Soft Wrap Bread
These no-oven-required soft wrap breads are soft, tender, chewy and flavorful, and the perfect side to countless main dishes.
I blindly made this bread for a dinner that I had been looking forward to for a long time.
To be honest, I made this wrap-style bread myself (instead of buying it) because there wasn’t a good bakery close to me and I didn’t want to eat cardboardy, stale pitas for dinner. My hopes weren’t very high for this bread – it was more like a means to an end.
But all of that changed. When I tasted it.
Amazing. That’s all I have to say. I don’t have adequate wordage to describe how delectable this wrap bread truly is. It is soft. It is tender. It is chewy and flavorful.
It pairs perfectly with savory foods and conversely, it is fantastic drizzled with honey and eaten warm (which is the way my husband devoured at least four of the lovely discs).
Talk about a versatile bread. I am dreaming about when I can make it next. The wrap is pliable so it can easily be rolled up around a delicious filling or cut into wedges and served with a topping of sorts (hummus?), or even used for mini pizzas- the options are endless.
Oh, and one more thing – the bread is dry-fried over a griddle or frying pan so you don’t have to fire up the oven and heat up your whole house to make it.
After making this bread too many times to count, I’ve also found that I now almost always make it with whole wheat flour (usually white wheat flour because that is what I have on hand to grind). The results are still extremely delicious and even healthier.
FAQs about Soft Wrap Bread
Depends on your mixer’s power/speed- you may need to cut down the batch if it’s too big for the mixer.
Yes, potato starch will work!
Yes, just make sure to grease the parchment or whatever is lining each unbaked wrap bread so they don’t stick. Alternatively, you can cook them, then freeze them in a ziploc bag; they reheat really well in the microwave (or on low heat in the oven) and taste really fresh, too.
Lots of things! Makeshift tortillas, mini pizzas, sandwich rollups, basically anything that I’d use a tortilla for, or in sandwiches.
Soft Wrap Bread
Ingredients
- 3 to 3 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (see note)
- 1 ½ cups 12 ounces boiling water
- ¼ cup potato flour OR 1/2 cup potato buds or flakes (I used potato flakes)
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast (see note)
Instructions
- Place 2 cups of the flour into a bowl or the bucket of a bread machine. Pour the boiling water over the flour, and stir until smooth. Lightly cover the bowl or bucket and set the mixture aside for 30 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the potato flour (or flakes or buds) and 1 cup of the remaining flour with the salt, oil and yeast. Add this to the slightly cooled flour/water mixture, stir, then knead for several minutes (by hand, mixer or bread machine) to form a soft dough. It may look like the flour/salt/oil/yeast mixture will never absorb into the boiling water/flour mixture. It will, I promise, but you may need to take it out of your electric mixer, if using one, and knead the flour in by hand or add it very gradually into your electric mixer.
- Note: You can allow the dough to go through the entire kneading cycle(s) in the bread machine, but it’s not necessary; about a 5-minute knead in the machine, once it gets up to full kneading speed, is fine. The dough should form a ball, but will remain somewhat sticky (the dough is fairly stiff, so don’t be worried – just be careful not to overflour the dough). Add additional flour only if necessary; if kneading by hand, keep your hands and work surface lightly oiled.
- Let the dough rise, covered, for 1 hour (I let mine rise up to 2 hours).
- Divide the dough into 8 pieces (each about the size of a handball, around 3 ounces), cover, and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Roll each piece into a 7- to 8-inch circle, and dry-fry them (fry without oil) on a griddle or frying pan over medium heat for about 1 minute per side (I cooked mine about 2-3 minutes per side and they didn’t dry out), until they’re puffed and flecked with brown spots.
- Adjust the heat if they seem to be cooking either too quickly, or too slowly; cooking too quickly means they may be raw in the center, while too slowly will dry them out.
- Transfer the cooked breads to a wire rack, stacking them to keep them soft. Serve immediately, or cool slightly before storing in a plastic bag.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from King Arthur Flour
198 Comments on “Soft Wrap Bread”
Just wondering about the method- what benefit is it to mix flour and boiling water? I’m skeptical about the fact that the yeast doesn’t need to dissolve first. I’m thinking I will give these a try. In my years of baking, I’ve never seen that method before.
