Recipe - Asparagus Pancetta Flatbread

After making our papalo flatbread (recipe here), we decided that we enjoyed the flatbread dough itself so much that we had to make it again. This time, we paid homage to the always good side dish that people have been adopting for a while now - bacon-wrapped asparagus. However, we went in a slightly different, but related, direction and used cubed pancetta with skinny asparagus! How lovely a bite were these! The flatbread itself was adapted from here but the toppings our own. We decided that roasted and salty were the key ingredients for us so we went ahead and piled on the asparagus bits and pancetta cubes. This would make a perfect appetizer or starter to a meal. Enjoy the recipe below!

Step 1: Ingredients (yields two 14-inch flatbreads)

2 cups all-purpose flour + extra for working
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsps fresh parsley, minced
1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup water
olive oil
6-8 oz Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 bunch thin aspargus, fourths
4-6 oz. pancetta, cubed
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Step 2: Making the dough
Here's a fun dough for those who don't want to knead a lot (though...kneading is fun too and stress-reducing!). Combine flour, garlic, parsley, thyme, garlic salt, and black pepper well. Start adding water about 1/4 cup at a time. One whole cup could end up being too much so just keep an eye on it. You want the dough to be moist but not wet. Roll into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30+ minutes.

Step 3: Making the flatbread
Preheat oven to 400°F. I noted to divide asparagus into fourths (remembering to slice off the fibrous bottom portion) but the length of each piece is up to you! On a floured surface, divide dough in half. Roll out each to about 1/16" thick in a rectangle. Brush with olive oil. Top each flatbread piece with half the amount of cheese. Add on half asparagus and pancetta amounts per flatbread as well (or however you want to divvy up the portions). Before baking, crack black pepper on top as desired.