FLAT BREAD

A simple flat bread to make in minutes!

This dough recipe is a bit like a tortilla, and is so easy to make. 

Whilst I originally created this recipe for my histamine intolerant clients, it has become a favourite with so many others - whether they are seeking a recipe that is low histamine, or gluten free or simply an easy, quick, flat bread recipe. Here it is!

A note about histamines:
Fermented food is potentially high histamine. So if you have a histamine intolerance you may have to avoid fermented breads (yeast breads, sourdoughs). This can be quite challenging.

In my Low Histamine e-Cookbook I suggest a way around this with a recipe for soda bread, which has proved to be really popular (a version of it is also here on my website). So I wanted to expand my bread recipes to include a flat bread, because it's so easy and fast to make. 

The ingredients for this flat bread, if you use gluten free whole grains such as oats/buckwheat/quinoa/amaranth etc, or whole grain/whole meal wheat flour means the bread becomes a healthy source of fibre for beneficial gut function. 

Why Histamine Intolerance seems more common in midlife, around perimenopause and menopause?
'Estrogen and histamine have a very close relationship, hence why the issue can arise at menopause when estrogen levels change' Read more about this on the Health In Menopause blog page here.  

Please note this recipe and information is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor replace medical advice.

240g flour* - I use gluten free half/half: oat flour and hulled buckwheat flour but use whichever flour you like. If you don't need to follow a low histamine diet then use any wholemeal /whole grain plain wheat flour you like, half/half with the oat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground flax seed meal 
250g Quark or 230g yoghurt (quark is similar to yoghurt but it is not fermented, so that makes it low histamine) or use regular unsweetened natural yoghurt (not Greek-style) if you don't need to be low histamine
Pinch of salt 
Optional - 2 teaspoon mixed seeds - I like pumpkin and hulled hemp
Optional - 1 teaspoon dried herbs and/or spices eg oregano 
To cook with: about 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (I use an olive oil spray which I fill myself with a quality olive oil)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, when it starts to come together use your hands to bring it all into a slightly sticky ball.
On a floured surface knead the dough briefly until smooth and no longer sticky; it does not need to be kneaded for long as it is not a yeast based dough. Use straight away or place back in the bowl and cover and allow to rest for 30 mins. Note - this bread does not need kneading, so don’t over work it.
Divide into 4 - 6 small balls. 
Roll out to whatever size you prefer, using a little extra flour to stop the dough sticking to your rolling pin or use your hand to tap/press the dough out into a flat round.  I like to make small ones (usually 6 from this recipe) with a diameter of about 10cm, and thickness of about 1cm. The recipe quantity is based on this size. 

To cook the flatbreads in a frypan/skillet:
Lightly spray the frypan with olive oil; Warm the frypan on high heat so it becomes hot.
Then turn the heat to medium and cook a portion of flat bread for approximately 1-2 minutes on one side and then flip for 1 minute on the other side. Start with just one flat bread, so you can feel confident. 
If you are unsure about whether the bread is cooked, pull your first one from the pan and as soon as it is cool enough to touch, pull it apart and check it has cooked through. It usually cooks very fast, so unlikely to still be doughy in the centre. This, I hope, will give you confidence to cook up the rest of the batch. 
Cook up all the mixture as it does not keep well beyond a couple of hours and does not freeze well. 
I prefer to eat these flat breads whilst warm, just after cooking, because they taste best then! They don't keep well beyond the day they are made because they go quite hard. So if I have any leftovers, I toast them in a toaster to refresh. 

Once cooked I eat them as a flat bread to accompany a dish. Or I tend to top them with ricotta cheese, thin cucumber slices and fresh herbs eg fresh torn basil or dill, and salt and pepper. Or I top them with slices of soft mozzarella (soft mozzarella is unfermented so potentially low histamine), salt, pepper, pinch dried oregano & thyme and then melt the mozzarella a bit so they are like a pizza.

If you have been diagnosed with histamine intolerance by a medical professional, seek out their guidance about which foods are best to eat.


Please note this recipe and information is not intended to treat, cure or prevent any disease, nor replace medical advice.