It’s what gives it such a soft texture. When I make homemade playdough, I use boiling water and flour. This dough has almost the same consistency as my playdough actually. It’s different than normal bread dough. It bakes up so soft and tender. I’ve made it several times and it always turns out delicious!
Hi! Is there any difference in texture or flavor between potato flour and potato flakes? And what should be the temperature of the griddle/skillet when dry frying. Thank you for your absolutely amazing blog!
Yes, there is a bit of a texture difference between flour and flakes. The flour is smoother. I usually heat my griddle to about 375 degrees.
These were so wonderful! I will be making them again this week.
Can’t wait to try this. I hate shop bought wraps and crave the middle Eastern pancake bread I used to love as a kid. When you said pliable and chewy my hopes were raised. Omg fingers crossed I pull this off x
Adapted???? It is word for word from KA.
I think your preparation time is wrong. It says 1 hour total including resting time, but there are at least 2 hours of resting time with the first 30 min, the 1-2 hours of dough rising, and letting the dough balls rest, plus all the actual preparation time.
Thanks for pointing that out, Rebecca!
I just made the dough but I’m running out of time to fry them. Would the dough last till tomorrow?
Sure!
All these years later I am still making these!!
Me too! And still as impressive as ever.
Hi there. Thanks so much for sharing this delicious-looking recipe. I’d love to try it, but sadly I lack potato flour/buds/flakes. I do have potato starch, and I noticed you mentioned in the comments above that potato starch will work. I was just wondering if the correct amount for potato starch in this recipe would be 1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) or whether the right amount would be 1/2 cup (5/8 ounces). Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.
I would probably use the lesser amount of potato starch (1/4 cup).
Do you have a calorie count on these? Thanks
No. I don’t provide that info on my recipes, but there are a lot of online calculators you can plug it into. Good luck!
Could you use mashed potatoes instead of potato flour/buds/pearls? Would it change the liquid or anything like that?
I’m sure you could, Alli – I haven’t tried it though so I can’t really recommend quantities or differences in the overall recipe. You might google a similar recipe and see if it gives you suggestions.
Can I make these with a kitchenaid mixer? I don’t have a bread machine
It really depends on your kitchenaid – what power/speed and if it does well with bread dough. A lot of people use a kitchenaid for bread but you may need to cut down the batch if it’s too big for the mixer.
I just found your site & your Homemade Flatbread–sounds great! Am curious–what is the difference between that & your Soft Wrap Bread? Also, can your Soft Wrap bread be made by hand–not in bread maker? Which is more similar to Subway’s Flatbread?
Thanks so much
The texture is a little different in the breads and I’d say the homemade flatbread is thicker and slighlty chewier – like a good piece of fluffy naan bread (of course you can roll it as thick or thin as you like) whereas this soft wrap bread is definitely more like a thinner wrap or tortilla (although it doesn’t taste or feel like a tortilla – softer and a bit chewier). I’ve never had Subway’s flatbread so I’m not sure, sorry. Both doughs could be made by hand.
I made it for a party I had on Friday (made test batch day before). They were really great. I observed that its best when you add flour-yeast mix to flour-water mix, when it’s still warm. This and longer kneading really helped activating yeast and bread was more fluffy. I also had a lot of fun observing how it puffed on the pan. Thank you for such great recipe. I never thought I would be able to do soft wraps by myself. Who knew? 🙂
Never seen Potato flour in the stores. I saw Potato Starch. Is it the same?
To defrost the flat bread or Pita fold it in a kitchen towel and run it in the Microwave Oven on the defrost cycle for about 1:30 to 2 minutes. Almost like straight from the oven
Yes, potato starch will work.
