This coconut psyllium flatbread is soft, tender, with a light coconut flavor. It’s not only vegan and gluten-free, but it’s also paleo and keto friendly. I usually serve it alongside Indian dishes, but it’s also perfect as a low-carb tortilla or wrap.
There was a time in my life that I completely avoided bread. All it took was one seemingly innocent comment from my classmate: “Haven’t you gained weight recently?“. From that moment on I restricted my diet, started reading books about weight loss, and cut out every food I read something negative about.
Bread-type foods were the first to go since I learned that our bodies aren’t very good at dealing with large amounts of carbohydrates. No more bread for breakfast, wraps for lunch, or crackers as a snack. I also read that eliminating gluten could help with weight loss. So, gluten-containing foods were the next to go. After a few months of these practices, I was left with fruits and vegetables, pseudo-grains, legumes, nuts, green tea and water.
I felt like a crazy person. My reasonable self knew that I shouldn’t be restricting my diet so much, but every comment about how skinny I was felt like an accomplishment. I was losing weight and loved the way I looked.
On top of eliminating entire food groups from my diet, I ran ten miles every morning, did squats and push-ups while studying, and paced in my room instead of sleeping. I was hungry, cold, tired, and unable to pick myself up. I pushed my body to the point that I collapsed.
Now that I am at a healthy weight, people ask me how I overcame my eating disorder. My answer is always the same – healthy eating literally saved my life. My focus shifted from calorie counting to nourishment. For whatever reason, I believed that every product that was labeled “healthy” would be OK for me to eat. (I am putting the word healthy in quotes because I think everyone’s opinions of food and health vary).
Some things I want to reiterate here are, that I do not believe that grains or carbohydrates are bad. No natural food group should be vilified, just as no macronutrient should be either. However, if you’re on a low-carb diet and crave bread, this recipe might just be for you. Psyllium is a 100 % natural source of fiber and coconut flour is such an excellent alternative to grain flours. So this psyllium flatbread (jut like these flaxseed wraps) are an excellent grain-based bread alternative.
Whew! Now some notes on the recipe.
Tips for Making Psyllium Flatbread
Ingredients
The base ingredient in this recipe is coconut flour. Coconut flour is very unique in that it doesn’t perform the same as grain-based flours in baking. It’s extraordinarily absorbent and very little coconut flour is needed to successfully produce a recipe. It also tends to be very dry, which is where psyllium husk comes in.
Psyllium is a form of soluble fiber that provides not only elasticity and structure, but also binding. It works a bit like gluten in traditional baking, and makes it possible to handle the dough.
I am also using a little bit of baking soda for leavening and olive oil for moisture. The salt is optional but recommended.
Technique
The dough for this psyllium flatbread is really easy to make. It does take a little bit of time for the coconut flour and psyllium husk to absorb all the water so the dough is moist at first. However, it gets dryer after about a minute and is really easy to work with. I like to rest the dough in a bowl for 10 minutes to let the psyllium husk absorb the moisture and create an elastic, soft dough. The dough should not be crumbly or sticky.
The easiest way to roll out the dough is to use a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat. Simply place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it out to your desired thickness and shape. If this is your first time making this psyllium flatbread, I recommend that you roll out the dough a bit thicker and smaller (no larger than 8 inches in diameter). The thicker and smaller the dough, the easier it is to handle.
To shape the flatbread, place a plate on top of the rolled-out dough and cut around the edges. Keep the edges to reform more bread.
Since I have made this recipe numerous times now, I am comfortable lifting the rolled out dough off the parchment paper and transferring it to a hot griddle. Another option is to flip over the flatbread onto a griddle with the parchment paper and then carefully peel the parchment paper off. I also find that if you let the rolled out dough rest for even just a couple of minutes, it’s easier to handle. (This is not necessary, but if you’re worried about the dough tearing, it’s just another tip.)
