Taleggio flatbreads & pickled blackberries
Surf the seasons
30 mins plus proving
Not Too Tricky
serves 4
About the recipe
Here in the UK, hedgerows are bursting with beautiful blackberries in September, so I’m celebrating the seasonal bounty with these fun flatbreads. Hot, crunchy, spongy, sour, sweet – they’re a thing of beauty. Get foraging, get baking and enjoy!
Ingredients
1 x 7g sachet dry active yeast
1 teaspoon runny honey
400g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting
100g wholemeal strong flour
olive oil
120g Taleggio cheese
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 small bulb of fennel
extra virgin olive oil
Top Tip
Feel free to mix up the cheese here – Cheddar, Brie or mozzarella would all be delicious.
Method
- Mix 350ml of cold water with the yeast and honey in a food processor (you could also do this by hand in a bowl). Tip in the flours and ½ a tablespoon of sea salt, then mix on a low speed (or knead) until smooth and elastic. Put the lid on the food processor (or cover the bowl), then leave to prove in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
- Lightly oil a large roasting tray. Divide the dough into 4 balls, then place in the tray. Cover with a clean damp tea towel and leave to prove for another 30 minutes, or until the balls bounce back when pressed.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/gas 8 (or as hot as yours will go). Place two large baking trays in to preheat.
- Dust four pieces of greaseproof paper with flour, then use flour-dusted hands to stretch and flatten each dough ball into an oval (around 20cm x 12cm) on the paper.
- For each flatbread, slice and layer over a quarter of the Taleggio, rub 1 rosemary sprig with olive oil and strip over the leaves, then drizzle with ½ a teaspoon of oil and season with a pinch of black pepper.
- Carefully remove the baking trays from the oven. Leaving the flatbreads on the paper, transfer them to the hot trays, two at a time, then pop it back in the oven and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden, crisp and the cheese has melted, then crack on with the remaining flatbreads.
- Use a speed peeler to shave ribbons of fennel into a large bowl, picking any fronds into the mix. Toss with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of sea salt and the pickled blackberries, along with 2 tablespoons of their pickling liquor.
- As and when the flatbreads are ready, scatter over the fennel salad, to serve.