This is AMAZING! Thank you very much for this recipe, I am very happy I found your page when I was searching for something like this. Here in Ukraine they don’t really sell breads like this. Armenian thin bread (lavash) would be the only option, but it is more like very chewy tortillas, which is ok for enchiladas, but not ideal for wraps. I always make a double portion and freeze it. Great for lunch of dinner with whatever I have in fridge. My husband often eats it just like bread with other meals too 🙂
I would like to make these but am confused about the type of flour to use. You say you usually use wholewheat, usually white. Wholewheat in UK is flour with all the bran etc, it isnt white. Then recipe calls for all purpose, the nearest UK equivalent would br soft plain, which is low in gluten. We do also have spelt which is available in white or whole grain, which is a lower gluten bread flour. Which of these choices do you think are most suitable. As a rule I try and use as much whole grain as possible in wraps (for health reasons) while still keeping a foldable result. Thank you for your consideration.
The recipe works well with all-purpose flour (white flour) or half whole wheat flour and half white flour. I am not familiar with the UK equivalents, unfortunately, so you might have to do a little experimenting.
Hello Mel,
They’re just coming out of the pan as I type this. They look just like the photo you posted.
We followed your instructions to a tee. They are looking perfect and were so easy to roll and dry fry – like no other dough we’ve run across… just effortless.
Well, we just had our first bite with humus & OMG… no need to go out & buy pita in the future. These are so much better than anything than we can purchase anywhere in Vancouver BC.
Next step is to try them with your Gyro recipe. Many thanks for posting this; we are believers for sure. 🙂
Timothy, Lori & Ella (the cat)
Glad to hear it, thanks, Timothy (and Lori and Ella!) 🙂
Hello again Mel,
Seeing as we now make these once a week, we decided to start making our own potato flour. Fantastic! We do have one question: do you know what would happen if we were to use only potato flour? We have so many gluten intolerant friends that we’d like to make these for. Any suggestions?
BTW We’re making the gyros for the first time tonight & looking forward to them so much.
Thanks again for such a great site & sharing your knowledge.
Timothy, Lori & Ella (the cat)
So happy you are still enjoying this recipe! I haven’t tried the recipe with only potato flour so I’m not entirely sure how that would change the texture/outcome but it’s probably worth a try, especially seeing as how you are making your own potato flour (impressive!). If I get around to trying it with all potato flour, I’ll let you know – otherwise, keep me posted. Good luck!
Hello Mel,
Just a quick update. I’m now using 3/4 cup of home made potato flour and they’re turning out nicely, but I don’t think I’ll go any higher than that. I’ve also started using avocado oil which makes a nice, yet subtle, addition to the taste. I’m making these so often, twice a week, that I no longer need to look at the recipe.
Cheers,
Timothy, Lori & Ella (the cat)
Hello! I couldn’t find potato flakes or flour, so I grabbed rice flour….but I just looked at the package and it says gluten free. Is this no good? Thank you!
I’ve never made this bread with rice flour – not sure how it would substitute. The potatoes in the recipe give it a tenderness (from the starch and texture). You’ll have to experiment if using the rice flour.
Just made this and it was delicious! Sehr lecker! I found the dough to be very soft and sticky but that may be because Germany has a wet climate. I didn’t wait for the second proof and just cooked it straight from punching it down after the first. Great foolproof recipes as always!
Hello…I have tried these twice using two different types of yeast and both attempts have failed. First, when I mix the boiling water and the flour it in no way becomes smooth. When I add the remaining ingredients it does become extremely stiff but is not a smooth ball of dough. On both tries the dough fails to rise at all. I live in Canada and am wondering if there are differences in the flour( I am using white all purpose) or the yeast. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks
Iris – This dough is definitely on the thick/stiff side and it really only puffs (it won’t double in size). I make it with white all-purpose flour and whole wheat so the type of flour you are using should be ok. Try cutting down on the flour a bit and only adding it until the dough is less stiff than before. It should be thick and soft but not so stiff that you can’t easily roll it out. It’s ok if it is slightly shaggy looking after adding the boiling water – but it will probably smooth out a bit if you add less flour. Everyone measures flour differently so it might be that your dough is slightly overfloured. Good luck!
These are fantastic! I made the recipe gluten free by swapping the flour with Red Mill gluten free all purpose flour and 3/4 teaspoon of xantham gum. It didn’t rise like I thought it would but it still bubbled up in the pan! Fantastic! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Mel!
