Calabrian Chili Flatbread

This wonderful Calabrian Chili Flatbread recipe makes for the perfect bread side dish or appetizer to kick off a meal. The Flatbread is light and fluffy on the inside yet perfectly crispy on the outside. The simple yet delicious topping of Calabrian Chili, Garlic, and Olive Oil may sound simple, yet the complexity of flavor and spices this combination creates is truly amazing. The flavor builds and builds as you take a bite of this bread and it sure does pack a punch with those Chilis!

How to make Calabrian Chili Flatbread

This dish follows a traditional method for making flatbread. They are a basic dough that is mixed, kneaded, and then allowed to rest before being rolled into their famous flat shape. Instead of being baked in the oven, Flatbread is typically pan fried on the stovetop over a very high heat. This is what helps achieve those wonderful char marks that are so characteristic of a good Flatbread

The first step in making this dish is to prepare a dough. You will need to combine Flour (a combination of 00 and All-Purpose Flour with Dry Yeast, Sugar, and Salt. In a separate bowl combine Greek Yoghurt and Olive Oil, then combine the two along with some Warm Water

Knead it all together by using a stand mixer or by hand. Allow 5 minutes of kneading time if using a stand mixer, or about double that time if kneading by hand. Add a little bit more Water to the dough as you knead until the dough can be stretched thin without breaking. Form it into a ball, drizzle with a little bit of Olive Oil then rest, covered, for 30 minutes at room temperature

Once your dough has rested you can form them into Flatbreads

Cut the rested dough into 8 equal sized pieces and roll them into balls. If you like you can make fewer, larger flatbreads, it’s up to you. Roll the dough out until they’re about ¼ inch thick using a rolling pin. If you don’t have a rolling pin a Wine Bottle works exceptionally well as a substitute!

The rolled-out Flatbread is then rested again, this time for 15 minutes. This allows the dough to relax, which will help it retain it’s shape as it cooks. While the dough is resting it’s a good time to make your Chili and Garlic mixture!

Preparing the Chili Garlic topping

The Chili and Garlic mixture is very simple to make for our Calabrian Chili Flatbreads. You will simply need to combine some finely diced Garlic, Calabrian Chilis, Olive Oil, and a little bit of Salt in a bowl. The best option for this recipe is using Calabrian Chilis in Oil. They offer a wonderful flavor and mean you won’t need to add much more Olive Oil to the mixture

Alternatives to Calabrian Chilis are Cayenne Peppers. They bring an equally fiery spice to the dish and can typically also be found in Oil at the grocery store. When preparing the topping you will want it to be quite liquidy, so don’t shy on the Olive Oil. Allowing the Garlic and Chili to soak in the Oil infuses it with all their wonderful flavors

Cooking these wonderful Flatbreads

The best pan to cook Flatbread in is no doubt a Cast Iron Skillet. They retain heat better than any other pan which allows them to get super-hot on the stovetop, which is exactly what you want for our Calabrian Chili Flatbread!

Place the pan over a high heat until it’s smoking hot. At this point, simply place one of the rolled-out pieces of dough directly into the center of the pan. There’s no need for any Oil as the dough won’t stick

Cook them for about 3 minutes until the underside begins to char. Flip them over for another 90 seconds and they’re done! Repeat this process for all the Flatbreads. You can simply stack them up on a plate until they’re all done and ready for the final step

Generously brush the Flatbreads with the delicious Garlic and Chili Oil mixture and Broil to finish

If you have a kitchen brush this will be the best utensil to get one side of the cooked Flatbreads coated in the Chili and Garlic Oil mixture. If not, simply use a spoon, ensuring you get generous, even coverage all over

Place the coated Flatbread onto a flat sheet pan lined with Foil. Crank your ovens broiler onto its highest temperature and, when hot, simply place the Bread underneath

It won’t take long to cook. At this point we’re just aiming to get the Garlic cooked. So about 1 minute under the Broiler will be enough time. Once cooked, you can repeat this process for the remaining Bread

To finish the Calabrian Chili Flatbread, give them a generous sprinkle of Flaky Finishing Salt right before serving. It’s best to serve these wonderful Breads straight out of the broiler when they’re hot and crispy!

These delightful Flatbreads are the perfect side dish to a hearty meal such as this amazing Lamb and Eggplant dish known as ‘Hamshuka’. They’re also simply perfect to enjoy as their own meal. The beautiful Spiced Garlic and Chili coating offers the perfect topping for your perfectly toasted Flatbreads

Calabrian Chili Flatbread Recipe

Ingredients

• 200g All-Purpose Flour
• 100g 00 Flour
• 1 tbsp. Active Dry Yeast
• ½ tsp. White Sugar
• ½ tsp. Salt
• 150g Greek Yoghurt
• 3 tbsp. Olive Oil
• ⅓ cup of Warm Water
  
  

Garlic and Calabrian Chili topping Ingredients

• 3 tbsp. Calabrian Chili in Oil
• 6 Garlic Cloves, finely diced
• 2 tbsp. Olive Oil
• Pinch of Salt
  
  

Equipment needed: Stand Mixer

Instructions

1. Make a dough by combining AP Flour, 00 Flour, Yeast, Sugar, and Salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together the Yoghurt and Olive Oil
2. Combine the two bowls then add half of the Water. Mix well and then knead the dough for 5 minutes in a stand mixer at medium speed. Slowly drizzle in some of the remaining water until the dough can be stretched without breaking
3. Form the dough into a ball and then coat with a few drops of Olive Oil. Set aside in a bowl covered with a damp kitchen towel and rest for 30 minutes at room temperature
4. Place the rested dough on a flat surface and punch a few times to remove the air. Cut into 8 equal size pieces then roll into thin rounds using a rolling pin (or a wine bottle!). Cover again and rest for 15 minutes
5. While the dough is resting make the topping by combining Chili, Garlic, Olive Oil, and Salt in a bowl. Mix well then set aside
   
   

Cooking the Flatbreads

6. Once the dough has rested, heat a large cast iron pan over high heat. Once smoking hot, place one of the flatbreads in the middle of the pan. Fry for 3 minutes on one side then flip and fry for about 90 seconds on the other side. Repeat for remaining Flatbreads
7. Brush a generous amount of the Garlic and Chili mixture onto one side of the Flatbread and then place under the broiler over a high heat
8. Broil for about 1 minute until the Garlic begins to slightly brown. Remove from heat and sprinkle with Finishing Salt. Serve immediately
   
   

Recipe Notes

• You can make this recipe without a stand mixer, but allow double the kneading time if doing so by hand (so, about 10 minutes in total)
• You can replace Calabrian Chili with other types of Chilies in Oil such as Cayenne Peppers
  
  

We cannot urge you enough to try this delicious Calabrian Chili Flatbread. The heat and amazing flavor of the Calabrian Chilis adds such a unique taste to the dish, and it’ll keep you coming back for more!

Here are some other great Bread recipes we highly recommend you check out:

• Pan Con Tomate
• Za’atar Flatbread with Yoghurt
• Pepperoni Calzone Pizza
• Garlic Onion Bread
  
  

Happy Cooking!