Bazlama (Turkish Flatbread) Recipe

My easy Bazlama (Turkish Flatbread) Recipe is made with flour, yogurt, yeast, water, sugar, and salt, then cooked in a hot pan until soft, fluffy, and beautifully golden. It is one of the easiest Turkish bread recipes you can make at home, and you don’t need an outdoor stove, a special oven, or any fancy equipment.

Jump to:

• What Is Bazlama?
• What is Flatbread?
• Why This Recipe Works?
• Ingredients You'll Need
• How to Make Bazlama (Turkish Flatbread) Recipe
• How To Know When Bazlama Is Cooked
• Recipe Tips From the Chef
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage Instructions
• Recipe FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Bazlama (Turkish Flatbread) Recipe

Bazlama is versatile, very easy to make, and requires only a few ingredients that you might already have on hand. The dough is soft and slightly sticky, which gives the bread its fluffy texture. As it cooks, the bread puffs slightly, gets golden spots, and becomes wonderfully soft inside. It is best served warm, straight from the pan, lightly brushed with butter.

This homemade Turkish flatbread is similar to Greek Pita Bread, but it is usually thicker, softer, and cooked on a pan rather than baked. It is perfect for breakfast, dipping into soups and stews, serving with kebabs, or enjoying warm with a little butter.

What Is Bazlama?

Bazlama is a soft and fluffy Turkish flatbread traditionally cooked on a hot griddle or pan. It is one of the oldest and most loved bread recipes in Turkey, especially in the villages of Anatolia, where it is often cooked on outdoor stoves over a wood fire. At home, you can easily make bazlama in a heavy-based frying pan or skillet, and the result is still deliciously soft, warm, and fluffy.

Bazlama is made with a simple yeasted dough, usually with flour, water, yogurt, salt, and a little sugar to help the yeast activate. The yogurt gives the bread a softer texture and a slight tang, while the yeast helps it rise and become fluffy. Unlike very thin unleavened flatbreads, bazlama has a bit of height and a soft, bread-like crumb.

It is best eaten warm, either plain, brushed with butter, or served with breakfast, dips, soups, stews, grilled meats, and salads. You can also use it for wraps or sandwiches, especially when it is freshly cooked and still flexible.

What is Flatbread?

A flatbread is a type of thin bread made with flour, a type of liquid (generally water, milk, or yogurt), and salt. The dough is then portioned and rolled into flattened dough.

Some flatbreads are unleavened, such as Homemade Wheat Tortilla Bread, while others are leavened with yeast, such as Garlic Naan - Indian Flatbread, Manakish with Za'atar and Cheese, and Turkish Pide Bread - Ramazan Pidesi.

Flatbreads have different thicknesses and you don't have to slice them. They can be plain or with toppings and there are many different ways of cooking them. You can bake them in an oven, fry them in hot oil, grill them over hot coals, and cook them on a hot pan, Tava, comal, or metal griddle.

Flatbreads can be thin or thick, plain or topped, soft or crisp, depending on the ingredients and cooking method. They can be baked in an oven, cooked in a pan, grilled over hot coals, or fried in oil.

In Turkish cuisine, flatbread is a staple, and there are many different varieties, including Sucuklu Pide (Turkish Bread with Spicy Sausage), Turkish Lahmacun, and Gozleme (Turkish Pancakes). The main difference between these breads is usually the shape, thickness, topping, and cooking method. Bazlama is soft, round, yeasted, and cooked on a pan, making it one of the easiest Turkish flatbreads to prepare at home.

Why This Recipe Works?

• It uses simple pantry ingredients such as flour, yeast, water, yogurt, sugar, and salt.

• It is easy to make at home without an outdoor stove, bread oven, or special equipment.

• The yogurt makes the bread soft and fluffy with a lovely tender texture.

• It is perfect for breakfast, brunch, soups, stews, kebabs, dips, and sandwiches.

• It freezes beautifully. You can keep the leftovers in the freezer for up to 3 months.

• The recipe is beginner-friendly with simple shaping and no complicated bread-making techniques.

Ingredients You'll Need

Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.

• Strong white flour (bread flour) - has a higher protein content than plain flour, which gives the bazlama a better texture and a slightly chewier bite. You can use all-purpose (plain white) flour if that is what you have, but the bread may be a little less chewy.

• Plain natural yogurt - Use plain natural yogurt or Greek yogurt with no added sugar or flavour. Yogurt helps create a soft, fluffy texture and adds a slight tang to the bread.

• Fast-action dried yeast - I use fast-action dried yeast for this recipe. You can also use fresh yeast if you prefer. For this recipe, use 1 teaspoon of fast-action dried yeast or 2 teaspoons of fresh yeast.

• Sugar - A little sugar helps feed the yeast and encourages the dough to rise. It also helps with flavour and gives the bread a gentle golden colour when cooked.

• Salt - Salt is necessary for the steady and slow rise of the dough to develop the flavor of the bread.

• Butter - It is used for brushing the bazlama after cooking. It keeps the bread soft and adds a lovely flavour, especially when served warm.

