This flatbread recipe brings traditional pizza up a notch. The combination of ham and cheese is just as classic as the combination of ham and apples. Put them all together, throw in some red onions, a sprinkle of thyme, and we have a flatbread that you will want to make again and again.

The best part about this apple and ham flatbread is the crust. This is not a crust that you will bite into and immediately think it’s low-carb. It is thin and slightly crisp and tastes even better than the high carb stuff! It’s a flatbread you can serve to your friends and family and no one will guess it’s low-carb. This crust is also super versatile—Throw on your favorite low-carb toppings and make your own creation!

The flatbread is made with a base of almond flour and part-skim mozzarella cheese. The ingredients are simply heated over a double boiler until the cheese melts enough to hold everything together. You will need to work quickly once this dough is ready so have a rolling pin and a few pieces of parchment ready before you start heating the ingredients.

What’s the difference between flatbread and pizza? Technically flatbread is not supposed to be leavened. While the flatbread category can represent everything from crackers to pitas, I usually think of it as a thin pizza with a license to go creatively wild on the top. I love putting interesting flavor combinations together on a flatbread.

With this recipe there is no sauce. The cheesy gooey topping just melts together with the skinny apple slices providing just a bit of sweetness and crunch. While apples are generally a higher carb food, using a quarter of a small apple for the recipe controls the amount of carbs. Using a vegetable peeler to cut the apple makes paper thin slices and makes enough slices to spread over the entire flatbread.

This apple and ham flatbread recipe was a game changer for me. It cured those cravings for pizza and flatbreads. I hope it will for you too.

Yields 8 servings of Apple and Ham Flatbread

The Preparation

Crust:

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons cream cheese
3/4 cup almond flour
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Topping:

1 cup mexican-style cheese blend, shredded
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
46 grams apple, seeded and cored, peeled, and sliced thin with a vegetable peeler
4 ounces ham
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper, to taste

The Execution

1. Preheat oven to 425º Fahrenheit. Cut two pieces of parchment paper about 2 inches larger than a 12-inch pizza pan. Have a rolling pin and a 12-inch pizza pan ready.

2. Prepare a double boiler. A sauce pot partially filled with water with a mixing bowl that fits on top will suffice. Over high heat, bring water in the pot to a simmer, then turn heat to low.

3. In the mixing bowl for the double boiler, add mozzarella cheese, cream cheese, almond flour, thyme and salt. Place the bowl over the simmering pot and stir constantly being careful not to burn yourself with the steam escaping between the bowl and the pot. A silicone mitt works well to hold the bowl.

4. When the cheese melts enough, that the ingredients hold together and it starts to resemble dough, dump out onto one of the prepared pieces of parchment. Knead a few minutes to mix dough thoroughly.

5. Roll the dough into a ball, then place onto the center of the parchment paper. Pat into a disk shape and cover with the other piece of parchment. Using the rolling pin, gently roll the dough into about a 12-inch circle. If the bottom parchment paper rumples, turn the dough over and straighten the parchment paper before continuing.

6. Place the dough and the bottom piece of parchment onto the pizza pan. Using a fork, poke holes all over the dough. Place pan in oven and bake for about 6-8 minutes, watching carefully. Remove when it is golden brown. Decrease the oven setting to 350ºF.

7. Sprinkle ¼ cup of the cheese over the flatbread.

8. Arrange onion slices.

9. Add the apple slices.

10. Layer on the ham pieces.

11. Cover with remaining ¾ cup of cheese. Sprinkle with the thyme, salt, and ground pepper.

12. Bake at 350ºF. until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown—about 5-7 minutes.

13. Remove the apple and ham flatbread from the oven and slide off of the parchment onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 2 to 3 minutes before cutting. Transfer to a cutting board and slice into 8 pieces.

This makes a total of 8 servings of Apple and Ham Flatbread. Each serving comes out to be 236 calories, 17.9g fats, 3.9g net carbs, and 14.3g protein.

NUTRITION	CALORIES	FAT	CARBS	FIBER	NET CARBS	PROTEIN
2 cup mozzarella cheese	672	50.1	4.9	0	4.9	49.7
2 tablespoon cream cheese	99	9.9	1.2	0	1.2	1.8
3/4 cup almond flour	486	42	18.5	10.9	7.6	17.6
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme	0	0	0.1	0.1	0	0
1/2 teaspoon sea salt	0	0	0	0	0	0
1 cup mexican-style cheese blend	440	36	4	0	4	24
1/2 medium red onion	21	0.1	4.8	0.7	4.1	0.6
46 gram apple	24	0.1	6.4	1.1	5.3	0.1
4 ounce ham	142	5.1	4.1	0	4.1	20.3
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme	0	0	0.1	0.1	0	0
— salt and pepper	0	0	0	0	0	0
Totals	1885	143.2	44	12.8	31.2	114.1
Per Serving (/8)	236	17.9	5.5	1.6	3.9	14.3