This week was filled with family, good food, and hot weather. My emotions were all over the place – on a high from seeing my cousins, who live in Florida, and their 2 year old son. It reminded me of how simple life is and how life is all about joy. But I still had mental health hurdles to jump over. Through it all I stuck to my routine and cooked a simple dish from the farmers market. Focused only on making what I wanted to eat. Breakfast flatbread, stuffed with potatoes, cheese, bacon, and scallions. Topped with a fried egg.

Breakfast Flatbread

I decided to make a simple recipe this week that could both serve as a delicious idea to share online and something that could sustain me through my lunch breaks at work. I’ve been craving breakfast and brunch, and on Wednesday I talked to a customer about a local brunch spot that sounded heavenly. I bought a fork and a spoon for my 2-year-old cousin, which were shaped like yellow dump trucks. His favorite. And I planned to give them to him at our family’s goodbye dinner. The day was hot but pleasant with good customers and no foolish or exhaustion-induced mistakes. 

My heart felt full, too, having seen my family for a couple days. They live in Florida and spontaneously came to Maine to visit. Long story short, my cousins and I were like siblings growing up until they moved to Florida when we were five. It devastated my mom to see us torn apart and it confused us as children. Growing up after that we would see each other every 2 or 3 years at best, and it was always incredibly special. We took trips to the railway to get rock candy, ate seafood at the pier, played mini-golf, and had sleepovers with scavenger hunts and late-night video games. 

Family Dinner + Italian Food

We’re 30 now, so we’ve lost touch for most of our adult lives. We missed my cousin’s wedding in 2020, during the pandemic, which was hard, but we got to meet her son when he was born. They visited last year, too. The crazy thing was seeing how her son, now 2 and a half, has grown in height, vocabulary, and personality. When he was on the floor playing with his toy cars, he verbalized “I’m frustrated” and we all did a double take. He grew really attached to my dad, too, who is a big kid at heart. They played on a real tractor and ran through sprinklers. 

I drove home after work on Wednesday and watered my garden before changing and heading to dinner. We met at an upscale Italian place that we only ever go to when they visit. By the harbor, with a gentle breeze and great view of the main part of downtown. We enjoyed focaccia dipped in olive oil to start and shared conversations. I ordered a spinach and sun-dried tomato pasta, which was delicious, and I gifted the little toy silverware set. He was excited and delighted, confused at first, but then transfixed by the truck spoon and truck fork. He even ate half of his dinner with them. His parents were touched that I got him a gift and I felt sad knowing I wouldn’t get to see him continue to grow up each day. 

Scallion Shopping

We said our goodbyes in the parking lot after a chaotic photo session. And we drove home. As sad as I was to see them go, I felt a wave of excitement knowing that Thursday was totally open. I treasure my alone time as much as I do time with people I love. So I wrote down some ideas for my blog recipe. Donuts, brunch dishes, and some simple desserts came to mind. I went back to the system that never fails – what do I want to eat? I thought about making fried rice with egg and potato and scallions, with a runny yolk on top. But ultimately I wanted to sink my teeth into yogurt flatbread. 

After the farmers market, which saw me dodging an oblivious crowd of tourists, I drove home. I felt off emotionally and mentally. My medication and lifestyle has helped me be more patient and level headed. Happy and calm. For a long time. But I was so fed up with tourists turning the wrong way, people throwing their hands up in traffic, and dog owners with no consideration for other people. I set my tote bag of goods down on the counter, a bunch of green scallions poking out of the top. And I ate my bagel. 

Breakfast for Lunch

I decided to eat my breakfast flatbread for lunch and dreamed of a runny egg on top with a scattering of scallions. Because I was feeling impatient, I returned to one of my simplest and most reliable recipes. Yogurt flatbread. Which I learned how to make from watching Masterchef Australia as a teenager. It’s simply flour and yogurt, rolled and grilled. It has a beautiful smokiness and sourness from the yogurt and goes so well with grilled meats and vegetables. I used to make it all the time, especially in the summer, so I was excited to make it again. To give it a more breakfast flatbread vibe, I added the same amount of sour cream as yogurt for more tartness and creamy texture. 

Then, I added flour, garlic, and scallions to the dough, kneading gently until it came together. It was a little soft, but perfectly rollable with a little flour. So I covered the bowl and made my filling. Normally I just grill my flatbread and add my toppings, but something about stuffing it made me excited. I decided on a savory, creamy mix of shredded cheddar, ricotta, sour cream, crispy bacon bits, scallions, and cooked shredded potatoes. Reminiscent of my loaded baked potato scones. I started by grating potatoes and squeezing them through a kitchen towel. They drained in a strainer over a bowl as I heated a cast iron skillet with a glug of good olive oil. 

Hash Browns + Bacon

I get my olive oil from work now, which is super high quality and actually affordable. Which makes me incredibly happy. You can just refill your bottle from the big silver drum for a lower price, too, which is a steal. So I’ve been indulging in oil lately. I knew I had to crisp the potatoes so that they weren’t raw and soggy in the filling. They would give a great crispy texture, too, and some savory flavor. I also baked bacon in the oven until crispy and let it rest on paper towels. Then, I threw together all my fillings in a bowl. Crispy potatoes, bacon crumbs, chopped scallions, garlic, a touch of ricotta and sour cream.

