Flatbread Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Flatbread
Homemade flatbread
Type	Bread
Main ingredients	Flour, water, salt

A flatbread is a type of bread that is, as its name suggests, flat! It's usually made with just three main ingredients: flour, water, and salt. The dough is then rolled out very thin, making it flat.

Many flatbreads are made without yeast. This means they are unleavened breads. Unleavened bread doesn't rise much because there's no yeast to make it bubbly. However, some flatbreads, like pita bread and naan, have a tiny bit of yeast. This helps them puff up a little when they are cooked.

Flatbreads can have many other ingredients added to them. Some might include spices like curry powder or chili powder. Others might have diced jalapeños for a bit of heat, or black pepper for flavor. People also add oils like olive oil or sesame oil to make them richer. Flatbreads can be very thin, about one millimeter thick, or a bit thicker, up to a few centimeters.

Types of Flatbreads
- Popular Flatbreads Around the World
History of Flatbreads
Images for kids
See also

Types of Flatbreads

Flatbreads are popular all over the world, and each culture has its own special versions. They are often eaten with meals, used to scoop up food, or filled with tasty ingredients.

Popular Flatbreads Around the World

Pita bread: This is a round, hollow flatbread often used to make sandwiches or dips like hummus.
Naan: A soft, chewy flatbread from Central and South Asia, often cooked in a tandoor (a clay oven).
Tortillas: Thin, round flatbreads from Mexico, usually made from corn or wheat flour. They are used for tacos, burritos, and quesadillas.
Lavash: A very thin, soft flatbread from Armenia, often baked on the walls of a clay oven.
Focaccia: A thick, oven-baked Italian flatbread, often topped with herbs and olive oil.
Chapati: A common unleavened flatbread from India, usually eaten with curries.

History of Flatbreads

Flatbreads are some of the oldest types of bread known to humans. People have been making them for thousands of years! This is because they are simple to make with basic ingredients that were easy to find. Early humans likely mixed ground grains with water and cooked them on hot stones. This made a simple, flat bread.

As people learned more about farming and cooking, flatbreads continued to be a staple food. They were easy to transport and store, making them perfect for travelers and soldiers. Today, flatbreads are still a very important part of many cultures' diets and traditions.