007 / 75 · The Compact Skillet

Spiced Beef and Pepper Skillet Flatbreads

4 small topped flatbreads; 2 servings · Active 50 min · Total 1 hr 5 min

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These small flatbreads carry a finely chopped beef and pepper topping seasoned with cumin and paprika. Both the bread and topping cook in the same skillet, with the meat cooked completely before it goes onto the dough. Four manageable rounds are easier to shape and turn on a camper counter than one large pizza. Eat them folded loosely around a little crisp lettuce, with lemon juice added at the table.

Jump to ingredients

Handmade skillet flatbreads with spiced beef, red pepper and crisp lettuce.

A small piece of dough needs less counter

Mix the dough in one bowl and knead it inside the bowl for the first minute, then use a clear clean patch of counter. Divide it into four pieces before rolling. A round about seven inches across is wide enough for the topping while leaving room around it in a ten-inch skillet. Keep the other dough pieces covered so their edges do not dry while you cook. A drinking bottle can replace a rolling pin only if its outside is clean, smooth and suitable for food contact.

Cook the topping first

The topping is deliberately finely chopped so it spreads thinly and stays inside a folded bread. Cook the beef to its safe endpoint before setting it aside in a clean bowl. Peppers and onion need to soften, and the tomato paste should lose its raw edge. Keep the mixture thick: a watery topping steams the bread and runs onto the counter when the first bite is taken. Wash raw-meat utensils and boards with hot soapy water before they are used for anything ready to eat.

Serve in rounds

This is a meal that reaches the table two breads at a time. Cook each dough round on both sides before adding its share of topping and covering briefly to make everything hot together. Serve the first pair while the second pair cooks. A closed pan of finished breads develops condensation and softens their undersides. If two people want to eat together, share each pair as it is ready instead of storing a tall stack beside the stove.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (180 g), plus 1 tablespoon (8 g) for rolling
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon lukewarm water (95 ml), plus teaspoons if needed
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil (10 ml), divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt (3 g), divided
  • 7 oz ground beef (200 g)
  • 1 small onion, very finely diced (75 g)
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, very finely diced (75 g)
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste (15 g)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin (2 g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika (1 g)
  • 2 tablespoons water for topping (30 ml)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (8 g)
  • 4 small lettuce leaves, finely shredded (30 g)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice (15 ml), to serve

Set out

Mixing bowl, Rolling pin, 10-inch (25 cm) skillet with lid, Clean bowl for cooked filling, Instant-read thermometer, Tongs for wiping the hot skillet with a lightly oiled folded paper towel

Allergens

Wheat. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Mix 180 g flour with half the salt, 1 teaspoon oil and 95 ml water. Knead for 5 minutes to a soft smooth dough, adding water by the teaspoon only if needed. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
  2. While the dough rests, heat the remaining teaspoon oil in the skillet over medium heat. Cook beef, onion and pepper for 8–10 minutes, breaking the beef up finely, until vegetables soften and the beef reaches 160°F/71°C. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, paprika and remaining salt for 1 minute. Add topping water and simmer for 2 minutes until thick. Stir in parsley and transfer to a clean bowl.
  3. Wipe the skillet carefully with kitchen paper held in tongs if necessary. Divide dough into four equal pieces. Roll each on the measured dusting flour into a thin 7-inch (18 cm) round, keeping waiting pieces covered.
  4. Heat the dry skillet over medium heat. Cook one round for 2–3 minutes per side until brown spots appear and there is no raw dough in the center. Reduce to medium-low, spread one-quarter of the cooked beef mixture over it, cover and heat for 1–2 minutes until hot throughout. Lift to a plate.
  5. Repeat with the remaining rounds. Serve promptly in pairs, divided between two people, with shredded lettuce and lemon juice. Fold loosely to eat.

Make a clean dough space

Measure everything before the burner is on. Keep the flour bowl away from open heat and leave a stable clear place for the hot skillet lid.

A useful detail

The raw beef is cooked separately before topping the breads. This avoids relying on a thin dough round to cook a layer of raw meat from underneath.

Another way

  • Replace beef with ground turkey at the same weight, cooking it to 165°F/74°C before topping.
  • Use finely chopped green pepper instead of red pepper for a less sweet topping.

Keep it well

Refrigerate leftover cooked topping and bread separately within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 3 days. Reheat filling to 165°F/74°C before topping warmed bread. Keep lettuce cold and separate. Freeze spare cooked breads promptly for up to 1 month if you have safe freezer space.