Chef Tom fires up the Kamado Joe Kettle Joe for an easy Garden Fresh Grilled Flatbread featuring charcoal grilled dough, herbed smoked cream cheese and a whole garden's worth of fresh and quick pickled veggies!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Refrigerating the dough after its first rise: Chilling the divided dough balls for at least 30 minutes firms up the gluten, making it easier to stretch thin by hand without tearing or springing back.
- Simmering the pickle brine before pouring it hot over the vegetables: Bringing the vinegar, water, seasoning, and sugar to a simmer first helps everything dissolve fully and jump-starts the pickling process the moment it hits the jar, rather than pickling slowly in a cold, undissolved brine.
- Grilling the broccolini before it ever touches the flatbread: Charring it separately over hot coals builds smoky, blistered edges into the vegetable, something the short time it spends on top of an already-cooked flatbread wouldn't achieve.
- Cooking the dough directly on the grate over hot coals: Placing the stretched dough right on the grate lets it char and bubble the same way a wood-fired oven would, building real smoky flavor into the crust that a stone or pan couldn't replicate.
Garden Fresh Grilled Flatbread
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Main Course
Cuisine
Italian
Servings
4
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Calories
536
Enjoy the delicious flavor of Garden Fresh grilled flatbread. Made from scratch, each bite features a crispy outer layer and a soft, fluffy interior. Perfect for appetizers or a light snack.
Ingredients
- 325g (1 cup 7 tbsp) warm water (110ºF)
-
5g (1 1/2 tsp) Caputo Dry Yeast
-
500g (3 1/4 cup) Antimo Caputo “00” Pizza Flour
-
10g (1 tbsp) Jacobsen Kosher Sea Salt
-
4 oz block Italian smoked cream cheese (recipe here)
- (2 oz goat cheese), optional
- 1/4 cup basil leaves
- 1/4 cup parsley leaves
- 2 tbsp fresh chives, minced
- 1 tbsp dill, minced
- 2 cloves Garlic, crushed, peeled
- Tomatoes, sliced 1/2” thick
- Quick pickled veggies (recipe below)
- Broccolini
- 2 cups cucumbers, jalapeños, carrots, onions, sliced
- 3/4 cup water
- 3/4 cup white vinegar
-
1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning
-
1 tsp Noble Saltworks Maple Smoked Turbinado Sugar
- 1 clove garlic, crushed, peeled
For the flatbread dough:
For the herbed cream cheese:
For the toppings:
Quick pickled veggies:
Directions
- To make the quick pickles, place the cucumbers, jalapeños and sliced onion in a pint sized mason jar.
- Combine the 3/4 cup water, vinegar, Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust All Purpose Seasoning, Noble Saltworks Maple Smoked Turbinado Sugar and garlic in a small pot. Bring to a simmer. Pour over the onions in the jar. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. The onions will be ready to eat after a couple of hours, but best overnight.
- To make the herbed cream cheese, combine all ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth.
- To make the dough, pour the warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the water. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the flour, then the salt. With the mixer fitted with the hook attachment, mix on medium-low (2nd gear on the KitchenAid) until a ball is formed, about 1 minute. Once all ingredients are incorporated and a ball is formed mix 8 minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size.
- Turn out onto a floured surface and divide into 2 equal portions. Roll each half into a ball, place in an oiled container. Cover. Refrigerate at least half an hour before use. On a floured work surface, stretch the dough thin.
- While the dough is rising, and before stretching, build a hot coal bed using lump charcoal and fire starters in the ceramic lined fire box of the Kamado Joe Kettle Joe.
- Set up the grill for direct grilling (no SloRoller or deflector in place). The coals should be glowing hot and ambient temperature over 450ºF.
- Toss the broccolini in some olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill over the hot coals until charred at the edges and softened. Remove from the grill and chop into bite sized pieces.
- Place the stretched flatbread dough directly on the grates over the hot charcoal. Cook until browned and bubbling up. Flip and cook until slightly crispy and cooked through. Remove from the grill.
- To assemble the flatbread, spread the herbed cream cheese over the surface of the flatbread. Top with fresh tomato slices, grilled broccolini and quick pickled veggies. Slice and serve.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes after dividing it?
Chilling firms up the gluten, making the dough easier to stretch thin by hand without tearing or springing back to a smaller size.
Why bring the pickle brine to a simmer instead of pouring it over the vegetables cold?
Simmering the vinegar, water, seasoning, and sugar first helps everything dissolve fully and jump-starts the pickling process the moment the hot brine hits the jar, rather than pickling slowly in a brine that hasn't fully come together.
Why grill the broccolini separately before adding it to the flatbread?
Charring it on its own over hot coals builds smoky, blistered edges into the vegetable. The short time it spends sitting on top of an already-cooked flatbread isn't enough to char or cook it on its own.
Why cook the flatbread dough directly on the grill grates instead of on a stone or in a pan?
Placing the stretched dough right over the hot coals chars and bubbles the crust the way a wood-fired oven would, building real smoky flavor that a stone or pan in a regular oven wouldn't replicate as effectively.
How long do the quick pickles actually need before they're ready to eat?
They're technically ready after a couple of hours, but the recipe notes they're best overnight — giving the vegetables more time in the brine builds noticeably deeper flavor than the minimum wait.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
2 out of 5 — the dough, cream cheese, and pickles can all be made indoors, but cooking the flatbread directly on hot coals and charring the broccolini over live fire are central to this recipe's flavor and difficult to replicate on a stovetop.
Recipe Highlights
Chilled, rested dough: Easier to stretch thin without tearing.
Simmered pickle brine: Dissolves fully and starts pickling immediately.
Pre-charred broccolini: Builds smoky flavor before it tops the flatbread.
Direct-coal-cooked dough: Chars and bubbles the crust like a wood-fired oven.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 14.9 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 536
- Carbs
- 105 grams
- Protein
- 18 grams
- Fat
- 4 grams
- Sodium
- 1547 milligrams
