This recipe for soft gluten free flatbread is perfect for wraps and miniature pizzas, and is made with just 5 common pantry ingredients—plus salt. If you use plant-based milk, it's vegan!
What makes this gluten free flatbread recipe so special?
When you begin with a good recipe (my job!), use proper ingredients (our job!) and measure by weight (your job!), you will have success in gluten free baking. I don't ever publish a gluten free recipe on the blog or anywhere else unless I've made it successfully as written, multiple times.
Their primary purpose is for wraps, both warm and cold. Think: turkey sandwiches, perfect for lunchboxes everywhere.
These soft gluten free flatbreads aren't tortillas, naan, or pizza dough. But they can be used to make burritos, gyros, and miniature pizzas, too.
They also don't call for yeast, or eggs, or anything fussy. But, like all of my recipes, they are specific. If you're willing to come along with me, this recipe might just change the way you think of gluten free bread…
Make this gluten free flatbread better with tapioca starch/flour
This recipe calls for two types of gluten free flours. One is a well-balanced all purpose gluten free flour blend. I used Better Batter, but Cup4Cup is fine or one of my mock versions of those; please follow the link in the recipe for details).
The other flour is a single ingredient, but it makes all the difference. The flour blend contains tapioca starch as an ingredient. But this recipe calls for extra tapioca starch/flour.
Can I omit the tapioca starch/flour?
In a word: no. You must use tapioca starch as an additional ingredient without substitution for the results you see in the photos and described in this post.
The additional tapioca makes it much easier to work with the raw dough, makes the cooked flatbreads delightfully chewy, and helps them bend. Yes, your all purpose gluten free flour blend already contains tapioca starch/flour. This is more.
Why we roll the warm soft gluten free flatbread
Have you ever made a rolled cake, like a yule log, pumpkin roll, or a Swiss roll? The way you achieve that rolled cake without its cracking is by baking it into a thin layer, then rolling it into a coil the moment it comes out of the oven.
Rolling a roll cake, or here, a flatbread, while it's still warm, creates a “memory” in the cake. This way, when the flatbread cools, it will remember how to bend without breaking.
You don't have to roll these flatbreads as described in the recipe. You can simply stack them like we do with gluten free tortillas. But if you'd like to ensure that you can roll them into a burrito or a sandwich wrap, I recommend rolling them right out of the skillet.
Soft gluten free flatbread: ingredients and substitution suggestions
This recipe is super simple, which is part of what makes it so useful. Please keep in mind that each modification made to a simple recipe has even more impact.
The only additional common allergen that might arise here is dairy, and it's easily replaced. This recipe has no eggs, naturally.
Gluten free dairy free flatbread/piadina
In place of cow's milk, you can use any sort of unsweetened plant-based milk. I prefer something with some fat, like plain unsweetened almond milk.
You can actually even use water in place of milk, but it's makes a somewhat tougher flatbread. This flatbread is perfect soft without additional dairy, like the yogurt in our gluten free naan.
Tapioca starch/flour
You must use tapioca starch/flour in this recipe, as a separate ingredient. This is in addition to one of my recommended all purpose gluten free flour blends.
There is no substitute for tapioca starch/flour (it's interchangeably called tapioca starch and tapioca flour). It adds pliability to the raw dough and the finished flatbreads.
Expandex modified tapioca starch, which we use in gluten free bread flour, is not an appropriate substitute for tapioca starch/flour. They are entirely different ingredients, and behave very differently.
Serving suggestions for this gluten free flatbread
This flatbread is one of the most useful gluten free bread recipes on the whole blog. Here are some suggested ways to use it, but the sky's the limit:
- Use this as a wrap to make a sandwich filled with lunch meat, lettuce, and tomato slices.
- Don't roll out the cooked flatbread, and instead top it as you would a mini gluten free pizza with sauce and cheese. Melt the cheese in the microwave, in the skillet with a cover on top to trap the heat, or in a large toaster oven or low conventional oven at 350°F for 5 minutes.
- Fill your flatbread with beans, ground beef, and cheese and wrap it up like you would a burrito, placing the filling in the center, closing the sides around the filling and then rolling into a cylinder. Cook it in a hot skillet, seam side down, until the cheese is melted.
FAQs
Typically, yes, flatbread is made with wheat flour, which contains gluten. Only flatbread that is made with safely gluten free ingredients according to a gluten free recipe will be gluten free.
This flatbread recipe is the most versatile and basic, and can used almost anywhere a flexible, flatbread is called for. There are a number of recipes on the blog that are types of flatbread, including gluten free pita bread, gluten free naan, and gluten free flour tortillas, but they're also something else specific. Pita is used for its pocket and has a tighter crumb, naan is a yogurt-containing Indian yeast bread, and tortillas are thinner.
