Tomato & Fennel Flatbread
A warming and light snack, side-dish or fabulous accompaniment to compliment any dish.
Serves 6
For the Dough
300ml luke warm water
500g strong bread flour
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp yeast granules
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sea salt
Zest from 1 lemon/lime
1 tsp mixed Italian herbs
For the Filling
1 fennel bulb, cored and finely sliced
75g sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and roughly sliced or 16 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced (optional)
2 tbsp capers
100g vegan parmesan or feta
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
Handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
Handful of fresh rocket leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
Method
First make the bread dough by mixing all the dry ingredients together before adding the water, lemon zest and oil. Bring the mixture together until you have a well formed dough. TIP: use gloves which makes the kneading process easier without the dough sticking to your hands and getting under your nails!
Leave the dough in a dark corner for about an hour, covered with a tea towel. After an hour, knead the dough for a couple of minutes and leave to rise again for 60 minutes.
Meanwhile heat the oil in a frying pan and add the fennel with salt & pepper to taste. Cook for 3 minutes before adding the tomatoes, chilli and capers. Cook for a further 3 minutes and transfer to a bowl.
Once the dough is ready, divide into 6 equal portions.
Roll out each piece into a rough circle and leave to rest for 15 minutes before cooking.
Heat enough olive oil for shallow frying in a deep frying pan.
In batches fry the bread for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown. Once ready, removed and put on a plate covered with kitchen paper to remove any excess oil.
Turn on the grill to warm up.
Take a large flat baking tray and cover with baking paper (you may need 2 trays).
Once all the bread has been cooked, put them on the baking tray and top with the cheese first of all, then the fennel mix followed by a sprinkling of fresh thyme.
Grill the bread for 3-5 minutes until the topping is starting to brown.
Top with fresh basil and rocket leaves to serve.
ALTERNATIVE: If you don’t want to shallow fry the dough. you can simply spread the dough out onto a greased baking tray, add the toppings and bake in the oven at 190C/380F for 15-20 minutes (until golden brown) and bake like you would a Focaccia/Flatbread.
Enjoy!