thank you for the recipe!
I LOVE flatbread, but can’t eat eggs as well as gluten. Any suggestions for alternatives?
I use flax seeds and hot water to substitute for eggs in baking all the time with success. You can google the correct mix of water and ground flax seeds.
I just made this, made the mistake of using 1/2 cup of rice milk instead of a 1/4, adjusted the liquid accordingly. Used Bob’s all purpose flour. I also baked them longer, like 12 mins. They turned nicely brown, don’t open up, but they taste like a soft pretzel. Who knew?
Next time I’ll try it the normal way and maybe I’ll get 2 recipes for the price of one.
thanks this recipe was so easy!
Thanks for this recipe! I had these Betty Crocker gluten-free rice flour blends I didn’t know what to do with. I tried this recipe and made pizza flat breads. It was so delicious.
Can I cook them in a frying pan? wanna try them while camping…
Would it cook ok in a frying pan? I wanna do it while camping
Can I make this without milk at all? I don’t eat dairy and find the dairy free alternatives really expensive! Also, can they be cooked in a pan?
Hi, just found out yesterday I have to go gluten, soy, and peanut free. Searching recipies to be able to have some kind of flat bread. These flour types and blends are all new to me. Is GP AP a brand name blend that one purchases? Is there a recipe I can make myself? or better to buy a blend. Sorry clueless here.
Hi Debbie! {{HUGS}} The first weeks (months??) are hard…but there are lots of people on the web who can help!
I make my own flour blend…the recipe is here. https://www.agirldefloured.com/2012/01/27/all-purpose-gluten-free-flour-blend/ The flours are available at your natural health store or online. Make sure to buy those brands that say “gluten-free”. I like Authentic Foods and Bob’s Red Mill.
Good luck!
Hi! I just made these and they turned out like hard discs. I used your flour blend (which tastes amazing btw) I only added 1/2c water. Maybe I should have added more? Thank u!
I used a slightly altered version of this recipe to make the BEST!! flour tortillas! Thanks a million for this recipe! A huge triumph in my kitchen!
Interested in this “altered version” for flour tortillas! What did you change?
Hi Angela,
I replaced half of the AP flour with gluten free corn masa flour, reduced the egg to just one whole egg and doubled the oil. You can find my version here: http://www.welcometomyglutenfreejourney.blogspot.com
Will this work with an egg substitute of some kind? I can eat egg yolks, but not the whites. Any idea of how to make it work?
I personally haven’t tried it…but you certainly can. Maybe try to use a yolk plus a flax egg.
Great recipe. I was dubious as I don’t have a mixer or a fancy oven, but with Doves Farm GF blend flour (UK) they turned out great, and pocketty too 😀 I need to make them bigger next time but yay for this recipe! Thanks for sharing.
My daughter and I just made these this morning. They were perfect and delicious. My daughter was so happy to have a pita that she photographed her sandwich and posted it to Facebook. Thank you for this recipe!
I would like to know if you have ever Frozen a batch? I tend to try to make as much of something as I can. Thanks, Kim
sounds good i will try cooking them tomorrow night ,thanks
thank you! i’ve been using this recipe all year. replaced some flour with almond meal and it still holds up well.
I followed your directions to a T, but, since I’m allergic to eggs, I increased the baking powder to 2 teaspoons and substituted a chia egg for the real thing (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons warm water). They turned out great! I used Namaste gluten free all purpose flour blend. They puffed up like pitas. Good flavor. Thank you for sharing!
Yum yum yum! I nade these and they are very good. I did sift all the ingreadents together.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I made some yesterday and they turned out very yummy. I’ve made gluten free tortillas before and they were always dry, but these are wonderful!
Hi there i am new to all this and have no idea what half these things mean especially the GF AP Flour blend, please help a mistified girlie. Many thanks
It is a gluten-free multi purpose flour. You can use my flour blend…or buy it premade. https://www.agirldefloured.com/2012/01/27/all-purpose-gluten-free-flour-blend/
I made the flat bread for the first time today…it turned out pretty dense, nothing like your picture where it opens up so nicely. I made it all by hand I did not use a kitchen aide..I used an all purpose gluten free flour that had the Xantham gum in the blend, I mixed it following your directions..then I baked it on a large stone. They are cooling now and are tasty but not as airy looking as your pictures. Where did I go wrong?