Yes, this flatbread will remain flexible long after it cools down because we roll it in a tea towel. You can keep it rolled in a towel at room temperature for about 2 hours before serving.
Yes, once it's wrapped in a towel and completely cool, the flatbread can be removed from the towel, rerolled, then wrapped very tightly and stored in the refrigerator for 3 days or the freezer for up to a month. To refresh, sprinkle the flatbread lightly with lukewarm water, unroll as much as possible, and microwave for about 20 seconds. You can also refresh it by unrolling it and pressing it flat on a hot skillet for 10 seconds.
No, if you don't plan to roll the flatbread at all, you don't have to roll it when it's still warm. If you don't roll the bread when it's warm, though, it won't be as flexible once it's cool.
How to make this easy, soft gluten free flatbread or piadina
Soft Gluten Free Flatbread | 5 Ingredients
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (105 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; click thru for full info), plus more for sprinkling
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- 5 tablespoons (38 g) tapioca starch/flour (See Recipe Notes)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) plain unsweetened plant-based (for vegan) milk or cow’s milk, chilled
- Neutral oil for the skillet like grapeseed, canola, or vegetable
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, tapioca starch/flour, salt, and baking powder, and whisk to combine well. Add the oil, and mix to combine.
- Add the milk, and mix until the mixture comes together. If necessary to bring the dough together, knead together with clean hands. The dough will be thick but relatively soft.
- Ideally, divide the dough into 5 ounce portions (as written, the dough makes 2 portions), wrap each tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes and up to 3 days. You can also work with the dough immediately, if you don’t have time to chill it.
- When you’re ready to make the flatbreads, heat a cast iron skillet that’s at least 10-inches in diameter, or a heavy-bottom nonstick skillet, over medium-low heat. Place a flat, wide spatula and a tea towel on the counter next to the skillet.
- If you’ve chilled the dough in portions, unwrap and work with one piece at a time. If the dough hasn’t been divided, divide it in two equal halves, each weighing about 5 ounces.
- Turn each piece of dough out onto a very lightly floured flat surface, and sprinkle lightly with extra flour. Cover the other piece(s) of dough loosely with a cloth to prevent it (them) from drying out.
- Sprinkle the dough lightly with more flour and begin to roll it into a round, sprinkling lightly with more flour as necessary to prevent sticking. The edges will be jagged and a bit rough.
- Gather the dough together and repeat the process at least once more, until the dough is smoother. Roll the dough into an approximately 10-inch round, turning and flouring lightly as necessary. The edges should be less rough, but this is rustic flatbread.
- Brush about 1 tablespoon of neutral oil on the hot skillet. Pick up the prepared raw piece of flatbread and place it flat in the center of the skillet, taking care not to bend any of the edges.
- Allow it to cook for about 1 minute without disturbing it, or until the edges begin to lift. Slide the spatula underneath the flatbread, ensuring that there are no spots that might stick.
- Flip the flatbread over and allow it to cook for another minute, pressing it firmly back onto the skillet with the spatula to prevent it from puffing up. You can also take a toothpick and prick any bubbles to deflate them.
- Continue to cook the flatbread, flipping it frequently, until it is set on both sides and doesn’t glisten anywhere. It should take 2 to 3 minutes total. Remove the flatbread from the skillet, place it in the center of the tea towel (See Recipe Notes), and fold the edges of the towel over on it to enclose it.
- Repeat with the other piece of dough, oiling the skillet lightly as necessary.
- Once the flatbreads are done cooking but are still very warm, open the tea towel and remove both pieces of bread. Place one about 4 inches from one short end of the towel, fold the edge over the bread, and roll the bread tightly in the towel.
- Place the second flatbread on the unrolled portion of the towel, and repeat the process, rolling until the two flatbreads are tightly wrapped in the towel. Allow them to cool for at least 5 minutes wrapped in the towel before unwrapping and serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Soft Gluten Free Flatbread | 5 Ingredients
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (105 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; click thru for full info), plus more for sprinkling
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- 5 tablespoons (38 g) tapioca starch/flour (See Recipe Notes)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup (4 fluid ounces) plain unsweetened plant-based (for vegan) milk or cow’s milk, chilled
- Neutral oil for the skillet like grapeseed, canola, or vegetable
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, tapioca starch/flour, salt, and baking powder, and whisk to combine well. Add the oil, and mix to combine.
