Frying-pan flatbread, pecorino, mortadella ham, chilli honey and pistachios
Make your own cheesy flatbread topped with chilli-spiked honey, mortadella and nuts. Perfect for a posh picnic.
Ingredients
For the chilli honey
- 170g/6oz honey
- 45ml/3 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 5g dried chilli flakes
- 1 tsp hot smoked paprika
- ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika
- pinch dried oregano
- 3g sea salt
For the bread
- 5g dried active yeast
- 1 tsp honey
- 15ml/1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing and drizzling
- 500g/1lb 2oz strong white flour
- 11g/â…“oz fine table salt
- 2 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
To finish
- 30g/1oz pecorino, finely grated
- 1 ball burrata
- 5 slices mortadella ham
- 10 large fresh basil leaves, torn
- 20²µ/½´Ç³ú pistachios, roughly chopped
- 2 pinches sea salt flakes
Method
For the chilli honey, put the honey into a medium-sized saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the sherry vinegar and 1 tbsp water and bring back to the boil. Add the chilli flakes, paprika, oregano and salt. Take off the heat, leave to cool and transfer to a jar. Chilli honey will keep for up to 2 weeks if kept in a sterilised, airtight jar at room temperature.
For the bread, put 420ml/15fl oz lukewarm water, the yeast and honey into the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Stir well and leave for 5 minutes to activate the dried yeast. Add the olive oil, flour and salt. Turn the machine on to a slow speed setting and mix until a soft, elastic dough forms. Increase the speed to medium and work for 6 minutes, then turn the machine off.
Grease a clean, dry bowl with olive oil. Scrape the dough into the greased bowl and cover with cling film. Allow the dough to prove in a warm place for 1–2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Grease a large frying pan with olive oil and place the proved dough in the pan. Spread the dough right to the edges of the pan, then make some indents in the dough with your fingers, adding the rosemary leaves as you go. Sprinkle some sea salt all over the dough and a splash of olive oil. Cover the pan with cling film or a damp tea towel. Prove the dough again for about 1 hour until it has doubled in size.
Heat the oven to 240C/220C Fan/Gas 9. Remove the cling film or tea towel and bake for 20 minutes until golden and risen. Take out of the oven, place the pan on a rack and cover the bread with the pecorino. Rest the bread for 10 minutes.
Finish with the burrata, ham, chilli honey and torn basil leaves on top of the bread. Sprinkle with the chopped pistachio nuts and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and 2 pinches flaked sea salt.
Recipe Tips
I’ve also made this dish using good-old sandwich ham, cheddar and mozzarella if that’s all you have, or you’re cooking on a budget.
