A yeast-based dough makes the base for this “French pizza”, the Provençal pissadelière.
What is a pissadeliére?
Originating in Provence, France, pissadelière is a pizza-like street food. Located on the southeastern side of France, Provence borders Italy and the Mediterranean Sea — the perfect mix of culinary influence to create this French pizza!
Traditionally, pissadelière is topped with onions, anchovies and olives. Needless to say, this is NOT a traditional pissadelière.
Instead, I chose to use the pissadelière dough as a base for a fruity, cheesy, sweet flatbread, something that could easily be eaten for dessert or for breakfast. This Nectarine Goat Cheese Pissadelière would make a great addition to a Sunday brunch, as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea or coffee or a sweet and savory dessert component for your next dinner.
The dough is the most laborious part of the recipe, and even then most of the time spent is letting the dough rise, not active time.
If you prefer to use a different stone fruit, the recipe is completely adaptable. Simple choose your fruit, cheese and herby toppings! Here are some other combinations to consider:
- Plum and Chèvre
- Peach and Gorgonzola
- Berries and Brie
On a Personal Note
The basis of this recipe, originally from Cook’s Illustrated , was handed down to me from my mom, originally given to her by my grandfather. He was the one who taught me how to make pizza at six years old. He called the recipe “French pizza” because he (like many of us, I’m sure) was confused on how to properly pronounce “pissadelière”. Honestly, I have no idea how to say it either. What I do know is that the final result is delicious.
The trick to the dough is using well-oiled hands! As my grandpa (Papa) said, “The dough is beautiful to work with, especially in conjunction with the parchment paper and using very oily hands stretches the dough easily.”
It was a pleasure to make this recipe that he’d made and enjoyed before. I hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we did. Feel free to change out toppings as you see fit!
Recipe: Nectarine Goat Cheese Pissadelière
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus additional as needed for dough
- 1 cup warm water
- 1-2 large ripe nectarines
- 8 ounces soft goat cheese
- Handful of fresh herbs (mint, thyme, or basil)
- Honey, for drizzling
DIRECTIONS
- Bloom the yeast. In a large bowl, mix yeast and warm water. Whisk gently. Let bloom for 3-5 minutes. You should see light bubbling forming in the bowl.
2. Make the dough. *For an alternative method using a food processor, see recipe notes.
- Sift all-purpose flour into the bowl with the yeast and water.
- Add salt and olive oil. Mix in bowl until combined.
- Then, on a wooden board dusted with flour, knead dough into a smooth ball, about 3 minutes.
- When kneading, shape the dough into a ball and use the heel of your hand to push the dough down, reshaping it.
3. Rise the dough. Lightly oil a clean bowl and place the dough ball inside and cover with a cloth. Allow to rise for 1 – 1 ½ hours, until the dough has grown in size.
4. Stretch the dough. Have olive oil close at hand for stretching the dough. This dough responds better to oil than flour to repel stickiness.
- Line a full-sized baking sheet with parchment.
- Cut the ball of dough in half, forming two chunks.
- Stretch the dough using oiled hands to form rectangle shapes. (Any shape you make is okay, the important thing is stretching the dough so it is about ½” thick. If the shape doesn’t come out the way you’d like it, remember, it’s not a mistake – it’s rustic!)
- Place one rectangle on one end of the baking sheet. Using your fingertips, dimple the dough.
- Repeat with the other dough ball.
5. Add toppings. Slice the nectarines into eight sections. This prevents the nectarines from being too thin and burning in the oven. Top dough with sliced nectarines and goat cheese. Add as much or as little as you’d like!
6. Bake. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 13-15 minutes. The crust should be lightly brown.
7. Add honey and serve. Drizzle the pissaladiére with honey. Top with finely chopped herbs of your choice.
- Mint, thyme and basil all pair well with nectarines and goat cheese. If your herbs are flowering, use the flowers too! They are edible, slightly sweet and make for a beautiful presentation.
- Slice the pissaladiére any way you’d like. If the dough is not perfectly rectangular, I recommend slicing into triangle shapes.
RECIPE NOTES
Alternative dough method: If you are new to dough making, you may be more comfortable with the food processor method described in the original Cook’s Illustrated recipe:
“In the workbowl of a food processor fitted with a plastic dough blade, pulse flour, yeast and salt to combine, about five 1-second pulses. With machine running, slowly add oil, then water, through feed tube; continue to process until dough forms ball, about 15 seconds. Generously dust work surface with flour; using floured hands, transfer dough to work surface and knead lightly, shaping dough into ball.”
