Yogurt Flatbread with Cilantro Chutney

It has been a hot minute since I have posted a recipe here, so today I come to you with an easy yogurt flatbread that you can use to make naans or pizzas. We love it and make it all the time in my house.

Ontario is in its third lockdown and I have been feeling so blah if I am totally honest with you. I am itching to get back to some sort of normalcy, with some semblance of a routine. My primary role, this past month, has been to cater a constant stream of snacks and food to my 7-year-old and 1 year old. I am exhausted by the time dinner rolls around and we have all overeaten our snacks. However, I feel hopeful and know brighter days are around the corner. We may not have a totally carefree summer, but it will be every bit joyful. Also posting and writing recipes here makes me very happy and inspired.

We have been relying on easy recipes (like this yogurt flatbread) to get us through this phase. I make a batch of the dough over the weekend, then during the week I roll it out, cook it and top it with an assortment of leftovers, cover it with an insane amount of cheese and stick it in the oven. It is fantastic and gives us all the pizza night feels. I have also included the recipe for an amazing green chutney that is so fantastic it has apples, lemon juice, and green chilies which gives it a spicy, sweet, tangy taste and it pretty much works for any recipe including this one for chaat masala potatoes with yogurt and tamarind.

What does yogurt do to the dough?

This yogurt flatbread dough has no yeast, it has baking powder and yogurt as the leavening agent which helps the dough rise. When cooked the result, is remarkably similar to a yeasted dough. Yogurt will help relax the gluten which results in soft and fluffy naans and flatbread that is extremely desirable.

When you are feeling extra fancy make naans out of this dough. I will admit this not the most authentic way to cook naan (in fact far from it). It is a speedy cousin, but the result is so unbelievably good you almost won't miss the real deal.

In this recipe, I have topped my yogurt flatbread with spicy tangy green chutney, asparagus, peppers and finished off with some homemade hot honey. This is such a versatile recipe you can vary it seasonally and keep it exciting. Now with the grilling season upon us, this flatbread can also be cooked on the grill for that extra bit of char and smoky deliciousness.

Yield: 8 flatbreads

Yogurt Flatbread with Cilantro Chutney

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An easy yogurt flatbread that can be made into pizzas or naan. It is delicious topped with a spicy tangy green chutney. The dough has no yeast and comes together quickly.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 35 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups (360 g) unbleached all purpose flour 
• 11/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2-3 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 cup plain yogurt 

Tangy Green Chutney

• 1 bunch cilantro, washed and roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2-3 green chillies
• 1 apple, cored and cut into large chunks
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt to taste

Toppings for the Pizza

• ½ a bunch asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 2 Red Chillies or 1 Red Pepper
• 2 cups cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup hot honey

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add oil and three fourth of the yogurt and knead to form a dough. If the dough is too dry continue adding the remaining yogurt 1 tablespoon at a time until you have a soft dough, it should not be sticky.
2. Let it rest and then divide it into 8 equal pieces, I recommend using a weighing scale for this.
3. Shape each of the pieces into balls and then cover and let it rest for an additional 5 minutes.
4. On a lightly floured surface roll out the balls into 8 - 10 inch discs.
5. Heat a griddle pan over medium-high heat. Brush the griddle with a little oil. Place the yogurt flatbread on the griddle and cook until bubbles appear about 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another minute or two. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. While the dough is resting blend your green chutney. To a blender, add cilantro, garlic, cumin seeds, green chilies, apple, oil, salt, and a quarter cup of water. Blend till smooth.
7. Preheat the oven to the highest temperature 500F (broil settings)
8. Top the flatbread with green chutney, cheese, asparagus, and red chilies. Broil for 2 minutes till the cheese has a few golden spots and the edges of the flatbread brown slightly.
9. Drizzle with hot honey and it is ready to be devoured.
10. To make naan on a gas stove, heat a griddle pan to medium-high heat. brush one side of the disc with a little water and place the wet side down on the pan. Brushing water helps the dough stick to the pan for the next step. Let me the bread cook you see bubbles appearing. Now carefully flip the pan over the flame in such a way the flames touch bubbles to brown them. When the tops are brown, flip the pan back and let it rest on the flame for another minute while the naan finishes cooking. At no point are you flipping the naan on the pan. With a spatula gently ease the naan off the pan. Brush some butter and sprinkle with some sesame seeds, minced garlic, and green chilies.

Notes

Naans are traditionally made in a tandoor or clay oven. The bread is stuck to the sides of the oven. The part that is stuck to the oven is crispy while the top is soft and fluffy. To replicate this you need a gas stove and it cannot be made with an induction oven.