How to Make Bazlama (Turkish Flatbread) Recipe

Bazlama is surprisingly easy to make at home. The dough comes together quickly, rises until doubled in size, and is then divided, rolled, rested, and cooked in a hot pan. The most important part is getting the dough texture right. It should be soft and slightly sticky, not dry or stiff.

Prepare the Dough

Combine the yeast, sugar, and warm water in a bowl, then stir well. Let the yeast activate for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is foamy and bubbly.

Whisk in the yogurt, and add the flour and salt. Mix all together to form a dough. Knead it for a few minutes until you get a soft and slightly sticky dough.

Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until it doubles the size. The rising time depends on the temperature of the room and it might take up to an hour.

Shape the Bazlama

Once the dough has doubled in size, transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Divide it into 4 equal pieces, around 8 ⅓ oz or 235 grams each. I suggest using an electronic kitchen scale for this step if you want evenly sized flatbreads, but you can also divide the dough by eye if you don’t mind slight differences.

Shape each piece of dough into a ball and place it on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle a little flour on top, cover with a clean kitchen cloth, and let them rest for 10 minutes. This short rest makes the dough easier to roll and helps stop it from springing back too much.

Take one dough ball and gently press it down with your hand. Roll it into a circle about 8 inches or 20 cm wide using a rolling pin or your fingertips. Repeat with the remaining dough balls. Let the rolled dough circles rest for another 10 minutes before cooking. This second rest helps the bazlama cook more evenly and puff up better in the pan.

Cook the Bazlama On a Pan

Heat a heavy-based frying pan on medium heat. When the pan is hot, place the dough in the pan. Lower the heat and cook the bazlama until bubbles appear on the surface and the bottom of the dough is golden brown. This should take 4 to 5 minutes.

Flip the dough and bake for another 4 to 5 minutes. 

Transfer the cooked bazlama to a plate and lightly brush it with butter while still warm. Cover it with a clean kitchen cloth or foil to keep it soft. Repeat with the remaining dough circles and serve them warm.

How To Know When Bazlama Is Cooked

Bazlama is ready when both sides are golden brown with darker spots, and the bread feels soft but cooked through. You should see bubbles forming on the surface while it cooks, and the bread may puff slightly in the pan. The inside should be fluffy and bread-like, not doughy or wet.

The heat of the pan is very important. If the pan is too hot, the outside will brown too quickly while the inside stays undercooked. If the pan is too cool, the bread can become dry and pale instead of soft and golden. Medium heat usually works best, but every stove is different, so adjust as needed.

A good bazlama should feel light, warm, and soft when you lift it from the pan. Brushing it with butter and keeping it covered after cooking helps the steam soften the bread even more.

Recipe Tips From the Chef

• The most important step for fluffy bazlama is getting the dough consistency right. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky, not dry.

• Let the yeast become foamy and bubbly before adding the rest of the ingredients. This shows that it is active.

• Don’t skip the resting time after shaping the dough balls. It makes the dough easier to roll and helps the flatbreads cook better.

• Use a heavy-based frying pan or skillet for even heat.

• Adjust the heat as needed. If bubbles don’t appear after 45 seconds to 1 minute, increase the heat slightly. If the bottom browns too fast, lower the heat.

• Brush the cooked bazlama with butter while warm for extra flavour and softness.

• Keep the cooked flatbreads covered with a clean kitchen cloth or foil so they stay soft.

Serving Suggestions

The same as Easy Rustic Sourdough Flatbread Recipe, Bazlama is best served warm, and there are so many delicious ways to enjoy it. You can eat it as you would a dinner roll, tear it into pieces for dipping, or use it as a soft flatbread for wraps and sandwiches. It is especially good with soups and stews, or a bowl of Cucumber Tomato Feta Cheese Salad.

They are also perfect as a part of Turkish breakfast, whether you dip them in Shakshuka, have it with some delicious Turkish omelet Kaygana, and Healthy Mediterranean Egg Salad, or just spread homemade Strawberry and Rhubarb Jam on them.

Serve it with Chicken and Dumpling Soup, Ezogelin Corbasi (Ezogelin Soup), Kuzu Incik - Turkish Lamb Shank, or Slow Cooked Lamb Tagine With Apricots for a delicious meal. It also works beautifully with grilled meats such as Turkish Chicken Shish Kebab and Urfa Kebab - Turkish Ground Lamb Kebab.

Storage Instructions

Bazlama is best eaten freshly cooked while it is still warm and soft. If you have leftovers, let them cool completely, then place them in an airtight container or wrap them well. You can keep them in the fridge for up to 2 days.

To freeze bazlama, let the flatbreads cool completely first. Place parchment paper between each piece so they don’t stick together, then store them in a freezer-safe bag or container. They will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When ready to serve, defrost the bazlama and reheat it in the oven or on a pan. Once warmed through, it will taste almost freshly cooked again, especially if you brush it lightly with butter.

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes

For more easy and delicious homemade bread recipes, why not try:

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious Bazlama(Turkish Flat Bread) Recipe as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