Pissaladière is just one of the fancy French names that rolls off the tongue.
It is also a mouthful, both figuratively and literally. Here we break down for you what this delicious French appetizer/light dinner is and how to make it!
First, let’s call it like it is: Pissaladière is French pizza. The dough is very similar to our favorite Italian pizza dough recipe and is treated in much the same way throughout its mixing, kneading and formation.
The difference is two-fold, however.
Namely, the resulting crust comes out tasting more like a cracker; light, airy and crisp with a pleasant saltiness. The other difference (which we love) is that the toppings, inspired by Southern French cuisine, are much more interesting than your run-of-the-mill Pepperoni variety. Here we teach you how to make a new Mediterranean-inspired flavor profile as well as a tried and true tomato sauce and mozzarella. Scroll down, peruse the recipe and watch our video tutorial to get inspired to make this at home.
And of course, in true Vie style (since we are all about ease here), we have included instructions for you to purchase pre-made dough at your local store. We hope you enjoy making this as much as we did…and that everyone can gather around the table to enjoy these delectable flavors together.
Please note that this recipe has been pulled from our Whole Foods Meal Plan this week which is why you’ll find some WFM references throughout. Subscribe to become a member to view this full plan.
SIDE Pissaladière: Onion & Olive and Margherita
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 8-10 servings
One of my favorite French quick-breads, this dish is a quintessential appetizer or side dish (or light lunch/dinner for that matter) and is France's answer to pizza. Throw on any toppings you like, but follow our recipe(s) and video for ideas.
Ingredients
For the Dough
3/4 cup water*
1 tsp yeast*
1 tsp salt*
2 cups flour*
3 Tbsp olive oil*
If purchasing fresh pizza dough from the Prepared Foods Section, omit the ingredients above and proceed straight to the Instructions section entitled "Shape Dough." Make sure to buy 2 balls of pizza dough if you want two different types of pizza.
Toppings
4 onions, sliced thinly
2 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp salt
1 jar Jeff's Naturals olives C, pitted and sliced in half
1 jar sardines or anchovies *optional
1 small can tomato sauce
1 fresh ball mozzarella cheese, cubed
1 tsp dried basil
Instructions
Make Dough
- *Watch our video below for a tutorial*
- Combine water, yeast, salt, flour and olive oil together in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a regular bowl) and mix with the dough hook (or a wooden spoon if you're using a regular bowl).
- Knead dough until smooth, you'll be kneading for about 10 minutes.
- Remove dough and shape into a ball on a lightly floured surface (watch video).
- Place dough in an oiled container fitted with a lid and allow to double in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
Shape Dough
- Remove dough from container (or if using fresh pizza dough follow the same instructions here, working with one ball at a time) and divide in half. For pre-made WFM pizza dough, do not divide (see note above). Make sure to watch the video to see how to do this if you need!
- Working with each piece of dough individually, stretch dough carefully to form a loose rectangle. Shape doesn't really matter here too much, you just want the whole thing to fit on your baking sheet.
- Next, transfer rectangle carefully to a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet and reshape to fit the size of the pan.
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
For the Onion & Olive Pizza
- While dough is rising, or before you begin working with the pre-made pizza dough from Whole Foods, caramelize your onions: in a large pot, cook onions over low heat for 10 minutes in olive oil, stirring often.
- After 10 minutes, add brown sugar and salt and cover, continuing to stir every 5 minutes, or until onions are deep brown in color and caramelized. This will take about 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
- Top your first rectangle with onions, then scatter olives and sardines or anchovies. Let rest while you make your next pizza.
For the Margherita Pizza
- Shape your dough as noted above and place on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet.
- Stretch to fit the pan as you did before, and top with tomato sauce (recipe below), cubed mozzarella and a sprinkling of basil.
To Bake Pizzas
- Place each baking sheet with topped dough into the oven for 10-15 minutes, rotating halfway through if needed. Pizzas are done when the dough is light, crispy, and slightly browned.
Notes
Don't forget to take into account rising time for dough. If you feel like you'll be short on time, or if you are confident yet in the pizza dough-making department, simply purchase fresh, house-made pizza dough in the prepared foods refrigerated section.
Any ingredients in your shopping list denoted by * can be omitted if you choose to purchase WFM house-made pizza dough balls.
Courses side
Simple Tomato Sauce
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 60 ounces
Our go-to when it comes to Tomato Sauce. It's light, healthy and done in 5 minutes. What's not to love? Use this with pastas and pizzas as well as a great addition to soups and stews.
Enjoy as-is for that perfect bowl of Tomato Soup and don't forget the Grilled Cheese to go along with!
Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1-2 pinches red pepper flakes
2 28-oz cans whole, peeled tomatoes
Instructions
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan.
Add garlic and red pepper flakes and brown for 1-2 minutes.
Add tomatoes, plus extra water from rinsing out cans (just a few ounces) and bring to a simmer.
Remove from heat, blend and store in mason jars in the fridge or freezer until ready to use.
Notes
This recipe makes a large batch that will last you throughout the month! Watch our video (or scroll below this recipe) to see how easy it all comes together.
If you'd like to freeze your sauce, just make sure sauce comes to 1/2 inch below the top of the mason jar.
Don't have mason jars? Sauce can be frozen or refrigerated in plastic bags.
Courses sauce
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