The Dough: Choose your method – by hand, by food processor or by standing mixer…

By Hand:  Combine 3 cups of the flour, the salt, and the yeast in a work bowl. Set aside 1/4 cup of flour to use if needed. Measure warm water, add oil to the water. Add water/oil mixture to flour mixture and mix with heavy spatula or wooden spoon until most of the flour is moistened.

Working with a well-floured hand, knead in the bowl to continue to incorporate all the moisture. Turn out onto the counter. This will be a very sticky dough – use a bench scraper of a spatula to keep pulling the dough back up off the counter as you knead it. Knead for about five minutes, then place a bowl over the dough and allow to rest for about five minutes – this will allow the flour to absorb the moisture and make it less sticky.

After the rest period, begin to knead. This is a wet dough, but add more flour or water if necessary while kneading, trying to keep any additions to a minimum. Knead for about five to ten minutes, until the dough is smooth – it will still be slightly sticky.

By Mixer:  Combine flour, yeast, and salt in the work bowl, using a paddle attachment and low speed, mix together. Add the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until ingredients are all incorporated. Change paddle out for a dough hook and mix for about 10 minutes on medium speed.

Add more flour or water if necessary, trying to keep any additions to a minimum. The dough should be pulling away from the sides – it will be a bit sticky to the touch but should be smooth.

Food Processor:  Combine flour, salt, and yeast, pulse. With the motor running, add the oil and water. Process for five to six minutes. Add flour or water as necessary. The dough is finished as it starts to pull away from the sides and is smooth.

Note on food processors:  If the food processor begins to struggle or heat up, watch carefully. Stop, turn out dough, and finish by hand.

Regardless of the method you choose to make the dough, you’ll proceed as below:

All Methods, Rising: 

Place dough in oiled container and turn to coat. Mark the container with tape or a Sharpie, so you’ll know when it’s doubled.  Place on the counter to rise for about an hour or in the fridge for an overnight (about 8 hour) rise.

If using the longer, slower refrigerator rise, check after the first hour or two in the fridge, If it has started to rise, press it back down to the original line. You don’t want to look in your fridge eight hours later to find dough has oozed out and taken over!

All Methods, Dividing:

Place dough on lightly floured counter, and with a serrated knife, cut into 8 equal pieces. Form the dough into balls. To form balls, use hands as a “cage” and roll the dough around on the counter. Flatten the balls.

If the dough resists flattening, don’t overstretch. Simply rest it under a damp cloth for about five minutes (if the dough is room temperature) or about 20 minutes (if the dough came from the refrigerator). The dough will relax and be much easier to work with.

Feel free to weigh the dough and divide by a scale.

All methods, Shaping:

Place each ball onto a heavily floured surface and with floured hands, push the edges of the dough out with fingertips. Add flour as needed. Just like with pizza dough, feel free to pick up each round and let it gently stretch from the weight of the dough, turning several times. The dough does not have to be perfectly smooth but gently slapping the dough back and forth between two hands seems to help smooth it out.

If the dough becomes resistant and it doesn’t feel like it is stretching well, just cover it and let it relax before proceeding. Let the flatbread sit on the floured counter, uncovered, for about 10 minutes for fluffier flatbread. If desired, simply form one or two, then cook and continue in this fashion. See other hints at the bottom.

All Methods, Cooking: 

Preheat cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium heat. Brush lightly with oil. Optional but recommended: After oil is hot and immediately before adding flatbread, mist griddle with water. Cook on the first side for about a minute. Turn with a thin spatula, mist again, and cook the other side for two to three minutes.

When the flatbread is first laid in the skillet, there will be a very small window of opportunity, like half of a second to make minor adjustments like nudging closed a small hole or pushing out an edge. Be very careful if attempting.

It may take one or two tries to get the temperature just right. Look for a cooking time of about three minutes total, which should be just long enough to get a few brown spots while cooking the dough through. If dough is on thicker side, you may want to turn again to ensure bread is cooked all the way through rather than cook too long on one side.

If you’d like to cook in the oven, preheat the oven and pizza stone or cookie sheet to 475 degrees F. Bake for about three minutes.

Additonal Hints: Try forming the flatbreads and placing them on squares of well-floured parchment. Simply turn them upside down onto the prepared griddle and peel the parchment off. If the dough sticks, work with a knife, pressing the dough down as you lift the parchment off.