Skip the Dough! How to Make Flatbread Pizza in Less Than 10 Minutes
Homemade dough can make for a superb pizza pie if done right. It can also take hours to create and several attempts to really perfect. Luckily, rockin’ pizza can be made mostly from scratch by skipping the homemade dough altogether and simply using a prebaked flatbread. Here’s how to make flatbread pizza in less than 10 minutes.
This easy method has just three components: premade flatbread, sauce, and toppings. Layer, bake, eat. That’s it.
Flatbread. Remember the big brand ready-to-eat pizza crust that you probably ate as a kid, which comes packed with sugary tomato sauce in a little plastic baggie? Well, that stuff typically contains artificial ingredients and preservatives, and it often ends up tasting like overly starchy, slightly soggy crust rather than deliciously browned, slightly crisped crust.
Flatbread, however, is made with just a few all-natural ingredients—flour, water, and salt (depending on which producer or baker you are buying from, of course), and is usually unleavened and rolled thinly (hence “flat” bread) … which ends up making for one mean pizza pie.
Health food stores will often carry flatbread in their bakery sections, as will ethnic markets (especially those slanted toward Mediterranean or Middle Eastern customers). You’ll find it in all sizes and shapes; it may come as large squares or various-sized rounds, or even long, rectangular sheets. Opt for whatever shape suits your fancy and whatever size accommodates your portion needs.
Sauce. Once you’ve brought home the prize flatbread, toss it on a baking sheet while your oven preheats. Set the temperature from 450° to 500°F, as a quick blast of high heat will get your cheese deliciously browned and bubbly on top without overcooking any of the other toppings or drying out the bread.
Now, spread your sauce over the flatbread. Tomato-based sauce is classic, but you can also opt for infused olive oil, béchamel sauce, or smooth tapenade as the sauce layer. Don’t overdo it. Many home cooks go overly liberal with the sauce and end up with a soggy crust in the end. Less is more here. Just make sure it’s amply seasoned and every bite will be flavor-packed.
Toppings. Finally, finish with cheese and other desired toppings. If using vegetables, pre-cook them (roast, sauté, pan-fry…) because they’re only getting a short blast of heat in the oven, and you want them to be nice and soft going in there. Otherwise, if you’re opting for fresh, raw greens, like a garnish of chopped basil or handful of baby arugula, only add that once the pizza is cooked and out of the oven.
When you’re ready to bake, toss the prepped pizza directly onto wire racks in the oven and cook until cheese is just melted, about 5 minutes flat. Remove, slice, and thoroughly enjoy your under-10-minute pizza perfection.
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Image adapted from viviandnguyen_, Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
