Flatbread Sandwich Thins

Anyone who’s been around here for a while knows of my love affair with 5 Minute Artisan Bread. I truly believe it is the easiest way for the average home cook/chef/baker to make their own delicious, healthy bread for their family. It saves money, and it really is pretty much the quickest way to make bread.

But to be honest, I rarely make loaves with it. Plain old sliced bread is just so yesterday. Instead, I usually make sliders , dinner rolls, pizza crust, pocket sandwiches or flatbread with it. Each option is so super simple and a lot less fussy than a loaf of bread. You know, all those technical terms about crumb and crust and fermentation blah blah blah. I’m not into all that. It takes too much time, effort, and skill that I just don’t have.

I just like to make bread that’s tasty and healthy and not too complicated. And although I love the master “healthy” bread recipe in Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, I stumbled a while ago across an even easier and less complicated artisan bread dough recipe that is just as versatile.

I always – always – have a batch of this dough in the fridge, ready at a moment’s notice for whatever bread-like goodness I want to whip up, which just adds to its attractive qualities. Recently, I found yet one more use for this amazing bread dough: mini flatbreads. They are reminiscent of sandwich thins, although not exactly the same thing because the official sandwich thins are technically smooshed rolls, and these are definitely flatbreads. Two different things.

But I like to think these are even better. Flatbread is my favorite all time form of bread because it’s so soft, and yet a bit chewy. But it doesn’t necessarily make a great sandwich because it’s usually too thick to fold effectively like a tortilla into a taco or burrito shape. And way too floppy to stack on top of another piece to form a real sandwich shape. Enter the mini flatbread: all the yummy taste and texture of traditional flatbread, but miniaturized to make the perfect sturdy little sandwich.

Trust me. It’s way better than sliced bread.

Ingredients

8 oz (or about 2 cups) white whole wheat flour
8 oz (or about 2 cups) all-purpose unbleached white flour
1 TBSP yeast
1/2 TBSP salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger, optional
12 oz (or 1.5 cups) lukewarm water

Instructions

Measure the dry ingredients into a very large bowl. Whisk together.
Stir in the water until well combined. This might take a little oomph, but when the dough starts to get just a bit on the sticky side, you’ve accomplished your mission.
Allow the dough to rest at least a couple hours (I usually let it sit all day); it will rise and fall. Just let it do it’s thing.
Cover the bowl loosely and store in the fridge until you need it. (It’s easier to work with the next day.)
To make the mini flatbreads, sprinkle the dough with a bit of flour. Pinch off a small piece and form a ball; it should be maybe 1.5″ in circumference, and you should be able to hold the ball in your palm and curl your fingers around it. The size is the most important thing here. Too large and it will be too floppy; start smaller than you think and adjust from there.
Pat the ball into a round disk and place it on a lightly floured surface. Gently roll it into a circle about 2.5-3″ in diameter.
Heat a frying pan over high heat (no oil). Place the flatbread on the pan and cook until bubbles form on the top. Flip and cook briefly on the other side. Remove from heat, and continue with remaining dough.

Notes:

The ginger is a dough conditioner and is totally optional. It does not add flavor.
You can also use 1 or 2 TBSP of orange juice as part of the liquid; according to King Arthur Flour, orange juice improves the texture of whole-wheat-flour bread dough. Once again, it doesn’t affect the flavor.
You can make a few flatbreads at a time, as you need them, and store the remaining dough in the fridge.
This recipe is halved. You can double it all except the yeast, which only increases to 1.5 TBSP.
This recipe really is truly best when the ingredients are weighed. I use the EatSmart Digital Kitchen Scale. I also like to sift the flour through a mesh strainer as I’m pouring it into the bowl; it really creates a lighter finished product.
I even make an allergen-free version using this recipe for gluten-free egg-free artisan bread.

Fill your mini flatbreads with whatever filling you would normally put between regular sandwich bread slices!

Don’t be put off by the lengthy instructions and storing bread dough in the fridge: this really is QUICK! Stove-top flatbread is pretty much the quickest ever way to make bread. And making the dough easily becomes part of your weekly (or bi-weekly) routine; at least it has for me!

It is soooo incredibly EASY also. If loaf bread scares you, then try this!

Making your own bread is so much CHEAPer than buying it. I typically buy 10 lbs of flour every 6 weeks, and it costs me (at most) $6.00. This flour not only makes all my bread, but all my other baked goods as well. So my DH and myself get all our bread (including dinner rolls and pizza crusts) for less than $1 a week. (My children are another story. Let’s not discuss the cost of wheat-free flours.)

And it goes without saying that this bread is considerably HEALTHY-er than the vast majority of breads available in the store. And the ones that might be healthier are also quite heftily expensive, so take that into consideration.

Sharing at Tastetastic Thursday, The Local Cook, and…

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Comments

Stacy Makes Cents says:

January 24, 2012 at 8:38 am

I love those little sandwich things from the store! These are awesome!!!!
Stacy Makes Cents recently posted..Maple Pecan Pie

- Anne says:
  
  January 24, 2012 at 1:36 pm
  
  I think I may have only had them once or twice, so I don’t remember if I like them or not. But I know I love these!!!
  
