Fresh Tomato Basil Flatbread

I wanted to post a recipe my wife posted on her blog. I have had the pleasure of tasting this delicious recipe myself and have to say that I totally love it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!


Here is an amazing flat bread recipe that I have been wanting to share with you for awhile now. I finally sat down today and typed it all out. It's so delicious and although it isn't pizza, it defiantly satisfies my pizza craving, without all the added calories and fat. It's great served as a meal with a side salad or cut into even smaller pieces and served as an appetizer.

The recipe below is listed in 2 parts (the basic dough and the complete recipe).

Cut into appetizer size

Basic Flat bread Dough
Makes 6 servings

This is the base dough used for my Fresh Tomato Basil Flat bread. This makes enough dough to make 2 13x5 flat breads. You can make them both now OR freeze ½ for later.

Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (110º to 115º F)
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp active dry yeast
4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground pepper
1 ¾ whole wheat flour
¾ to 1½  all-purpose flour
Olive oil non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, stir together the warm water and sugar until sugar dissolves. Stir in yeast. Let stand about 10 minutes or until foamy. Stir in oil, salt and pepper. Stir in whole wheat flour and as much of the all-purpose flour as you can. 
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in remaining all-purpose flour for about 6 minutes. Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl; turn once to grease surface. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1-1¼ hours).
3. Punch dough down. Divide into 2 equal parts.

Dough before toppings are added.

Tomato Topping Ingredients (for 1 flat bread):
¼ tsp Italian seasoning
1-2 pinches salt
1-2 pinches black pepper
1-2 gloves garlic, minced
3 tsp sun-dried tomato pesto (see image below)
1-2 medium plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
¼ cup 2% shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)
2 tbsp snipped fresh basil

Directions:

1. Prepare flat bread dough (directions above)
2. Preheat oven to 450º F. Use a baking stone for best results.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 portion of the dough into a 13x5-inch rectangle. Transfer to baking stone. 
4. Top dough with salt, pepper, and minced garlic.
5. Spread sun-dried tomato pesto evenly over dough
6. Arrange tomato slices on top. Sprinkle with cheese. 
7. Bake for 10 minutes or until flat bread is browned on edges. 
8. Just before serving, sprinkle with fresh basil.  (I added basil both before and after cooking but I suggestion just adding it after)

Ready to go into the oven!

The above "tomato topping" ingredient list is enough for (1) 13x5 flat bread. If you are making 2, then you will need double the amount of ingredients. Since the dough recipe makes enough for 2 flat breads, I usually cook one at a time and freeze the other half. To freeze, wrap the dough in saran wrap and place in a covered container and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to use, simply defrost at room temperature for about 2 hours.

Hot out of the oven! Yum!

This is the sun-dried tomato pesto I use. It has around 250 calories per ¼ cup, which seems high but remember you are only using 3 tsp. If you can't find this brand, just look for one with a similar calorie count.

Nutritional Information:
Per serving, based on 6 servings total

Calories 140
Fat 2.5g
Sodium 276mg
Carbohydrate 20g
Fiber 2.8g
Sugar 0g
Protein 1.6g

This is so low in calories and fat, you could even have more then 1 serving! :)

I'm going to experiment with other toppings to use the flat bread next time I make it. I'm thinking a really good low-calorie chicken Alfredo sounds yummy! I'll be sure to post any new recipes I come up with! If you have any suggestions for a topping, please comment on this post and let me know.




Here's to a new you!
Matthew Eubanks