Quick yogurt bread without leavening, puffy like a balloon in the pan. A version of yogurt bread that resembles Indian naan bread, made with a dough of flour, yogurt, water, and yeast. I tried replacing the traditional yeast with a pinch of baking soda to make quick bread without leavening, and the result was truly amazing: a very soft bread with a delicious taste, perfect when you run out of bread or want a tasty snack. I love it for preparing a good kebab or pita gyros, as a substitute for the classic Greek pita or Arabic bread. Yogurt bread replaces classic bread but is richer in proteins, and it can also be eaten with fillings, thanks to the pocket that forms during cooking, excellent for preparing kebab or anything you like, even a sandwich with Nutella. By the way, you don’t even need an oven for this bread; it cooks quickly in a pan. You can make 8 puffy bread rolls but also 4 thicker flatbreads.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Yogurt Bread Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (0 – 1 or whole wheat for a longer rest)
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk yogurt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
Tools to Prepare Yogurt Bread
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Pastry board
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Pan
- 1 Lid
Steps to Prepare Yogurt Bread in a Pan
In a large bowl, place all the ingredients: flour, yogurt (even cold from the fridge), salt, and baking soda. Knead until you get a soft but not too sticky dough. You don’t need to work it too long, just enough to have a smooth dough. For convenience, you can work on a countertop as well. Let it rest for half an hour, covered with plastic wrap. If left to rest longer, even better.
After half an hour, take the dough and work on a floured surface, divide it into 8 equal parts. Shape each piece into a smooth ball with floured hands.
Sprinkle with flour and roll out with a rolling pin. To get a perfect round shape for our bread, rotate the dough and then the disc as you go along. Roll out to about 1/4 inch thick, with a diameter of about 6 inches.
Cook in a hot, thick-bottomed pan, ideally one like the flatbread plate. Place one disk at a time in the pan. As soon as you place it, after about 15 seconds, flip it over immediately, and let it cook on the other side. If you flip it before bubbles form, it will inflate more easily, or at the onset of the first bubbles. Then you can flip and turn until they inflate. Use the lid and adjust the flame, initially high then lower it.
Between the cooking of one bread and another, clean the bottom of the pan with a paper towel to remove the flour, preventing it from burning and sticking to the breads. Gradually the pan will become hotter, and cooking will be faster and easier, so lower the flame to the minimum, always use a large burner.
You can keep them for a couple of days well sealed, even in the fridge, although it’s ideal to eat them freshly made. In fact, I prefer to store the dough in the fridge and cook them as needed within 2 days. If you want to make focaccias, make 3-4, do not roll them too thin – they won’t puff up, but they will be delicious all the same.
You can keep them for a couple of days well sealed, even in the fridge, although it’s ideal to eat them freshly made. In fact, I prefer to store the dough in the fridge and cook them as needed within 2 days. If you want to make focaccias, make 3-4, do not roll them too thin – they won’t puff up, but they will be delicious all the same.