Would it be possible to bake the wraps instead?
Julia – Definitely worth a try but I haven’t tried it myself. I’d probably use a baking stone and preheat it at 425 degrees or so.
Love to try your recipe but I can’t get hold of potato flakes, please advise how much of steamed mashed potatoes I should add as a substitute? Thanks
Sue – I have never tried it that way so you will have to experiment. Good luck!
Hi Mel, I came across your website looking for a flatbread recipe, I made it for the first time ever and it was a big success thanks to you! I didn’t have potato flour so I replaced it with glutinous rice flour (the same amount) and it still turned out to be soft and delicious. The first stage or mixing the flour and boiling water didn’t go as smoothly as I thought it would but it pulled together in the end:)
I am really enjoying looking through your site and I’m excited to try more of your recipes.
So glad you loved this one, Abby…thanks for including your changes with rice flour!
Wow! This bread is so good. I will confirm what a few others have said, in that when mixing the flour and boiling water, it’s not smooth. I just stirred until I couldn’t stir anymore (it was quick) and then covered the bowl. It was smoothing 30 minutes later when I incorporated the next set of ingredients. Used these with the chicken gyros. My family went nuts!! So glad I made enough to have leftovers tomorrow. THANK YOU! I will certainly be trying more of your recipes.
Hi Mel, I will be making these for family that will be driving into town. I have to be flexible time wise, but want them to taste really fresh. Do you think I could refrigerate the individually rolled flat bread dough before dry-frying? Similar to “fresh” tortillas that are refrigerated and then dry fried.
Hi Alexa – yes, I think that would work great! Just make sure to grease the parchment or whatever is lining each unbaked wrap bread so they don’t stick. Otherwise, I’ve made and cooked these and then frozen them in a ziploc bag and they reheat really well in the microwave (or on low heat in the oven) and taste really fresh, too.
not to get picky, because I love your site and direct everyone to it, but a couple of directional photos would really help me with this recipe. when my flour was not going smooth with the boiling water I kept adding more but once it rested it became very wet. I love your recipes but I’m not as amazing as you yet so help me out with some step by step photos 🙂
Britney – Great idea. I will add it to my list of tutorials and hopefully will post an update soon.
I don’t have a bread machine, could I mix the dough with the soft blade of my cuisinart? Any other ideas? Regretting that I got rid of my bread machine!
CJ – I am not totally sure what you are referring to when you say soft blade. If it is a blade to a food processor, probably not. A dough hook on a mixer like a Kitchen Aid or Bosch is great for bread. I use my Bosch mixer for all of my bread. You can also go with the good old fashioned kneading-by-hand method for this bread. It’s just not nearly as convenient! Good luck.
Good, but still not as good as the ones I get in the restaurant. Just doesn’t have that pillowy, soft texture. Have one more recipe to try yet. So disappointing to not be able to make these at home.
J. Stefanacq – Have you tried the Homemade Greek Flatbread? If not, give those a try. They are really soft.
I made these for gyros and they were great and easy to do. What’s funny is I forgot to add in the remaining flour with the oil and yeast mixture and they still turned out great. Nice flavor and not too salty. I bet these would be great with a bit of garlic and herb spread… Awesome recipe!
Oh WOW these are fabulous, I am swooning as I sample my first one from my first batch! I’m definitely using these to go with Big Fat Greek Tacos at a party this weekend. I think I’ll make them a little smaller (10-12 per batch rather than 8) for the crowd I have coming, but I will not change a thing about this wonderful recipe! Thanks for another winner.
You have inspired me to make some gyros! Maybe someone already asked this, but what is the difference between your Flat Bread and Wrap Bread recipes? How do you use them differently (and which is more delicious??) Thanks Mel – I SO enjoy your site!!
Kathy – The flatbread is slightly thinner and a bit softer than the naan (so it bends easier) and has a completely different taste than the soft wrap bread (since the soft wrap bread has a potato base). They are all delicious!
