The photo appears to show soft, thick, stuffed flatbreads cooked in a skillet, with golden-brown patches, fresh herbs and a buttery/garlicky finish. The exact recipe from the photograph isn’t identifiable from the image alone, so the recipe below is a carefully developed version designed to give you a very similar soft, layered, cheesy, herb-speckled result.
Yogurt-based flatbread dough is a good fit for this style because yogurt keeps the bread tender, while baking powder provides lightness without requiring yeast or a long rise. Similar skillet flatbread methods use yogurt, flour and baking powder and cook each bread for roughly 1–2 minutes per side.
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Food Network
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Recipe at a glance
Yield: 8 stuffed flatbreads
Prep: 30 minutes
Rest: 20–30 minutes
Cooking: 20–25 minutes
Total: about 1 hour
Difficulty: Medium
Cuisine style: South Asian/Middle Eastern-inspired
Best served: Hot, with yogurt, chutney or tea
Ingredients
For the dough
Ingredient Amount
All-purpose/plain flour 4 cups / 500 g
Plain yogurt 1 cup / 240 g
Baking powder 2 tsp
Salt 1½ tsp
Olive oil or neutral oil 2 tbsp
Warm water ½–¾ cup, as needed
Important: Don’t add all the water at once. Depending on how thick your yogurt is, you may need considerably less.
For the garlic-herb filling
200 g mozzarella, grated
100 g cheddar or Monterey Jack, grated
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander/cilantro
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2–3 garlic cloves, finely minced
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp chili flakes — optional
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp salt, or to taste
Optional additions
For an even more flavorful filling, add:
2 tbsp cream cheese
1 finely chopped green chili
1 tbsp finely chopped spring onion
¼ tsp cumin
½ tsp dried mint
Tip: Don’t make the filling too wet. Excess moisture can cause the flatbread to split while cooking.
Garlic-herb butter
50 g butter
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 tbsp chopped coriander/cilantro
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Pinch of salt
Pinch of chili flakes, optional
You can substitute olive oil for some or all of the butter.
Garlic butter and fresh herbs are commonly used as the finishing treatment for skillet flatbreads.
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Homepage
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Step-by-step method
1. Make the dough
Add flour, baking powder and salt to a large bowl.
Mix well.
Add:
yogurt
2 tbsp oil
Begin mixing with a spoon.
Gradually add warm water until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms.
What you’re looking for
The dough should be:
soft
pliable
slightly sticky
not runny
not hard or dry
If it’s very sticky, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
If it’s dry or cracking, add water 1 tablespoon at a time.
2. Knead briefly
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured counter.
Knead for approximately 2–3 minutes, just until smooth.
Don’t aggressively knead it for 10 minutes.
For this type of flatbread, excessive gluten development can make the finished bread chewy and difficult to roll.
3. Rest the dough
Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl.
Cover and rest for 20–30 minutes.
This makes the dough much easier to stretch and roll.
4. Prepare the filling
Combine:
mozzarella
cheddar
coriander
parsley
garlic
black pepper
oregano
chili flakes
Mix thoroughly.
Taste a tiny amount and adjust the salt.
Cheese choice
For the photograph-style stretchy center, I recommend:
70% mozzarella + 30% cheddar.
Mozzarella gives stretch while cheddar contributes stronger flavor.
A similar stuffed-flatbread approach uses mozzarella, soft cheese, parsley and garlic butter inside the dough.
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Homepage
5. Divide the dough
Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a ball.
Cover the balls with a clean towel so they don’t dry out.
6. Stuff the first flatbread
Take one dough ball.
Lightly flour your work surface.
Roll it into approximately a 15–18 cm circle.
Don’t make it paper thin.
Place approximately 2½–3 tablespoons filling in the center.
Leave about 2–3 cm around the edge.
7. Seal it
Bring the edges toward the center over the filling.
Pinch firmly to seal.
You should now have a stuffed dough ball.
Turn the seam underneath.
Let it rest for 2–3 minutes.
Repeat with the remaining dough.
8. Flatten carefully
Take one stuffed ball.
Gently press it with your palm.
Using a rolling pin, slowly roll it into a 15–17 cm round.
Very important
Don’t press aggressively.
If you roll too hard:
the filling can break through
cheese can leak
the bread may become tough
If a small crack appears, pinch it closed before continuing.
9. Heat the pan
Use a heavy-bottomed frying pan, cast-iron skillet or tawa.
Heat over medium heat.
You don’t want extremely high heat.
A properly heated heavy skillet produces the characteristic browned/blistered spots seen in the photograph. Skillet flatbread recipes generally cook the bread briefly on each side over medium to medium-high heat.
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dinnerin30.com
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10. Cook the flatbread
Place one stuffed flatbread into the hot pan.
Cook approximately:
2–3 minutes on the first side.
You should see:
bubbles forming
golden-brown spots
the bread beginning to puff
Flip it.
Cook another 2–3 minutes.
If the bread is browning too quickly while the center isn’t cooked, reduce the heat.
11. Make the garlic butter
While the flatbreads cook, melt the butter over low heat.
Add minced garlic.
Cook for approximately 30–45 seconds.
Don’t burn the garlic.
Turn off the heat.
Add coriander, parsley and a pinch of salt.
12. Finish the bread
As soon as each flatbread comes out of the pan:
Brush generously with garlic-herb butter.
Stack the finished breads on a plate.
Cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel.
This traps enough steam to keep them soft rather than crispy.
