Y’all know I’m obsessed with pizza right? Well, I’ve actually really been into flatbreads lately. They’re a little less heavy than pizza because they tend to have a thinner crust and they don’t have a lot of sauce or cheese. But they are piled high with tons of flavorful toppings. For this Caramelized Onion and Artichoke Flatbread I combined sweet caramelized onions with a light sprinkle of salty feta, briny artichoke hearts, and a handful of spinach for good measure. It’s a winning combo. Healthy, delicious, and as fancy as something you’d find at a bistro or wine bar.
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I made my own crust for this flatbread, but you could easily top a toasted tortilla or store-bought crust to make it that much faster and easier. If using a tortilla, I suggest baking it for a few minutes before topping to make sure it’s nice and crispy (like I did with these Quick Fix Salad Bar Pizzas). If you want to make your own crust using the method I did below, just remember that you’ll need to mix the dough the night before, so it has time to ferment. That’s when the magic happens!
One last note. When I began making my dough before I went to bed, I realized that I was just shy of the two cups of flour needed to make it. I subbed 1/2 cup of regular all-purpose flour with whole wheat and it worked beautifully. It was just enough whole wheat flour to add flavor and texture, but not so much to make the dough heavy or dense. Sometimes mistakes end up producing wonderful results!
Caramelized Onion and Artichoke Flatbread
Servings 3 to 4 servings (1/3 of flatbread)Ingredients
DOUGH
- 2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.28)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp instant yeast ($0.02)
- 3/4-1 cup water ($0.00)
CARAMELIZED ONIONS*
- 3 yellow onions ($0.96)
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.26)
FLATBREAD TOPPINGS
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1/2 Tbsp Italian seasoning blend ($0.15)
- 1/4 lb. frozen spinach ( $0.50)
- 1/2 15oz. can quartered artichoke hearts** ($1.16)
- 2 oz. feta cheese ($1.25)
Instructions
- To make the dough, begin the night before. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and yeast until evenly combined. Add water, starting with just 3/4 cup, and stir until a sticky, shaggy ball of dough forms. The total amount of water needed will depend on the moisture level in your flour. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours.
- The next day, begin by preparing the caramelized onions. Thinly slice three onions and place them in a large skillet with 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook the onions and butter over low heat, stirring occasionally, for an hour, or until they are very soft and deep golden brown in color.
- To make the flatbread, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil, then spread 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over the surface. Sprinkle the fermented dough with flour to prevent it from sticking to your hands, scrape it out of the bowl onto a floured surface, and flatten it into a disc. Continue to stretch and press the dough until it is a large rectangle, approximately 1/4 inch thick. It can be transferred onto the prepared baking sheet for easier stretching and pulling toward the end.
- Spread the second tablespoon of olive oil over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle with 1/2 Tablespoon of Italian seasoning blend. Thaw the spinach in the microwave (about one minute on high), then squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Chop the artichoke hearts into bite-sized pieces.
- Top the flatbread with the caramelized onions, spinach, chopped artichoke hearts, and crumbled feta. Bake for 18-20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges of the crust are golden brown. Slice into 8-12 pieces and serve.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Caramelized Onion and Artichoke Flatbread – Step by Step Photos
The dough will need to be started the night before, so that it has at least 12 hours to ferment. In a large bowl, stir together 2 cups of flour, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp instant yeast. Add water, starting with 3/4 cup until a wet, slightly sticky ball of dough forms. There should be no dry flour left in the bowl. If unsure, err on the side of “too wet” when making the dough. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 12-24 hours. As it ferments, it will become light and fluffy (and still sticky), like the photo above.
Caramelized onions take about an hour to make, but they are SO worth it. To make life easier, you can always make a large batch and freeze a portion of it, so they’re ready to use immediately next time. They can also be made in large batches using a slow cooker. Very convenient! To make them on the stove top, thinly slice three onions and add them to a skillet with 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until they are very soft and deep golden brown.
Just like this. This process is slow and MUST be done over low heat, or you risk burning or drying out the onions. But my, oh my, are they tasty!
When you’re ready to start building the pizza, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil, then spread 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over the surface of the foil.
Sprinkle a little flour over the sticky dough in the bowl, and scrape it out onto a clean surface. Press the dough down into a disc, then start stretching it into a rectangle. You’ll likely need to sprinkle with flour as you go because the dough will be very sticky and soft. Before it gets too big, you can transfer it to the baking sheet to finish stretch and pulling it into shape. Once it’s stretched into a large rectangle, spread 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over the surface, then sprinkle with 1/2 Tbsp of Italian seasoning blend.
Thaw 1/4 lb of frozen spinach using the microwave (estimate 1/4 of a one pound bag), then squeeze as much excess moisture out as possible. I just squeeze it in my fist until it’s mostly dry. Drain a 15oz. can of artichoke hearts, and then chop half of them into bite-sized pieces. The leftovers can be frozen for use on your next pizza (or flatbread)! Top the flatbread with the spinach, artichoke hearts, caramelized onions, and 2oz. of crumbled feta cheese (just cut an 8oz. block into quarters to estimate 2oz.).
Bake the caramelized onion and artichoke flatbread in the preheated 425 degree oven for 18-20 minutes, or until the edges of the crust are golden brown. Cut the flatbread into 8-12 pieces and serve. This flatbread made about 2-4 servings, depending on the size. For me, it was just enough for 3 filling-but-not-over-full sized servings. :)
I can’t get enough of the sweet onion, salty feta, and briny artichoke hearts. Be still, my pizza loving heart!
Caramelized onions are easy to make in the slow cooker! I like to heat a crock full of sliced onions in the microwave to jump-start the process, and then move the slow cooker to an outside outlet so the process doesn’t smell up the house. The first time I did this, I looked outside an hour later. There was a ring of neighborhood peacocks standing around the slow cooker, trying to figure out what this new-fangled thing was!
AMAZING! This is going to make me make more caramelized onions in the crock pot. Aldi in my area doesnt have artichokes, so I used frozen broccoli. It was so delicious.
I want to make this some time this week. It looks delicious! I like feta and use it in my cooking/salads often, but lately I’ve been on this goat cheese streak (my newest food obsession:) ). Do you think goat cheese would work well as a substitute to feta in this recipe? Thanks in advance!
Oh yes, goat cheese is AH-MAZ-ING with caramelized onions.
Overall, I liked this recipe. I’d never cooked artichokes or caramelized onions before, but I enjoyed both. The dough was phenomenal. I’m tempted to make that just by itself as breadsticks sometime. Both caramelizing the onions, and cooking the full flatbread in the oven, took longer than the recipe calls for. I also found the dough a little tricky to stretch out (it was easier once I moved it onto the oiled foil, though). The end result, however, was pretty good. I’m still undecided on whether the taste is worth all the effort, but at least I have a better idea of what to expect if I make it again sometime!