Sheila says:

January 24, 2012 at 9:19 am

I’ve heard and read that it is much better to weigh ingredients. I just don’t know about another kitchen gadget, but I think it would get used.

Thanks for all the notes on the recipe!
Sheila recently posted..Sweet Italian Sausage and Pasta

- Anne says:
  
  January 24, 2012 at 1:36 pm
  
  Mine is really small and takes up very little space. I didn’t use it much at first, but now i use it all the time. There’s a great site (convert-to.com) that tells you how many ounces are in a cup for a variety of different baking goods (like different kinds of flour and sugar, etc.).
  
Happyone says:

January 24, 2012 at 9:31 am

I have a bread machine and make all my bread and pizza dough with that. I love it and it is super easy. The machine does all the work.

Your flat bread looks really good and I look forward to making some and trying it!
Happyone recently posted..A good day for cross stitching

- Anne says:
  
  January 24, 2012 at 1:26 pm
  
  I used to use my bread machine all. the. time. until I started with the artisan bread dough. Now me and the artisan dough are attached at the hips, lol:)
  
Steph (The Cheapskate Cook) says:

January 24, 2012 at 10:45 am

These look great! I want to try them. Make my own pita bread, but this sounds even easier
Steph (The Cheapskate Cook) recently posted..On the Menu: We Can Make it…

- Anne says:
  
  January 24, 2012 at 1:25 pm
  
  I forgot to mention in the post that sometimes these do turn into pita. You turn around from the pan and whoop! It’s grown 3 sizes, lol! I just smoosh them back down again, but one of these days I’m going to actually use them like a pita. And then watch. They won’t blow up! (PS. i think poking holes in them would prevent the ballooning problem, but it doesn’t bother me enough to try.)
  
Rita @ Healthy Mom, Sexy Wife says:

January 24, 2012 at 12:37 pm

I’m so excited to make these. I buy the pre-made flats (*hangs head in shame*) for my son’s sandwiches. I’m giddy right now…LOL.
Rita @ Healthy Mom, Sexy Wife recently posted..Motivation Monday: Make Yourself

- Anne says:
  
  January 24, 2012 at 1:24 pm
  
  LOL! The things that make us giddy:) I can totally relate!
  
Sheila says:

January 24, 2012 at 8:25 pm

Thanks for the helpful link! I do think I will eventually break down and get a scale.
Sheila recently posted..Sweet Italian Sausage and Pasta

Terri Horne says:

January 25, 2012 at 4:22 pm

I made the dough yesterday, cooked a few last night and made more today! they were a little easier to roll out today. I love them and so did my family. I did omit the white flour and only used Whole White Wheat flour. They still came out great and weren’t heavy. I used Trader Joe’s brand flour and I’ve been able to really increase the quantity of whole wheat flour in all of my recipes I look forward to making more and I’m planning on trying them instead of pita’s for pizza.
Terri Horne recently posted..Starting over!

- Anne says:
  
  January 25, 2012 at 5:09 pm
  
  Great! That’s the same flour I use most of the time. And yes, I also like to use all white whole wheat flour. It’s best when it’s sifted and weighed, otherwise I find the texture not quite as pleasing.
  
The Southern Product Queen says:

January 26, 2012 at 11:53 am

This looks like a yummy, and healthy breakfast! I can’t wait to try it! I’m having a linky party as well, and would love for you to join it! Here is the link http://www.thesouthernproductqueen.com/one-stop-s... Thanks for sharing!

- Anne says:
  
  January 26, 2012 at 1:53 pm
  
  Thanks! I will check it out!
  
Amy @ A Little Nosh says:

January 28, 2012 at 2:22 pm

You always have such great ideas. You’re featured again this weekend! http://www.alittlenosh.net/2012/01/weekend-spotlight-19.html
Amy @ A Little Nosh recently posted..Weekend Spotlight #19

- Anne says:
  
  January 30, 2012 at 7:46 am
  
  Thanks!
  
Becca @ Crumbs and Chaos says:

January 28, 2012 at 4:45 pm

I LOVE Artisan bread in 5 min a day! These look delicious, I love how versatile this dough is!
Becca @ Crumbs and Chaos recently posted..Seasonal Inspiration: 1-28-12

- Anne says:
  
  January 30, 2012 at 7:46 am
  
  Me too!
  
Alea Milham says:

January 30, 2012 at 12:33 pm

I love 5 Minute Artisan Breads. Love the frugality, the versatility, and the smell of homebaked breads in my house! I’m looking forward to trying your flatbread – it will go well with the barbecued chicken I’m making for a party next weekend.
Alea Milham recently posted..Daily Financial Tips from LearnVest

Wendy (The Local Cook) says:

February 3, 2012 at 8:33 am

LOVE this! Thanks so much for linking up, I definitely want to try it.
Wendy (The Local Cook) recently posted..Bread Recipes Link Up

Dan says:

February 3, 2012 at 9:14 am

Not bad. Do these puff up (i.e., hollow out) like a pita?
Dan recently posted..Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

- Anne says:
  
  February 3, 2012 at 1:41 pm
  
  Yes, they do! Multi-purpose:)

Flatbread Sandwich Thins