I use a seasoned cast iron (= naturally non-stick) pan to make the psyllium flatbread. I slightly grease the pan with olive oil that I rub onto a piece of absorbent paper. No oil should remain in the pan. You don’t want to fry the bread. If you don’t have a cast iron pan, a non-stick pan should work too.
Tools You’ll Need
1. Tortilla Press (8-Inch, Cast Iron) | 2. Pan (12 Inches, Lodge, Cast Iron) | 3.Cutting Board (24″x 18″, Michigan Maple Block, Maple) | 4. Rolling Pin (French, Wood) | 5. Knife Set (6 Pieces, Utopia, Stainless Steel) | 6. Measuring Cup (1 Cup, Pyrex, Glass) | 7. Measuring Cups (Set of 6, Stainless Steel) | 8. Measuring Spoons (Set of 6, 1Easylife, Stainless Steel) | 9. Tongs (2 Pieces, Dragonn, Stainless Steel)
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- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 2 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup warm water
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In a medium mixing bowl, combine the coconut flour, psyllium husk, baking soda, and salt.
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Add in olive oil and warm water. Stir it well with a spatula, then use your hands to knead the dough. Knead for 1 minute. The dough should be moist and get softer and slightly dryer as you go. If the dough is too sticky, add more husk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. The dough will always be a bit moist but it shouldn't stick to your hands at all. It must come together as a soft, elastic dough. Set aside for 10 minutes.
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Cut the dough into 4 even pieces, roll each pieces into a small ball. Place one of the dough ball between two pieces of parchment paper, press the ball with your hand palm to flatten it out a little bit. Start rolling with a rolling pin as thin as you like a bread. My breads are usually around 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter. Unpeel the first layer of parchment paper from your flatbread. Use a plate to cut out round flatbread. Keep the outside dough to reform a ball and roll more flatbread - that is how I make 1 extra flatbread from the 4 balls above!
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To cook the bread, heat up your cast iron (or non-stick) pan over medium-high heat and add one teaspoon of olive oil. Rub the surface of the pan with a piece of an absorbent paper towel to get rid of any excess oil in the pan (so the bread doesn't fry). Flip over the flatbread on the hot pan and peel off carefully the last piece of parchment paper. Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side, flip over using a spatula and cook for 1-2 more minute on the other side.
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Cool down the flatbread on a plate and use as a sandwich wrap later or enjoy hot as a side dish. Repeat the rolling, cooking for the next 3 flatbread. Make sure you rub the oiled absorbent paper onto the saucepan each time to avoid the bread to stick to the pan.
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Store in the pantry in an airtight box or on a plate covered with plastic wrap to keep them soft, for up to 3 days. Rewarm in the same pan or if you want to give them a little crisp rewarm in the hot oven on a baking sheet for 1-2 minutes at 300°F/150°C. You can also freeze the flatbread.
I so love your recipes use them all the time. The red lentil pizza is amazing and the mousse I mix with non dairy whip cream in food processor and make a lighter mousse it’s heaven. Keep the recipes coming.
Thank you so much, Penny! Comments like yours are the highlight of my day ❤ I really appreciate you taking the time to comment and share your feedback. Thank you!
Hi, I’m really sorry but I can’t find the quantities information in the recipe, am I missing it?
Hi Lindy – the recipe ingredients and directions are all the way at the bottom of the post (right above this comments section). Please, let me know if you’re still not seeing the recipe.
Hi Petra,
I just found your youtube channel and recipes a few days ago and I am loving them so much! We follow more of a Paleo diet, but we love the variety and freshness of grain free vegan food. I can’t wait to try these wraps! I have been searching for bread alternatives as we love sandwiches and tacos but most of the recipes and commercially prepared I find are full of starch, aren’t pliable, or take a lot of work. I have never cooked with psyllium so I just bought some and going to make these today. Thanks again!