The secret to the photograph-style texture
For the soft, puffy bread shown in your picture:
1. Don’t make the dough dry
A slightly soft dough produces a much more tender flatbread.
2. Don’t overfill
Too much cheese makes sealing difficult and causes leaks.
3. Don’t roll too thin
Aim for approximately 4–6 mm after stuffing.
4. Use medium heat
High heat burns the outside before the filling heats through.
5. Brush immediately
Garlic butter while the bread is hot soaks into the surface.
6. Stack them
Keeping the breads covered after cooking is one of the easiest ways to maintain softness.
Herb variations
You can change the filling depending on what you have.
Coriander version
coriander
garlic
green chili
mozzarella
Garlic-parsley version
parsley
garlic
mozzarella
cheddar
Mediterranean version
parsley
oregano
feta
mozzarella
Spicy version
coriander
garlic
green chili
red chili flakes
mozzarella
Potato version
For a more South Asian-style stuffed bread, replace some of the cheese with:
2 medium boiled potatoes
½ tsp cumin
coriander
green chili
red chili
salt
lemon juice
Mash everything thoroughly before stuffing.
Best sauces to serve with it
Garlic yogurt
Mix:
1 cup yogurt
1 minced garlic clove
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tsp lemon juice
Green chutney
Blend:
coriander
mint
green chili
lemon juice
salt
a little water
Raita
Plain yogurt + cucumber + cumin + salt + coriander.
Nut information / allergen information
Does this recipe contain nuts?
No. The basic recipe contains no peanuts, almonds, walnuts, cashews or other tree nuts.
However, if you’re preparing this for someone with a severe nut allergy:
Check the flour, cheese and butter labels for allergen warnings.
Avoid commercially prepared garlic butter with unknown ingredients.
Prevent cross-contact with cutting boards, pans and utensils used for nuts.
Don’t add pesto unless you have verified its ingredients.
Main allergens
The standard recipe contains:
Wheat/gluten: flour
Milk/dairy: yogurt, butter and cheese
It can be made dairy-free by using plant-based yogurt, dairy-free cheese and dairy-free butter, although the texture will differ.
Approximate nutrition
Nutrition varies substantially depending on the amount of cheese and butter used.
For 1 of 8 stuffed flatbreads, a reasonable estimate is approximately:
Nutrient Approx. amount
Calories 300–350 kcal
Carbohydrates 38–42 g
Protein 10–13 g
Fat 12–16 g
Saturated fat 6–8 g
Fiber 2–3 g
Sodium 500–700 mg
These are estimates rather than laboratory values because yogurt, cheese, flour and butter brands differ considerably.
For comparison, a published mozzarella-and-herb stuffed flatbread recipe lists about 446 kcal per serving, demonstrating how substantially the cheese and butter quantities can change the nutritional profile.
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Homepage
Recipe Q&A
Q: Can I make these without yogurt?
Yes. Use approximately ¾ cup milk plus 2 tbsp oil, adding the liquid gradually. Yogurt gives extra tenderness and a slight tang, though.
Q: Can I use whole-wheat flour?
Yes, but don’t replace 100% of the flour initially. Try:
3 cups plain flour + 1 cup whole-wheat flour.
You may need a little additional water.
Q: Why is my flatbread hard?
Usually one of these:
Too much flour
Dough wasn’t rested
Dough was over-kneaded
Flatbread was rolled too thin
Pan was too cool and it had to cook too long
It was left uncovered after cooking
Q: Why is the cheese leaking?
The bread was probably:
overfilled,
rolled too aggressively,
or not sealed properly.
Use slightly less filling and leave a good border around the dough.
Q: Can I freeze them?
Yes.
Cook them without the final garlic-butter coating.
Cool completely, place parchment between them, and freeze in an airtight bag/container.
Reheat directly from frozen in a covered skillet over low-medium heat.
Add garlic butter after reheating.
Q: Can I prepare the dough the night before?
Yes. Refrigerate the covered dough overnight. Bring it toward room temperature before shaping.
Q: Can I use a tawa?
Absolutely. A heavy tawa is excellent for this recipe.
Q: Can I cook them without oil?
Yes. The flatbread itself can be cooked in a dry non-stick pan. Brush with butter or oil afterward. Some flatbread recipes specifically use a dry nonstick pan for cooking.
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Homepage
Q: How do I get those beautiful brown patches?
Preheat the pan properly and cook over medium heat. Avoid constantly moving the bread. Let it remain in contact with the hot surface long enough to develop brown spots.
Q: Why didn’t my bread puff?
Possible causes include:
dough too dry
bread rolled extremely thin
pan insufficiently hot
dough not sealed properly
excessive filling
Q: Can I make them spicy?
Yes. Add ½–1 tsp chili flakes and 1 finely chopped green chili to the filling.
Q: Can I make them without cheese?
Yes. Use a potato-and-herb filling, or simply make an herb-and-garlic flatbread. Herb-filled flatbreads are traditionally made with mixtures of greens and herbs and can be cooked directly on a hot griddle.
B
Bon Appétit
+1
My recommended version
For the closest result to the photograph, I’d make the filling with:
Mozzarella + cheddar + fresh coriander + parsley + garlic + green chili + black pepper, then cook the stuffed breads on a hot tawa and brush them immediately with garlic-coriander butter.
That combination should give you the soft, thick, golden, slightly blistered outside and gooey/herby center that the pictured flatbreads appear to have.