A picnic blanket on a grassy knoll. Glasses filled to the rim with effervescent pink libations. Bringing clean sheets in from the line, smelling like sunshine, still holding onto the day’s warmth. A daisy crown set on a head of strawberry blonde curls. A little chipped teacup. Frogs wearing hats and playing guitars. Wicker and lace and honey drizzle.
This is what eating this flatbread will make you feel. If you don’t quite get it, I also made a playlist to listen to while you frolic through a meadow and/or play a pan flute with woodland creatures. Who knows? You could even float down a lazy river in a hollowed-out log to this soundtrack. Let your imagination be your only limitation <3
Peach and Brie Flatbread
Makes an appetizer for 2 people. I made this in an outdoor pizza oven- if you have one, MAKE THIS IN THE PIZZA OVEN for the love of god!!! If not- the instructions below detail how to make it in a boring, normal, indoor oven.
A pizza oven will give you a crazy beautiful caramelization, but it’s largely cosmetic. I made this again in my boring, normal oven this week because I couldn’t figure out how to set up the propane, and it was fantastic.
Ingredients
Pizza dough (either premade from the store, or make your own! I like Sally’s recipe.)
Drizzle of balsamic vinegar
4-6 oz brie (around half a wheel)
1-2 peaches, pitted and sliced thinly.
Freshly cracked pepper
Sprinkle of salt
OPTIONAL: Fresh herbs
Process
Preheat your oven to 450 with a baking sheet in it. This will help your crust get nice and crispy. Alternatively, use a pizza stone or a large cast iron.
Roll out your dough. Make sure it’s room temp first, and DO NOT use a rolling pin. This isn’t one of those weird arbitrary Italian rules- it makes the dough very uncooperative. Use your fingers to pull the dough into shape gently and the heel of your hand to flatten it.
For your peaches- If they’re beautiful and ripe, you don’t need to grill them. Some time in the oven will bring out a perfect amount of juiciness. These peaches I bought were a tad underripe and needed a little extra love to bring out their best qualities. If you like the aesthetic of the grill marks, by all means, do it, but taste-wise, it won’t change a ton if the peaches are good quality.
Add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, your brie, sliced thinly, and the peaches. Bake for 14-16 minutes. Your flatbread will cook at different speeds depending on what you bake it on- if using a pizza stone, it’ll go faster. If you’re using an aluminum baking sheet, it’ll need a little extra time.
You’ll know it’s done when the crust has risen nicely and is a delicious golden brown. If you’re unsure, you can also pull the pizza out and slide a spatula under the bottom and press upwards to see how sturdy the bottom crust is. If it has a lot of give, likely it needs a bit more time.
Pull out of the oven and dress with more balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. I sometimes add a little arugula or fresh oregano at this point if I have them around.
Slice it up and enjoy!
PS- No hate if you don’t want to share this. Giving 2 slices to my husband just about killed me- heed my warning and maybe make a few of these bad boys.
Swaps
I hate peaches!!!
Make it with strawberries instead- Seriously it’s so great. American food doesn’t do enough fruit+savory combos, so be the change you want to see in the world.
Make it GF?
Bob’s Red Mill makes a banging gluten-free pizza dough mix. It seems hard to come by nowadays in Boise and I only see it at Whole Foods, occasionally.
If that’s not an option, this recipe from Gluten-Free on a Shoestring is the highest rated gluten-free recipe I’ve seen maybe ever. almost 1000 people and perfect 5 stars. It also only takes 30 minutes, which is a huge benefit.
Make it vegan?
There are a couple vegan bries on the market right now, but they’re hard to find. I would recommend doing a vegan Boursin instead. Boursin is a natural friend of peaches and is easier to source locally, or make yourself. For a quick vegan boursin, combine plantbased butter, cream cheese, with herbs, spices, and fresh garlic. Use what you have on hand, but if you’re a recipe person, here is an example.
Make it low-FODMAP?
Brie is low FODMAP baaabaaay! Peaches are very much not. Opt for strawberries or citrus instead. If I was feeling a lil wild, I would do a blood orange with this.