One of my favourite things to make is this caramelised onion flatbread. I choose to make it on the weekend because it does take a little time. It makes a great starter if you’re having guests, and is just perfect for this season of outdoor entertaining. Notice my absolute favourite Ottolenghi burrata and grape salad in the background – a delicious pairing in my opinion (hint hint, you can find that recipe if you Google it).

If you whip up the dough in the morning, that will give it enough time to rise and be prepared for lunch.

What Goes In:

• 2 cups bread flour
• 180ml lukewarm water
• 10ml instant dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of milk powder
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil (extra for the bowl)
• at least one extra cup of flour for the kneading, dusting and rolling out

For the topping:

• Salt and seasoning
• 1 cup of mozzarella per flatbread

For the caramelised onion:

• 1 onion, sliced
• butter for frying
• 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

Combine all the ingredients for the flatbread either by hand, or in a mixer, starting with the flour, and placing the yeast, sugar and warm water in a “well” in the middle to get the yeast activated. Mix all together until a soft dough forms. Lightly oil the bowl and leave the dough to rise, covered, in a warm place for an hour or two.

In the meantime prepare your caramelised onion. Finely slice and sauté the onion in the butter over a low heat until softened. Add the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar to begin the caramelisation process. Once these onions take on a dark brown colour and rich, sticky consistency, they are done.

When the dough has doubled in size, knead it and then roll it into 4 or 5 balls, and flatten these out with a rolling pin, into round or square flatbreads. This recipe is very similar to that of my pizza base recipe, but I roll it out more thinly, and so more flour is needed for the surface – use lots of flour so they don’t stick!

Place each base on a pizza tray, brush with a little olive oil, garlic, herbs and salt, and bake it in a pre-heated oven at 200*C. After a few minutes, you can add the mozzarella cheese and caramelised onion before baking it a bit longer, and serve when crispy.

These are best eaten warm and fresh, as the crispy base doesn’t keep well.