Oven-Baked Flatbread with Pesto, Merguez Sausage and Manchego Cheese

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 8 servings
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Ingredients

Flatbread:

1 1/2 cups warm water

1/2 teaspoon dry yeast

4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons oil

Pesto:

2 cups basil leaves

1 tablespoon pine nuts

2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Assembly:

1/2 pound merguez sausage, grilled and thinly sliced

16 ramps or 2 leeks, grilled and coarsely chopped

1/2 pound manchego cheese, finely sliced

6 plum tomatoes, oven roasted and coarsely chopped (See Cook's Note)

Freshly ground black pepper

Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Directions

  1. Mix water and yeast and let stand 15 minutes. Gradually pour in 2 cups of the flour mixture and to incorporate. Mix for about 1 minute to form a sponge. Let stand, covered for at least an hour. Put sponge in the bowl of a standing electric mixer. Using the dough hook, add the salt and oil, then flour 1/2 cup at a time to form a dough. Remove from bowl and knead until smooth for approximately 7 minutes. Place in a clean oiled bowl and let rise, slowly, about 2 1/2 hours. Divide dough into 4 balls, let rise again for 1/2 hour and roll out into a freeform rectangle about 1/4-inch thick. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet, place the dough on the sheet and prick the surface with a fork. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Pesto:

  1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Assembly:

  1. Spread each flatbread with a few tablespoons of the pesto. Top the pesto with the merguez, ramps, manchego and tomatoes. Season with freshly ground black pepper. Place the flat bread back in the oven and bake for 5 minutes to heat through.
  2. Remove the flatbreads from the grill and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Cook’s Note

To oven roast tomatoes - slice plum tomatoes in half, lengthwise, brush with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in a 300 degree oven on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes

Let's Get Cooking!

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Joanne S.

I enjoyed making this dough altho' it took the better part of a day with all the passive prep time (making the 'sponge' and waiting for two risings). I just wanted plain flatbread, unadulterated, to use with grilled lamb kebobs for dipping into yogurt tzasiki sauce. I had to add an add'l cup of flour to make the dough the consistency so it could be handled. But in the end,it made a beautiful dough and it had great risings...however, in the final analysis, it looked and tasted like baked pizza dough. It would have been easier buying store-bought dough. I love the Indian Naan flatbread recipe by Alex Guarnascielli, and wanted to make that for my meal, but b/c that dough contains yogurt and my granddaughter is allergic to dairy, I made this one instead so she can eat it. I don't think I'll go thru the time or effort to make this one again...I have frozen pizza dough I will defrost next time and toss it on the grill.

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