Brightening up Monday with this salami and ricotta flatbread!

So as you guys know, if you are a frequent reader of this blog, I have a tendency to preface each recipe I share with several paragraphs of my culinary musings. Where I got the inspiration for the dish, the origins of the cuisine and why I think you should make it; a sales pitch if you will. Today I am going to let the photos and the recipe do most of the talking however and just say that these flatbreads are utterly scrumptious, utterly moreish and you should all make them as soon as humanly possible.

Makes 6 flatbread

Prep time – 20 minutes plus 1 – 2 hours proving time

Cooking time – 25 minutes

Please note that the flatbread recipe is adapted from Paul Hollywood’s recipe in “How to Bake”

Ingredients

• 250 g strong white flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
• 15 g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 200 ml luke warm water
• 200 g ricotta cheese
• 250 g cherry tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 5 sprigs thyme
• small handful of lambs lettuce or salad leaf of your choice
• 12 thin slices of salami or chorizo (available at most supermarkets or delis)
• salt and pepper

Method

1. Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl with the salt and yeast. Add the butter and half of the water and use your hands or a small palette knife to bring the mixture together. Gradually add the rest of the water until all the flour is mixed in. You may not need to use all of the water to get to this stage however so be careful – you do not want a wet dough.
2. Pour the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 – 15 minutes until the dough is smooth and springy. When kneading you should really stretch out the gluten in the flour as this is what makes a delicious soft dough. At cookery we are told that if there is not sweat on our brow then we are not kneading with enough energy! When the dough is smooth place it in a mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and keep in a warm place. For me this is either in an airing cupboard or over a bowl of hot water.
3. Leave the dough until it has doubled in size, usually 1 – 2 hours. Knock it back by kneading it again: this removes the air and then cut it into six even pieces. Use a rolling pin to roll out each piece into an oval shape, the oval should be only a few cms thick. Leave the ovals on floured baking sheets, cover with a tea towel and let them rest for around 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile preheat your oven to 200 degrees C (fan oven) or 180 degrees C (electric oven). Toss the tomatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper. Remove the thyme leaves from the sprigs and stir these in with the tomatoes. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until they start to burst.
5. Heat a large frying pan at a very high heat. Place the flatbread onto the pan and cook for around 2 – 3 minutes either side until they have turned golden brown, do not worry if they char a little as that will add flavour. You should be able to fry two flatbreads at a time.
6. Season the ricotta with a little salt and pepper and then use a spoon to whip it up slightly.
7. Now to layer up. Spread a little ricotta over each flatbread, spoon over a few tomatoes and then tear over two slices of salami. Sprinkle over the lambs lettuce and season with a little more salt and pepper. I like to press down on the tomatoes lightly so that the juice oozes out and then do a final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Thank you so much for reading this post, I hope that you enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think in the comments as I love hearing from you and do not forget to follow me on Instagram, Facebook and and Pinterest (my username is wishtodish) plus subscribe on here to see more recipes and foodie musings from me.