Flatbread technically is unleavened dough with no yeast, but after a recent try to make pizza dough without yeast in a pinch, I was met with what was the worst cracker ever. It’s just not very good. Everyone wants a chewy, pillowy crust. So rather than make actual flatbread, we are cheating a bit and using a simple pizza dough instead. The best part of this recipe is sliced lemon on the pizza. I cut them into little tiny matchsticks, peel and all. If you’ve never used lemon on pizza, you are missing out! It adds a lovely brightness to this briny pizza. How great would preserved lemons be if you have them?
This olive, lemon, and fennel flatbread also has a little crumbling of goat cheese and mozzarella for the most browned and bubbly cheese combination. I really love how this is essentially, a grandma pie. It’s a big rectangle pizza that reminds me of the pizza my dad used to make us on a big baking sheet. I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! See the full recipe below.
I made my dough from leftover sourdough dough when I couldn’t bear to eat another loaf of bread, but I also love this whole wheat dough recipe from Joy the Baker. Trader Joes has great pizza dough as well! Either will work perfectly.
- 1 pound of pizza dough (store bought or homemade)
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- half of a fennel bulb, sliced very thinly
- ⅓ cup olives, torn
- 4 oz crumbled goat cheese
- 3 oz torn mozzarella
- a quarter of a lemon (or more)
- Preheat the oven with a pizza stone if you have it to 500 F. If you don't, preheat a large baking sheet in the oven, upside down. Let the pizza dough rest at room temperature while you make your fennel.
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add your olive oil. Add your fennel and cook for 5 minutes until fennel begins to brown and soften. Remove from heat. Slice your lemon ⅛ inch matchsticks, discarding seeds.
- Place a piece of parchment large enough to cover the baking sheet on a large cutting board or an upside down baking sheet. You'll use this as a pizza peel. Sprinkle flour over the dough and gently spread it out on the parchment, flouring your hands if needed. Once the dough is a large thin rectangle, but not too thin to tear the dough or break, add your fennel, olives, goat cheese, mozzarella and lemon evenly throughout the dough. Drizzle the flatbread lightly with olive oil. Bake for 12-18 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is browned and bubbly.