- Add the milk, and mix until the mixture comes together. If necessary to bring the dough together, knead together with clean hands. The dough will be thick but relatively soft.
- Ideally, divide the dough into 5 ounce portions (as written, the dough makes 2 portions), wrap each tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for 30 minutes and up to 3 days. You can also work with the dough immediately, if you don’t have time to chill it.
- When you’re ready to make the flatbreads, heat a cast iron skillet that’s at least 10-inches in diameter, or a heavy-bottom nonstick skillet, over medium-low heat. Place a flat, wide spatula and a tea towel on the counter next to the skillet.
- If you’ve chilled the dough in portions, unwrap and work with one piece at a time. If the dough hasn’t been divided, divide it in two equal halves, each weighing about 5 ounces.
- Turn each piece of dough out onto a very lightly floured flat surface, and sprinkle lightly with extra flour. Cover the other piece(s) of dough loosely with a cloth to prevent it (them) from drying out.
- Sprinkle the dough lightly with more flour and begin to roll it into a round, sprinkling lightly with more flour as necessary to prevent sticking. The edges will be jagged and a bit rough.
- Gather the dough together and repeat the process at least once more, until the dough is smoother. Roll the dough into an approximately 10-inch round, turning and flouring lightly as necessary. The edges should be less rough, but this is rustic flatbread.
- Brush about 1 tablespoon of neutral oil on the hot skillet. Pick up the prepared raw piece of flatbread and place it flat in the center of the skillet, taking care not to bend any of the edges.
- Allow it to cook for about 1 minute without disturbing it, or until the edges begin to lift. Slide the spatula underneath the flatbread, ensuring that there are no spots that might stick.
- Flip the flatbread over and allow it to cook for another minute, pressing it firmly back onto the skillet with the spatula to prevent it from puffing up. You can also take a toothpick and prick any bubbles to deflate them.
- Continue to cook the flatbread, flipping it frequently, until it is set on both sides and doesn’t glisten anywhere. It should take 2 to 3 minutes total. Remove the flatbread from the skillet, place it in the center of the tea towel (See Recipe Notes), and fold the edges of the towel over on it to enclose it.
- Repeat with the other piece of dough, oiling the skillet lightly as necessary.
- Once the flatbreads are done cooking but are still very warm, open the tea towel and remove both pieces of bread. Place one about 4 inches from one short end of the towel, fold the edge over the bread, and roll the bread tightly in the towel.
- Place the second flatbread on the unrolled portion of the towel, and repeat the process, rolling until the two flatbreads are tightly wrapped in the towel. Allow them to cool for at least 5 minutes wrapped in the towel before unwrapping and serving.
Anna says
Hi!!
I found your recipe and I tried. I used sarracin flour for the flour plus the tapioca. It come up twice really gummy that you can’t even manage, it sticks as hell in to the fingers. I had to throw away. Then I tried with coconut flour instead of the sarracin and it came out nicer. However, even that was no sticky, when we tried to put the dough to make the flatbread and shaped to later cook it in the pan we could not make it. It was breaking in pieces, it didn’t had any consistency at all. So again, we had to throw it away.
Why do you think this is happening? I use every step of your recipe and every ingredient. You did not state that is necessary any special kind of gluten free flour, just a gluten free flour right? I used two different ones and seems none is working. Looking forward to hear from you. I am so looking to make this flatbreads.
Nicole Hunn says
Anna, recipes are formulas. Even the best gluten free recipes must use appropriate flours. None of those is an all purpose gluten free flour blend. Every time I have “all purpose gluten free flour” as an ingredient, I link to a page that discusses what blends and where to use, extensively. Please click there and read the whole page and read this post. It discusses the need for specificity, and explains precisely what I mean. That’s why food bloggers have long posts.
Mimi says
Oh my gosh, this is my new favorite gluten free flatbread/wrap, it’s the perfect mix of light and chewy. My dough was soft but still rolled out beautifully with the additional tapioca starch. 5 out of 5 as usual!
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so glad, Mimi! I feel like this is one of those recipes that sneaks up on you. It’s not filling a need you necessarily already knew you had, but once you make it, you get it!
Amanda Marie says
I am on the aip paleo diet and can’t have nuts or dairy. Can I use coconut milk? Also can I use cassava flour?
Nicole Hunn says
I’m familiar with cassava flour, Amanda, and I know the 1:1 claims they make. They’re simply not true. Gluten free baking requires gluten free recipes that are developed for particular types of flours. You cannot use cassava flour here, or in any of my other recipes that aren’t designed for it.
Pauline N. says
Not specific to this recipe, but some call for Ultratex 3. I have found Ultratex 8 fairly easily, but wonder if you could tell me if the amount used needs to be adjusted? Thanks.