I made these today for the first time with the Chicken Gyros. I had made the Gyros once before and used store bought flatbread and they were okay. Well, this time they were amazing! The bread just takes them to the next level! What else do you use these for? I like the idea of mini pizzas for the kids and of course with hummus. Just trying to think of other things I could use them for! It was great too because it was essentially a one pan meal. I prepped and marinated the chicken and tzatziki during the day while the dough was rising. I made the flatbread in my cast iron skillet and once they were done threw the chicken right in there as well! My kind of cleanup!! Thanks yet again for another great recipe!
Danielle – I use them for so many things – makeshift tortillas, mini pizzas, sandwich rollups, basically anything that I’d use a tortilla for and also to change up our sandwich routine – I keep them in the freezer in stacks of 10 or so in a freezer ziploc bag. I am glad you liked them with the Chicken Gyros!
I’ve been using tortillas for lamb kofta wraps (alla Jamie Oliver) since I moved from overseas but I will try making your easy sounding wrap bread tomorrow! Thank you!
Waaaaaaww..just tried it……I’m…..I’m..SPEACHLESS!! … I didn’t have potato flour so I put mashed potato instead!…. It’s my HG bread. Thank u Mel…. Yeah.. I have tried ur choclate cake…..it woooonnnderfullll…thank u for ur great recipes. Ummmmmmuah !:)
How much mashed potatoes did you use in the soft wrap bread, in place of flakes? Please help.
I made this once and have two questions before I make it again today.
1. The dough was extremely sticky and difficult when I tried rolling it out and getting over to make electric griddle. Is that normal?…Maybe under floured?
2. It tasted very good but when we went to eat the chicken gyros, (which the chicken was delicious by the way) the bread tore in the middle. Any tips?
Lindsey – if the dough was so sticky it didn’t roll out well, then yes, I would say a little more flour would definitely help. Even 1/4 cup can make a big difference. The tearing is probably due to it being underfloured (either that or overbaked – if it is cooked too long it can tear easily when rolling).
Has anyone tried this using some whole grain flours?
Hi ShawnL – I use ground white whole wheat flour in this recipe almost all the time. 100% whole wheat flour makes the bread a bit dense but we still love it (50/50 whole wheat and white is a pretty great combo).
Which mixing method do you think would be the easiest to try for my first try? I have a Bosch and a bread maker (and hands, but I don’t like to use them so much for kneading (; )
Marci – I’d say go for the Bosch – I use it every time and can’t imagine any other way is easier.
Just did these for dinner tonight to have with the Chicken Gyros. Wow, they were so good. I have to say for those making this for the first time…I was REALLY skeptical with how the dough was turning out. First of all, when you mix the flour and water together, it’s like a brick and it doesn’t seem to mix ‘smooth’. At least it didn’t for me. They were seriously raggety looking in the beginning, and then when I looked at them after raising (which hardly seemed different), I was sure they weren’t going to turn out. Don’t give up people…I think this is how they are supposed to turn out. They taste fabulous and I’m so glad I did it. They turned out soft and just a great flavor. And the Tzatziki sauce is sooo good. Thanks for another great recipe Mel!!!! 4 STars
Hi Leah – yes, I know the pearls you are talking about. They are much bigger than potato buds so if you can kind of coarsely grind them in a blender or food processor, you could sub them in.
Just wondering–are you familiar with potato pearls? Are they the same as potato buds? I don’t have flakes and am wondering if the pearls would work, cause I have a ton. Thanks for sharing all your great recipes!
Wow! My husband and I are in love with these. I was really skeptical when the potato pearls/buds didn’t dissolve, but during the rising period they softened and once I cooked it, the bread was smooth and delicious!
We made these tonight to go with the chicken gyros. My husband fired up the grill and we put the chicken on skewers. Then he made the wrap bread on the grill too. 3 min on the first side, 2 min on the second and they were perfect! He did cover the grill while they were cooking and from what I could tell the temp was between 325 and 350. So soft and delicious!
Anybody have a gluten-free recipe for these or any suggestions for making them so? My daughter eats GF and she would love these if I can find a way to make them. Thanks