It was spreadable but thick. Perfect to scoop and stuff my flatbread. So I carried on, cutting my breakfast flatbread dough into four portions and rolling each out in a generous sprinkling of flour. They stuck at first, but with more flour they became perfectly pliable yet soft. I rolled them as thin as I could and scooped a cookie dough-sized ball of filling into each, tucking the flatbread corners over the top completely. Then, I rolled the breakfast flatbreads into shape, watching the filling disperse in the middle through the semi-translucent dough. They smelled heavenly already – like an American diner breakfast. 

Grilled Flatbread To-Go

My pan was nice and hot. So I spent the next few minutes flipping my flatbreads into the hot oil and watching them bubble and sizzle. The scent of the savory potatoes, bacon, and cheddar filled the house and whetted my appetite. By the time I was done it was 2 or 3 in the afternoon. And I forgot all about my errands. So I cooked a quick fried egg to top my best flatbread, wrapped it up in tin foil, and hopped in the car. Racing downtown and taking bites of my delicious breakfast flatbread at every red light. It tasted like something you could get on the street in Europe. You’d never forget about it. Soft, fluffy, and crisp on the top and bottom.

I left my breakfast flatbread on the passenger seat for a few minutes when I popped into the drug store, and when I came back the car smelled like a cafe. It was incredible. I paused, noticing my anxiety and tightness. Frantic and stressed. So I cracked my windows and let myself breathe for a second. Then, I tore the thing apart. The flatbread was so delicious, but the soft egg yolk mixed with the caramelized dough and cheesy filling in a beautiful way. I could taste each morsel of the filling – pops of potato, stretchy sharp cheddar, a crunch of bacon, and garlicky scallions. Slight funk from the sour cream.

Down Days + Good Food

Luckily I still had three more to eat for my lunches at work this week. Friday was good and went by quickly. I had finally started to feel like myself again. But I made a mistake towards the end of the day and beat myself up for it. Then, Saturday was even worse, with a crowd of people descending upon the store immediately as we opened. I ignored a customer’s glowing gratitude and only focused on my mistakes. I hadn’t slept well. So I was doing silly things that I knew not to do. I didn’t feel like myself. Like I was out of my body. So I took a moment downstairs to breathe, on the verge of an anxiety attack. 

My parents took me out to dinner after I got home. Which helped. They reassured me that I’m not stupid or bad at my job. Still, my mind has been hung up on regrets and embarrassments that I wish I could take back. Good old perfectionism. But as I’ve mentioned before, fighting my perfectionism is a lifelong journey. And right now it may be winning. I’m going to take the next few days to relax, have more alone time, and to do things I love. Still I’m proud of myself and I will continue to work on being positive. At least I still have breakfast flatbread to eat. 

Thank You!

I hope you have a great week! Thank you for reading. If you enjoy my paintings and recipes, be sure to check out my Etsy shop for 100’s of recipe cards and art prints. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. See you next time!

Print Pin

Breakfast Flatbread

Yogurt flatbreads stuffed with a full American breakfast

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword breakfast, egg, flatbread, potato

Prep Time 2 hours hours

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 1 cup greek yogurt
• 1 cup sour cream + 2 tbsp
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 cups chopped scallions
• 1 1/2 cups bread flour
• 4 medium russet potatoes
• 1/3 cup ricotta
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 lb bacon
• 4 whole eggs

Instructions

• Combine yogurt, 1 cup sour cream, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp sea salt, and 1 cup chopped scallions in a large bowl. Mix to combine.
• Add bread flour and mix until a ball of dough forms. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Peel and grate potatoes into a clean kitchen towel. Wrap towel around potatoes and squeeze vigorously to remove water.
• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat and add your dried, shredded potatoes. Cook for 5-10 minutes until golden and crisp.
• Remove from heat and let cool. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, shredded cheddar, shredded mozzarella, 1/2 cup chopped scallions, and chopped garlic.
• Cook bacon in a pan or oven until crisp. Let rest on paper towels to drain some fat.
• Add chopped cooled bacon and cooked shredded potatoes to the bowl of ricotta and cheese. Mix to combine.
• Remove dough from bowl and cut into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece on a generously-floured work surface until 1/4” thick, about 12” wide.
• Place about 3/4 cup of filling on each flatbread and press down lightly. Fold flatbread corners over the top to seal in the filling and roll the flatbreads back out to about 10” wide.
• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in cast iron skillet over medium heat. One at a time, cook each flatbread 2-3 minutes on a side until very golden brown and bubbly.
• Once flatbreads are cooked, stack and cover them while you make your eggs. In the same pan, lower the heat to low-medium and cook 4 eggs in a drizzle of olive oil.
• Add a teaspoon or so of water and cover the pan with a lid to steam. Cook for 2-3 minutes until yolks are set but slightly wobbly.
• Place an egg on top of each flatbread and garnish with more chopped scallions.

Notes

• Feel free to add your favorite toppings, like chili crunch, pesto, or an aioli. 
• If you prefer sausage to bacon, you can replace bacon in the recipe with 1/2 lb breakfast sausage.