Hi Becky – I am so happy you’re enjoying the videos and recipes! We absolutely love this flatbread (wraps) so hopefully you’ll enjoy them too. Let me know how it goes when you get a chance to make them 🙂
Hello again,
I made the wraps and they are so easy and delicious! I wanted to share a tip with you on getting perfect tortilla shapes every time without any fancy gadgets. I have a bamboo countertop, so I simply put down a layer of parchment, then the dough ball, another layer of parchement, then I placed a flat wooden cutting board on top and pressed down with all my weight and voila, homemade tortilla press! No rolling pin either. The tortillas were perfect everytime and on the ones I wanted a tad thinner, I took a flat bottom metal pan and pressed down and shimmied the pan a little to get the dough a bit thinner. Since I wasn’t cutting off edges of dough, I made 5 dough balls to make these. Thanks again, now I am off to try the flaxseed wraps.
What?! Really?! I wish it was not midnight where I am right now because I would totally try it like right now. Thank you so much for sharing this tip, Becky! Can’t wait to give it a try.
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe ! I tried it for lunch and we just loved these flatbreads. They are soft and pliable even when they are cold ! It is really the best gluten free flatbread I tried and be sure I will prepare more soon ! You are a gem Petra and I am so glad I found your website. I love your recipes and the way you present your videos. Be blessed !
Thank you so much for the feedback, Elfyeth! So happy you enjoyed the recipe ❤!
This recipe didn’t work for me. Followed it exactly. I really wanted this to work for me.
Hi Denise, I am so sorry this didn’t work for you. Can you, please, let me know what exactly happened? I am really confident in the recipe so I am sure we can troubleshoot it. The first thing that comes to mind – did you use psyllium seed husks or psyllium husk powder?
Petra,
I made these flatbreads today and made wraps with them… Amazing recipe… Loved it… Definitely adding them to my rotation… Being on Keto, bread recipes of any kind are always welcome… These were so easy and have a great taste… I tagged you in my Instagram post and credited you for the recipe… Check it out if you like @ Cheffin_with_Shibby….oh, and your YouTube channel is fantastic
Thank you so much for letting me know! I am so happy you enjoyed the wraps! ❤ LOVE the photo on Instagram 😉
These turned out great! I will definitely try them again. Mine turned out quite a bit darker than yours though. That may be because I used psyllium powder instead of psyllium husk? What brand of coconut flour do you use?
thanks!
Hi Monique, I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe! I don’t think that the powder would make any difference in color. However, I have noticed that some psyllium powders are more brown-ish while others have more of a yellow-ish hue. I buy coconut flour in bulk most of the time. If I buy it in a package, it’s usually Bob’s Red Mill (for no particular reason. It’s just what they sell in my local grocery store 🙂
I’m wondering do I buy the psyllium flakes? I was reading the comments earlier and saw you said it’s a difference. Psyllium seed husk is all new to me so I’ve never seen it before, but I did google it.
Hi Ladoris – thank you for your question. Psyllium husk is a type of soluble fiber. There are two types of psyllium – psyllium husk (also called whole psyllium seed) and psyllium powder. One notable difference between the two is the way they respond to contact with liquids. Psyllium husk powder expands and clumps into a gel-like form when added to liquids, while whole husks tend not bulk up as much. On the flip side, whole husks will give you a bit of a grainy consistency. Here is the psyllium husk I am currently using (please, note that it is an affiliate link): https://nutritionrefined.com/psyllium-husk
Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any more questions 🙂
Hi Petra, thanks for sharing this recipe Im just wondering if you could please put the calories in each recipe you make because its flavourful and I dont want to end up eat it all..
Thank you 🙂
Hi, yes, it’s on my list of things to do. I am currently switching to a different recipe plugin and adding metric measurements to every recipe. Once that’s done, I will add the calories and nutritional info. Thank you for your patience!
Thank you so much Petra!This recipe just a lifesaver for breadlovers who is on keto!Amazing tortillas for my tacos!
Thank you so much for the feedback, Gulsaya! So happy you like the recipe ❤