Different flour blends make different results. Also, beating with the mixer helps lighten up the structure as well.
So I wanted to report back that the flat bread though dense did open up I think I have to make it rounder and of course I used a different flour so it won’t look the same. These would be great to make my own pizza and I might experiment and and rosemary and other spices to change it’s all a chemical reaction when we mix the ingredients…so each flour blend will look different. I am looking forward to more recipes. I want to try the Banana loaf recipe. Thanks for sharing your takents. Jeannie
It’s fun to experiment with recipes. And I think you’ll LOVE the banana bread. 🙂
I just made these-they are EXACTLY what I was looking for-a pizza crust-they came out amazing-even down to perfect little shape for a mini pizza-I wish I could send you the pic I took-you could definitely post these as a pizza crust recipe too! Thanks so much! I will be making many of these in my near ( and far) future:))
Hi can this recipe work with gram flour as thats my favourved choice of GF flour
Hi can this recipe work with gram flour as thats my favoured choice of GF flour
I have been using this recipe for a couple of years now. This flatbread has become a staple for me. I make them weekly!! But, I thought this recipe included the nutritional values. Cannot seem to find them now. I follow the Weight Watchers program and just needed to verify the points value on these. Can you help me out?? Thank you for the marvelous recipe!!
I made the dough but it didn’t make enough for 6 pieces of flatbread.
We just made these with Pamela’s Bread flour.- which was perfect and no need to add Xanthan gum. They turned out exactly as the pictures look could not be any easier. Definitely would make a good pizza crust. The flavor is great, the texture great too- but definitely more of a biscuit meets flatbread. My daughter is eating one now warm smothered in butter. She is already asking me to make more! Thanks!
What bag of pamela’s did you use? Artisan? Pizza crust?
Thanks! <3
This is my first time making homemade flat bread. I didn’t flatten them put as much so mine were smaller and thicker. I will know to make them double the size next time. I just had a couple questions. Are they suppose to taste blah and floury??? I know that’s the main ingredient and there are no other flavors but I just wanted to double check. Also, could I mix the dough up and bake half but freeze the other half uncooked? Like put it in 3 balls then fteeze? Then I could dethaw, flatten, and bake. Would this work with this dough or not? Would it be better to bake the whole batch then freeze?
Hi Amanda, Yes you can freeze the dough raw, then thaw and use as you said. As for the flavoring, feel free to add any dried herbs and spices either to the batter, or sprinkled on top.
These were absolutely amazing! I used Bob’s Red Mill for the flour and xanthan gum. Came out perfectly thank you!
Hi Allison I have celiac disease and I wanted to try to make your flatbread recipe. I wanted to know if you had a few pointers and if I’ll be able to make a few changes. Would it was possible for me to use Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free baking mix 1 to 1 it already includes xanthan gum? What would be the best way too keep my dough together? Also would it be possible for me to trade out regular milk for soy milk?
Tired with pillsbury all purpose. It didn’t come out.
Good to know. I haven’t tried it with that flour blend before.
LOVE! My husband and I made this and it was incredible. It will be making a regular appearance on our dinner table!
Thank you so much for the recipe! I can’t wait to try your other recipes!
I made these today using Better Batter flour. They came out fantastic. I followed the recipe using silpat mats and after 8 min. flipped and placed them diectly on the pizza stone. Each one puffed up leaving a nice pocket. Great recipe! Happy girl here!
After I added the water it is way too runny!
Should I try again and not add the water? I did double check measurements and did it correctly.
Thanks,
I just made these using a left over flour blend from another sight. They came out soft with just the right amount of chew. The taste reminds me a bit of a popover. Even better than the full gluten pitas or flatbreads. Absolutely delicious!
So happy to hear! Glad you loved them.