Fresh summer herbs used in their best form: in a fresh herb butter, with cheeseΒ and baked to perfection for this flatbread recipe!
I absolutely love using fresh herbs in recipes in the summertime. I grow them every year, and all summer long cannot get enough of them. I add them to almost everything. Do you like fresh herbs? Do you grow them?
One of my favorite things to make when the herbs get a little out of control and I have to use them asap, is to make herb butter with them. I shared how to make herb butterΒ a while back, it’s a great way to extend the life of herbs and have something ready to go for other recipes – for example, using it on a flatbread!! All summer long I’ll have some ready to go in the fridge.
Flatbreads are an amazing free form pizza with a thinner crust, and are absolutely great for an appetizer recipe for entertaining. For this flatbread recipe I was testing, I wanted to see if herb butter would be good instead of sauce. Holy smokes, was it ever!!!
Using the fresh herb butter makes the crust extra crispy and gives the flatbread a wonderful texture, not to mention flavor! It’s like buttered bread, with additional fresh toppings of tomato and cheese. I also love using fresh tomatoes in the summer.
If you’re short on time, you could always use store bought pizza dough. I make dough and let it rise between feeding my baby son now. I used to not have the patience for dough recipes, but now I’m so busy I almost forget I have to wait.
This fresh herb butter and cheese flatbread recipe is definitely one to try this summer!
- For the flatbread dough:
- ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons warm water
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¾ tablespoon honey
- ¾ tablespoon olive oil
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon olive oil
- For the pizza toppings:
- 2½ tablespoons fresh herb butter (mix 1 tablespoon fresh herbs with 2 tablespoons butter)
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small pieces
- ½ cup finely shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup parmesan/romano cheese, shaved (or shredded)
- 6 vine tomatoes, cut into wedges (or you could use 2 roma tomatoes)
- 6-10 fresh basil leaves, chopped (you could use additional herbs like rosemary, thyme, and oregano)
- To make the dough: combine water (I just turn my faucet on hot and let it run for 30 seconds or until it's warm to touch, you could also microwave your water to get it warm), yeast, honey, and olive oil in a large bowl. Stir once or twice, then let sit for 10 minute, or until foamy on top.
- Add in 2 cups of the flour and salt, mix with a spoon (you don't need a stand mixer for this). Mix until the dough comes together, it will be sticky when touched.
- Turn the dough onto a very floured surface, add remaining ½ cup flour and using your hands knead the dough to incorporate the remaining flour.
- Grease the bowl with ½ teaspoon olive oil, then place the dough back into the bowl and turn it once so that it is lightly coated in the oil. Put a kitchen towel on top of the bowl (or cover with plastic wrap) and let rise for 1 hour.
- After an hour, turn the dough onto the floured surface and punch it down.
- Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Stretch dough (using your hands or with a rolling pin) and then place the dough onto the baking sheet and stretch it to fill the baking sheet. Cover the dough with the kitchen towel (or plastic wrap) and let sit for 10 minutes.
- To top the pizza:
- Spread/scatter the butter over the dough leaving about 2 inches in between each little spread of butter.
- Scatter the shredded mozzarella, then the fresh mozzarella and parmesan/romano cheese around the dough, then add the tomatoes.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until outside crust is brown and some of the cheese starts to brown. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes, then top with some fresh basil and cut it.
- To cut the flatbread I cut the rectangle into 12 squares, and then cut each square diagonally to make it into 24 triangles, then serve and enjoy
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please teach me your ways with herb gardening. i try every single year…and i kill everything every single year!! xx
I used to be like that with herbs, but then I started using worms compost (I have it in my basement, kind of gross but kinda fun) and now the herbs seem to grow. So that may have something to do with it lol
Looks like the perfect Summer pizza – delicious!
Thank you so much- it’s such a great flatbread π
Excellent idea for a pizza-style flatbread Phi! We also have a lot of fresh herbs and using them all year round like maniacs lol:) When we have some extra produce, we usually wash it, dry it, chop it and put it in portions in small bags in the freezer. This way we have cilantro in the summer (when usually there isn’t much fresh) and basil and mint in the winter;)
Thanx for sharing this beautiful recipe dear! Off we go to check some of your other wonderful posts! Hugs!
That’s genius about freezing the fresh herbs and vegetables so you have them all year round! Sadly I have a small freezer so storage space is at a minimum, but I’ll settle for this fresh flatbread any time and enjoy all the summer herbs and vegetables I’m growing in my little garden π
What size baking sheet did you use for the pizza? This pizza looks amazing!!
I used a 25 by 15 inch one, but I’ve also made them on 9 x 13s, whatever baking sheet you have should work π This flatbread is truly delish!