The dough you knead to try

Pissaladiere is a savoury tart from the south of France and perfect during the warmer weather. It has an appetising filling of softly cooked onions topped with anchovies and olives in a crisscross pattern.
The crust is usually made of bread dough like a pizza, or it can have a shortcrust pastry base. A more recent version of pissaladiere is made on a puff pastry base. The filling ingredients can vary, too; tomatoes are optional and some recipes include capers or parmesan cheese.
All along the French Riviera, pissaladiere can be bought by the slice for a snack or picnic. It is also excellent when cut into small pieces and served as hors d'oeuvre with a glass of wine.I have served the pissaladiere today with a vibrant chickpea salad for a delicious and well-balanced lunch. The ingredients and flavours in the salad are typical of Provence with the robust herbs, garlic, tomatoes and olives. You can vary it as you please. It is a salad for summer.
The bread dough is prepared by kneading by hand. You can use a dough hook, food processor or breadmaker instead. I usually make double quantities and use half for pizza another time. You can keep it in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for longer.

Pissaladiere

Serves 6
You will need a Swiss roll tin (about 23centimetres by 33centimetres) or a large pizza tray brushed with olive oil.

Dough
250g (1 3/4 cups) strong white flour
1 tsp Tandaco dry yeast (half a sachet)
1 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
165 ml (2/3 cup) lukewarm water
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided

To make the dough, sift the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Mix the sugar and yeast into the water. Set aside for 10 minutes until it becomes frothy.

Pour the liquid into the well in the flour. Add a tablespoon of the olive oil. Using a fork, mix from the middle and gradually bring in the flour from the edges to form a tacky dough. Tip out on to a lightly floured bench. Flour your hands and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Form into a ball.Pour a little olive oil into a clean bowl and place the dough in; turn it to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and leave in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for about an hour until it has doubled in size.

Knock down the dough and turn it out on to the the bench. Knead a few times. Form into a ball and keep in the fridge until needed.

Filling

1kg onions, sliced
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 bay leaf
sprig of thyme
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, peeled and deseeded (optional)
sea salt and freshly milled pepper to taste
anchovy fillets in oil
small black Ligurian olives, pitted

Cooking the onions will take about an hour, but it can be done ahead. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based saute pan or saucepan with the sliced onions, bay leaf and thyme. Add salt, cover and sweat for 10 minutes to 15 minutes to soften the onions, stirring from time to time.

Take off the lid and keep frying gently until the onions are very soft. They shouldn't colour. Add the garlic and tomatoes (if using) and continue the gentle cooking until the moisture in the pan has cooked away. Remove the bay leaf and thyme and season with salt and pepper.

Roll out the dough to roughly fit the tin and push to the edges with your fingers. Brush with olive oil and set aside for about 15 minutes if you can. Just before baking, spread the onion mixture over the base, leaving the edges free. Arrange the anchovies in a diagonal lattice over the top of the onion and place the pitted olives in the windows. Spoon a little olive oil over the top.

Set the oven at 200C fan or 220C conventional. If you have an intensive bake setting, use that. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden.

Serve cut into squares either warm or at room temperature.Vegetarians can leave off the anchovies and add some extra olives instead, and if you like, substitute strips of roasted red pepper. Mix a couple of teaspoons of chopped thyme through the onions for extra flavour.

Diana Lampe is a Canberra writer, dlampe@bigpond.net.au