Pissaladière is a flatbread from the south of France topped with caramelized onions, olives, and anchovies. Pissaladière is usually served as an appetizer or street food with a salad on the side and a glass of Provence Rose wine.
Along the Italian coast bordering France, there is a similar dish called “Sardeinara.” The preparation is similar, the only difference being that this is made with tomato sauce and without onions.
INGREDIENTS:
Flour: This dough has high hydration, and we need flour with a protein content between 12/13%. The flour I use is from King Arthur.
Yeast: A tiny amount of instant yeast and long fermentation give you the softest digestible bread.
Anchovies: Anchovies are tiny saltwater fish usually sold in jars or paste. You can use the fillet jarred in olive oil, arrange them on top before baking or mix the anchovy paste directly while cooking the onions.
Onions: We let the onion cook slowly until soft and caramelized.
Olives: Green olives like ” Calstevetrano,” black olives like kalamata or niçoise olives.
HOW TO MAKE PISSALADIERE:
FOR THE DOUGH:
To make pissaladière, we’re making a high hydration no-knead dough.
This pizza dough doesn’t need to be mixed with a machine and can be made entirely by hand.
STEP 1:
Add warm water to a small bowl (100°F), sprinkle yeast on top, whisk, and let sit until bubbling. Place flour and salt in a large bowl, then add the yeast mixture and mix with your hands or wooden spoon until a shaggy mass is formed. Let the dough ball rest for 30 minutes, covered with a kitchen cloth.
STEP 2:
The dough, at this point, still looks wet and pretty sticky. We’ll perform the first round of stretch and fold. To do this, wet your hands, then take a section of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over on itself. Then rotate the bowl 90° and do it again.
STEP 3:
Repeat the stretch and fold two more times with 30 minutes break between them. You’ll notice how the dough will gain strength and elasticity each time you do the folds.
STEP 4:
After the 3rd fold, grease a 13 x 18 baking sheet liberally with olive oil.
Move the dough on it, perform the 4th and last set of stretches, and fold.
Cover the tray with plastic wrap and let it proof at room temperature for an hour, then place it in the refrigerator.
STEP 5: CARAMELIZED ONIONS
Add butter, olive oil, and bay leaves to a dutch or large pan and turn on low heat;
when foaming, add thinly sliced onions, a pinch of salt, and brown sugar.
Occasionally stir to prevent the onion from sticking to the bottom. Cook for an hour or until they are dark and translucent, Move them to a medium bowl, cool it, and store them covered in the fridge overnight.
STEP 6:
The Next day, preheat the oven to 450° F, remove the dough from the fridge, and place it on the counter.
Grease your hand with olive oil and stretch the dough all over the pan surface; cover again with plastic and let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubled in size.
STEP 7:
Once proofed, bake in the middle of the oven for five minutes. Pre-baking the dough without the topping gives a pissaladière that is crispier and not soggy.
Take the tray out from the oven, place it on the counter, and spread the cooked onion all over the surface of the dough.
Arrange the anchovies in a lattice pattern, then put olives in the middle of each diamond.
Put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes or until the edges and bottom are golden and crispy.
STEP 8:
Remove from the oven and move the pissaladière to a wire rack to let the steam come out. Then place it on the board, slice it into a square using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, and crack some black pepper on top. Bon appetit!
HOW TO STORE PISSALADIÈRE:
Store leftover slices in the refrigerator wrapped in cling film for up to 3 days. When needed, unwrap it and place it in preheated oven at 450°F for 5 minutes. You can also store them in the freezer: individually wrap the slices in plastic and put it in a ziplock bag. When needed, let it thaw on the counter, then reheat it in the oven at 450° F for 5 minutes.
TIPS & VARIATIONS:
Dough: To skip the hassle of making the dough from scratch, you can swap homemade dough for store-bought puff pastry or pastry crust. Let the dough defrost in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, then place it on a lightly floured work surface. Roll it into an 18 x 13-inch square using a rolling pin and pierce some holes using a fork (that prevents the dough from puffing too much). Move the dough into a baking tray lined with parchment paper and arrange the topping. Bake at 450°F until golden brown.
Toppings: There is another version of pissaladière that is very common in the Liguria region of Italy; this style doesn’t include onion but has a layer of tomato sauce at the bottom with anchovies and olives on top.
Vegan: To make it vegan, omit the anchovies and substitute them with vegan cheddar.
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Pissaladière
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 500 g bread flour
- 420 g warm water at 100°F
- 4 g instant yeast
- 12 g kosher salt
- 20 g olive oil for the tray
Topping:
- 1400 g white onions
- 30 g butter
- 30 g olive oil
- 1 tsp kosker salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 120 g anchovies in oil( 1 jar Roland brand )
- 12 green olives
Instructions
STEP 1:
- Add warm water to a small bowl (100°F), sprinkle yeast on top, whisk, and let sit until bubbling. Place flour and salt in a large bowl, then add the yeast mixture and mix with your hands or wooden spoon until a shaggy mass is formed. Let the dough ball rest for 30 minutes, covered with a kitchen cloth.
STEP 2:
- The dough, at this point, still looks wet and pretty sticky. We’ll perform the first round of stretch and fold. To do this, wet your hands, then take a section of the dough, stretch it up, and fold it over on itself. Then rotate the bowl 90° and do it again.
STEP 3:
- Repeat the stretch and fold two more times with 30 minutes break between them. You’ll notice how the dough will gain strength and elasticity each time you do the folds.
STEP 4:
- After the 3rd fold, grease a 13 x 18 baking sheet liberally with olive oil. Move the dough on it, perform the 4th and last set of stretches, and fold.
- Cover the tray with plastic wrap and let it proof at room temperature for an hour, then place it in the refrigerator.
STEP 5: CARAMELIZED ONIONS
- Add butter, olive oil, and thyme leaves to a dutch or large pan and turn on low heat; when foaming, add thinly sliced onions, a pinch of salt, and brown sugar. Occasionally stir to prevent the onion from sticking to the bottom. Cook for an hour or until they are dark and translucent, Move them to a medium bowl, cool it, and store them covered in the fridge overnight.
STEP 6:
- The Next day, preheat the oven to 450° F, remove the dough from the fridge, and place it on the counter.
- Grease your hand with olive oil and stretch the dough all over the pan surface; cover again with plastic and let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubled in size.
STEP 7:
- Once proofed, bake in the middle of the oven for five minutes. Pre-baking the dough without the topping gives a pissaladière that is crispier and not soggy.
- Take the tray out from the oven, place it on the counter, and spread the cooked onion all over the surface of the dough. Arrange the anchovies in a lattice pattern, then put olives in the middle of each diamond.
- Put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes or until the edges and bottom are golden and crispy.
STEP 8:
- Remove from the oven and move the pissaladiere to a wire rack to let the steam come out. Then place it on the board, slice it into a square using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, and crack some black pepper on top. Bon appetit!
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