Any time a meal starts with a soft but crusty bread topped with a creamy sauce; fresh, seasonal vegetables; and melted cheese, I know I'm about to be a happy lady. If you're like me, this corn-roasted red pepper flatbread with a spicy avocado sauce is the perfect appetizer to share with friends, especially during the summer months when sweet corn hits its peak.

The corn flatbread on parchment paper with the avocado sauce in the background.

Step-by-Step Instructions

This flatbread starts out with your favorite pizza dough. You can go with a store-bought dough, though I'm partial to my beer pizza dough for the following reasons.

This recipe uses the delayed fermentation method, which means it's best to make three days ahead of time to allow the yeast to work its magic. That always makes for easy day-of preparation.
You get five balls of dough from this recipe, and the dough freezes well for pizza on-demand.
This is one delicious crust -- thin and crispy with lots of those delightful air bubbles.

See, what's not to love about that pizza crust recipe?

Once you have your dough ready, shape it into a long rectangle and smear it with a couple tablespoons or so of this spicy avocado sauce. Yes, I originally created that spicy avocado sauce as a dip; however, it's also amazing as a sauce. The texture is creamy and velvety, which makes for great contrast with the crispy crust. Plus, this dip-sauce hybrid is bursting with lemon and fresh herbs, adding the perfect complement to the fresh corn and roasted red peppers. Top with plenty of white cheddar and those aforementioned summer vegetables, and you're ready to bake.

To bake this, I like using a pizza stone and allowing it to heat in a 500-degree oven 45 minutes prior to baking. Before the flatbread goes in, I put it on a cornmeal-dusted piece of parchment paper and then bake for two minutes. After those two minutes, I remove the parchment paper and bake for another eight minutes or so. Simple, huh?

Perfect Pairing

You can't go wrong pairing a saison with this corn-roasted red pepper flatbread. Saisons typically show off a peppery quality, which matches well with the avocado sauce while offering a contrast to the sweet corn and red pepper. With its high carbonation and acidic kick, saisons also slice right through that fatty cheese and avocado, leaving your palate refreshed and ready for the next bite.

When you're in the mood for a glass of wine, reach for a crisp sauvignon blanc with this flatbread. Sauvignon blanc’s high acidity balances the richness and offers a contrast to the sweetness of the corn.

I love the way the sweetness of the corn and red peppers play against the spicy sauce. The sweet-and-spicy contrast gets me every time, and I firmly believe you'll love it as well. Please give this a try soon -- preferably while sweet corn is still in season. Don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter, and I’d love to hear from you in the comment section.

Cheers!

Love This Flatbread?

Corn-Roasted Red Pepper Flatbread With Spicy Avocado Sauce

Author: Amanda McGrory-Dixon
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x

Print Recipe

Description

This corn-roasted red pepper flatbread with a spicy avocado sauce is the perfect appetizer to share with friends, especially when sweet corn hits its peak.

Ingredients

Scale

For Spicy Avocado Sauce
1 avocado, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 jalapeño, seeds and membrane left intact, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 lemon, juiced
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼-½ cup olive oil

For Corn-Roasted Red Pepper Flatbread
½ pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen, homemade or store-bought (see note)
Cornmeal
2 tablespoons spicy avocado sauce
1-1 ½ cups smoked white cheddar, shredded
1 corn ear, kernels removed
⅓ cup roasted red peppers
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Forty-five minutes before you plan to bake the flatbread, place a pizza stone in a cold oven and heat to 500 degrees.
At least 30 minutes or up to two hours before you top the flatbread, place the dough on a lightly floured countertop. Gently press down to slightly flatten. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and let rest.
Stretch the dough to make a long rectangle shape. You can use a rolling pizza or hand toss. To hand toss, lay the dough on top of your fists and pass around in a circular motion. As it starts to spread, don't be afraid to gently bounce in the air. Twist your wrists as you bounce to help the dough spin while airborne. You can also grab one end and let gravity pull the dough down and then repeat on the other side. The helps form a rectangle shape.
Place a sheet of parchment paper large enough to hold the flatbread on a pizza peel or a rimless sheet pan. You can also use the back of a sheet pan if you don't have a peel or rimless pan. Sprinkle with cornmeal and place the stretched dough on top.
Spread the avocado sauce on the dough. Top with cheese and then corn and roasted red peppers.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water together. Brush generously on the crust.
Slide the pizza onto the stone. Bake for two minutes and then carefully remove the parchment paper. Close the oven door and bake until the crust is golden, another eight to 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and let set for about five minutes. Cut and serve. Enjoy!

Notes

I recommend my make-ahead beer pizza dough, which is linked.
If you don't have any homemade pizza dough and can't find any at the store, you can always use premade flatbread. You won't need to bake the flatbread in such a hot oven if you go that route. Just bake in a 350-degree oven until the cheese melts.

Category: Appetizers
Method: Oven
Cuisine: American

Keywords: corn flatbread, flatbread, corn recipe, summer flatbread