Flatbread Pizzas

 Sunflower Seeded Flatbread with Ricotta Cheese, D'Anjou Pears, & Walnuts

Inspired by 101 Cookbooks

Pairs wonderfully with Apple Butter

One of my favorite things to do every month is meet for book club. I am an avid reader, at least I thought I was before I joined my book club - some of those girls have put me to shame! - and think it's a fantastic way to discover new authors, new friends, and new things about myself.

It's a quaint little club, just four of us in total, but we meld together better than anyone could have written on paper. Each of us is entertained discovering our likes and differences, and it turns out we enjoy discussing much more outside of the novel's pages.

Once a month we take turns hosting, and without much discussion, snacks were laid out at each meeting. We have seemed to turn our focus as equally onto the food as to the storyline at hand. When word got out that I blogged about food, the expectations were raised. I decided to cook a little extra for my hosting duties this month, which worked out well since our appetites usually call for something above the established peckish fare.

Parmesan Flatbread

Recipe by Cooking with Amy

Two to Try: Smoked Mozzarella & Seasoned Tomato

The current trend in the food world seems to be flatbread pizzas. These quick recipes offer a broader array of doughs and toppings than the regular standard. I gathered a few recipes, completed my grocery shopping, and finished as much as I could the night before.

Thankfully, the club members enjoyed being my taste testers. I was hesitant to brag preemptively, so I clued them in. All my tasting time was taken up with (rushed) photography time before the ladies were scheduled to arrive. My awesomeness prevailed recipes were a success, and I even have one more I didn't have time to make on this night to share in the future.

Thank you, ladies, for your kind words! They highly recommend you try these flatbread pizzas, as do I.

Dill Flatbread

Printable Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup olive oil

cornmeal

Preheat oven with pizza stone* to 450*F. In a mixer with a spiral dough hook**, blend together the flour through salt. Next add the water and oil slowly, and allow the dough to be worked for no more than 4 min. Divide the dough in half and round each into a ball.

Using your hands, or an oiled rolling pin, roll the dough out into a thin sheet, approximately 10" in diameter on a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal to prevent sticking (or tin foil with cornmeal dusted on top of the dough and then flipped onto the pizza stone or baking sheet). Once the dough is flat, slide the dough into the oven and cook for 10 - 12 min, depending on level of browning desired. Repeat with second flatbread dough.

After allowing the flatbread to cool, cut into small pieces for snacking. This flatbread goes well with hummus. Also, adding toppings and placing the flatbread under the broiler for 3 min makes a delicious pizza (it's better to undercook the dough if adding toppings to prevent the dough from burning). 

~Yields 2 10" flatbreads.

~Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

I used butter and yukon gold potatoes.

*I bought my pizza stone at Bed, Bath, & Beyond from Oneida for $15. However, a baking sheet can be used instead.

** The spiral dough hook works better than the traditional, in my opinion. You could also just use your hands!