Pissaladière

To prepare the pissaladière, start by making the bread dough for the base. Some variations of this recipe involve the use of Puff pastry or Easy Shortcrust Pastry, if you don't have time for leavening, you can try one of these alternatives. Sift the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl if you are working by hand 1. Then pour a splash of water, taken from the total amount, into a small bowl and dissolve the salt in it (2-3).

Then dissolve the malt (or sugar) in the remaining water 4, the dehydrated brewer's yeast 5 (or alternatively 8g of fresh yeast) and add the extra virgin olive oil 6.

Add the water, malt, yeast, and oil solution to the flour 7 and start kneading at medium speed using the paddle attachment on the stand mixer or with your hands to gather the ingredients. After 1 minute, also add the water with the salt while continuing to knead 8. When all the ingredients are gathered around the paddle, replace it with the dough hook 9 and continue kneading at medium-low speed for at least 5 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and homogeneous.

Work the dough with your hands, giving it a spherical shape 10, pour a drizzle of oil into a bowl and brush it with a brush 11. Then place the dough in, cover it with plastic wrap 12 and let it rise for at least 2 hours at room temperature (around 82-86°F), until it doubles in volume.

Now focus on desalinizing the salted anchovies, which are headless: place the anchovies in a bowl 13 and rinse them repeatedly under cold water to remove the salt 14. Drain them with a colander 15 and leave them to soak in cold water for 2-3 hours, frequently changing the water. Perform this operation very gently to avoid the anchovies breaking apart.

When the anchovies have softened, open them in half 16 and remove the insides with the central bone 17. Then line a small tray or baking sheet with absorbent paper and place the opened fillets on it 18. In the end, you will get about 150g of desalted anchovies.

At this point, prepare the topping for the pissaladière: clean the onions, removing the stalk 19 and peel the outermost layer with the skin 20. Then cut them in half and slice thinly 21.

Place the thyme and bay leaves on a cutting board, chop finely 22, and set aside. Then heat the oil in a non-stick pan and, once hot, add the sliced onions 23. Also, add 2 crushed garlic cloves using a garlic press or the prongs of a fork 24.

Season the onions with the thyme and bay leaf mixture 25 and the sugar 26, pepper to taste. Cover with a lid 27 and let cook on low heat for about 30 minutes, until the onions become translucent. The onions should not color, so if necessary, deglaze with a few tablespoons of hot water.

When the onions are almost done cooking, place the capers, already drained and squeezed, on a cutting board along with about 50g of the total amount of salted anchovies that you have desalted and cleaned. Chop 28 and, after turning off the heat, add the chopped mixture to the onions 29. Mix well to combine the ingredients and let cool in the pan 30.

While the pissaladière topping cools, grease a baking tray measuring 14x10 inches, using your hands or a brush 31. Take the dough, which will have risen in the meantime, and transfer it to the oiled tray 32, then press it with your fingertips from the center to the sides, until it covers the entire surface 33.

Now pour the topping over the dough you have spread 34 and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon 35, remembering to leave a ¾ inch border. Start decorating the pissaladière with the remaining anchovy fillets: create diamonds by arranging the anchovies diagonally 36.

Continue forming the diamonds starting from the opposite corner to where you started, completing the grid 37. Place the black olives in the spaces between one strip and the other 38 and bake in a preheated static oven, on a hot baking sheet, at 428°F for about 25 minutes. When the edges are golden and crispy 39, the pissaladière will be ready to be served as an appetizer, perhaps accompanied by a good chilled white wine!