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid I don’t know, Pauline, but I suspect that it is 8 times as strong as Expandex (in my experiments, Ultratex 3 is 3 times stronger, which I’ve accounted for). Eight times stronger would be extremely significant and make it much more difficult to use effectively for a number of reasons. I don’t recommend trying.
Anne Griffiths says
If I’m serving with soup, should I put anything inside the bread? Or on top? Herbs and cheese?
Nicole Hunn says
This is a wrap, Anne. You roll things inside it. You can’t add anything to the recipe itself, no.
Anne Marie says
I just made this bread today for the first time. Very easy to put together. I am no stranger to baking and making my own dough. Pizza, calzones etc. tasted pretty good. Needs to be a little thinner so I will definitely make this again to perfect it. Thank you as I now have a gf wrap!
Phoebe says
My dough has turned out really sticky… as in i cannot handle without it sticking all over my hands and I’ll never be able to roll out. Should i add more flour?
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid you’ll have to try to figure out where you deviated from the recipe as written, Phoebe. My first guess is that you made ingredient substitutions, most likely the flour blend, and perhaps measured by volume, not weight. It’s a very simple recipe, and it must be followed precisely.
DJSchieck says
Great recipe and these are great for wraps- won’t be buying gf wraps again.
Nicole Hunn says
That’s awesome, DJ, all around. I feel the same way!
Suzanne from Ottawa says
Hello Nicole,
I am new to gf baking (and was not one to bake much in the first place) so I truly appreciate the simplicity of your recipes. The videos help too! Tried your popovers yesterday and plan to try your flatbread later this week. Thanks so much!
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so glad you’re feeling increasing confidence, Suzanne! Having to eat gluten free can make it more important to learn to bake for sure.
Wendy Barker says
Any idea what the calorie and carb count of these are? My husband who is celiac also has Type I diabetes and so he has to be careful of the carbs.
Nicole Hunn says
Feel free to plug the information into an online nutrition calculator, Wendy. That’s all I would do.
Heather Nicholls says
Do they freeze well?
Nicole Hunn says
I haven’t frozen them, Heather, but I think they would freeze well after being cooked and cooled completely, then wrapped very tightly.
CB says
Ooh, I’m from Italy and I’ve never thought of looking for a gluten free piadina recipe 😋 this is a gem. Thank you, Nicole. All your recipes turn out so well!
Nicole Hunn says
Thank you so much, CB! I genuinely hope it passes the test. 🙂
Donna says
Can avocado oil be used in place of olive oil?
Nicole Hunn says
Yes, definitely, Donna! I like the fruitiness of olive oil here, but avocado oil is great, too.
Bess says
I can’t wait to try this! Have made your other recipes and appreciate all your notes and efforts! I trust your recipes!
Nicole Hunn says
Thank you, Bess!!
Deb says
These were perfect for gyros. I made a double batch and made 8 smaller (7-8″) breads. I probably rolled them thinner than I was supposed to but it worked out well. Great texture and flavor. Can’t wait to make other wrapped sandwiches with these! Thank you!
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so glad, Deb. Now that you’ve done them once, they’ll be even easier the next time. Yes, a double batch would only be designed to make 4 10-inch wraps, so you definitely must have rolled them quite thin. But if you like them that, then you’re the boss. Just be careful because they’ll cook super fast.
Gretchen Zdorkowski says
Hello Nicole!
The written recipe says to roll out and cook the dough immediately but the video says to chill it for a couple of hours. Does that mean one could do it either way?
Thanks, as always, for your wonderful recipes and the loving way you take care of us.
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Gretchen, thank you so much for pointing out that discrepancy! I included instructions on how to chill the dough, which is ideal. You can also work with it right away and the instructions now make that clear. And “your wonderful recipes and the loving way you take care of us” made my whole day. Thank you. 🥰
Leilani Smith says
I am cooking lamb stew tonight. These will be perfect! Thank you!
Nicole Hunn says
I agree, Leilani! I hope you enjoy them. :)
Caroline Fay o sullivan says
Thank you so much struggling xxxxxxx
Deb says
Can the dough be made in advance? How long do the cooked breads keep? Thanks!
Nicole Hunn says
You can make the dough in advance and chill it for a few days, yes, as long as it’s wrapped tightly. I do think you could freeze them after they’re completely cool, as long as you wrap them tightly, of course. But like any bread, it’s best fresh.
Carol says
If you use better batter which has xanthum gum in it do you need the extra gum
Nicole Hunn says
Nope. The recipe states: Scant 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)