Are you in the mood for some easy yet luscious tapas? In the kitchen, I’ve been mixing things up by making more boards, share plates, and happy hour-style bites. And oh, what fun it's been! One of my absolute favorite plates to emerge from this culinary exploration is a blackberry goat cheese flatbread. It's not just a treat for the palate but a feast for the eyes, too.
Each bite combines the tartness of fresh blackberries with creamy goat cheese, perfect for nibbling alongside your favorite cocktail. Make this sweet and savory flatbread when entertaining, enjoy it for a happy hour snack, or bring it as an appetizer for your next book club gathering!
Blackberries and Goat Cheese: The perfect pairing
Blackberries and goat cheese? Harmonious! The saltiness of the goat cheese beautifully softens the sharp tartness of the blackberries, enhancing their natural sweetness. And the texture? Pure happiness. Imagine the smooth, melting creaminess of the goat cheese paired with juicy, bursting blackberries, all atop a delightfully crispy flatbread crust.
Now, to the garnish: mint! This herb adds brightness to a meal by awakening your taste buds and offering a heightened sense of flavor. Whether or not you enjoy its fresh bite, mint’s bright green color still makes for a gorgeous garnish (chef’s kiss). If you’re lucky enough to live near blackberry bushes (hello, Oregon Marionberries!) or grow fresh mint, this dish will be even better.
Make your own flatbread
There are several options for choosing dough for your flatbread. The easiest is to purchase ready-made pizza dough from your local grocers, and the most homemade option is to use a sourdough starter to make your own.
If you have a tried-and-true sourdough discard pizza dough recipe, I recommend using it! You can also follow this easy pizza dough recipe. However, what makes this recipe easiest is using store-bought dough from the grocers.
Before taking your dough out to rise, consider the temperature of your home. Depending on how warm your kitchen is, allot 30 minutes to 3+ hours.
During cooler months, you can expedite the process by doing the following:
- Lightly spray a mixing bowl with a non-stick spray like coconut or olive oil
- Place the pizza dough in the bowl and cover with a damp flour sack or kitchen towel
- Find a window that’s likely to receive direct or ample sunlight
- Or, set your oven to 175 degrees and place the bowl near the vent
- Note: if you have the “proofing” feature in your oven, this is the perfect use!
- Rest until the dough doubles in size
Consider the shape of your bakeware. I didn’t think about what shape I would form my dough into until trying to bake round pizza dough on a cookie sheet.
If you have a pizza stone, go ahead and knead this into a round dough. However, if you’re using a cookie or baking sheet, be sure to knead your dough into slightly smaller dimensions than your sheet.
Ingredients for blackberry goat cheese flatbread
To get started, add these ingredients to your grocery shopping list.
- Pizza dough
- Blackberries
- Crumbled goat cheese
- Mint leaves
- Honey
You will also need a few kitchen staples, including extra virgin olive oil and flour.
How to bake flatbread
Start with about one tablespoon of flour for your surface and a teaspoon for your hands (so it won’t stick). If the dough sticks to your surface, you can gradually add more flour. But the goal is to keep it from drying out.
If you don’t have a pastry scraper, try this kitchen hack: use a metal or barbecue flipper to scrape the dough off your countertop or surface.
- Your pizza dough is ready to bake when: it begins to hold its shape.
- It is not ready if: it continues to pull back, tighten up, or lose shape.
- How to fix it: continue to knead your dough or allow it to warm up more.
Carefully transfer to a pizza stone or baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Get ready to parbake the flatbread and prepare your toppings.
Before topping your flatbread, ensure that your ingredients are prepped and ready to go. You want to keep the flatbread crust fresh and warm so you can pop it back into the oven quickly.
- Rinse and cut blackberries in half
- Keep goat cheese in the refrigerator until you’re ready to crumble it on the flatbread (this will keep it from sticking)
- Finely chop half of your mint and set aside the other half for garnish
Garnishing the flatbread
Tear your basil leaves into three or four pieces. Once torn, basil releases its fragrant and flavorful oils. For this reason, you should wait to add basil until the flatbread is cooked.
Serve your flatbread immediately. As soon as it comes out of the oven, add the garnishes. Add fresh-cracked pepper and a drizzle of honey, and top it with basil and mint leaves. They’ll add an herbaceous flavor and aroma!
Serving blackberry goat cheese flatbread
This blackberry goat cheese flatbread can serve as more than just an appetizer! Try the following serving suggestions:
- As a meal. Add some cured prosciutto or crumbled Italian sausage and top with fresh arugula to turn this into a slice of sweet and savory heaven!
- Brunch gathering. Serve this alongside an egg dish at your next brunch event. It can easily take the place of pancakes or french toast while adding a touch of finesse.
- Sweet and savory dessert. A drizzle of honey over the berries and goat cheese makes this flatbread sweet enough to pass as a dessert. Heck, why not add a scoop of salted vanilla gelato and serve with an aperitif?
Speaking of which, this flatbread pairs fabulously with a Moscow Mule. The zesty lime and spicy ginger beer in the cocktail pair delightfully with the sweet blackberries and aromatic basil. It’s really a fantastic happy hour pairing!
Absolutely. Just ensure that they’re completely defrosted. If they have too much moisture, you can end up with soggy flatbread.
Spray the parchment paper with olive oil to ensure a crispy (but not burnt) crust bottom. If you prefer the crust a little less crisp, you can skip this step.
Great question! (I have made this mistake before) You’ll want to parbake the dough before topping it with all your tasty ingredients. Bake it for five to ten minutes, depending on how chewy or crispy you prefer your flatbread or pizza.
Blackberry and Goat Cheese Flatbread
Plump blackberries and creamy goat cheese are paired with fresh mint and basil for a light meal, appetizer, or fancy snack!
Ingredients
- 14 oz Pizza Dough
- 2–3 tablespoon flour for kneading
- 1 ½ – 2 cups Blackberries
- 1 cup Crumbled Goat Cheese
- ⅓ cup Mint leaves
- ⅓ cup Basil leaves
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¼ tsp Kosher Salt
- Fresh-cracked Pepper
- Drizzle of Honey (about 2 tbsp)
Optional:
- Cured Prosciutto
- 1 cup Arugula
- Drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450º
- Bring your refrigerated pizza dough to room temperature. Spray a medium mixing bowl with non-stick spray and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let sit until it’s doubled in size.
- Roll out the pizza dough on a floured surface, continuing to fold and knead until it holds its form. Arrange on a pizza stone or parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 5-7 minutes.
- Remove and set the oven to high broil.
- Drizzle olive oil across the par-baked dough.
- Arrange half of your mint leaves, finely chopped, over the olive oil.
- Evenly distribute rinsed and halved blackberries and top with crumbled goat cheese
- Place on the top rack of the oven and broil on high for another 5-7 minutes, or until the crust begins to brown and the goat cheese becomes golden but not browned.
- Immediately crack fresh pepper over the entire flatbread to your liking and drizzle with honey.
- Top with freshly torn basil leaves and the remaining mint leaves.
- Create square slices using a pizza cutter, and enjoy!
Notes
If adding arugula and/or prosciutto, you can do so once the flatbread is completely finished. If you prefer a crispier prosciutto, add it with the goat cheese and blackberries.
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