Equipment
Ingredients
Whole Wheat Dough
- 180 ml water, warm
- 5 g active dry yeast
- 150 g whole wheat flour
- 100 g bread flour
- 15 ml olive oil
- 4 g salt
Caramelized Onion Topping
- 45 ml olive oil
- sweet onions, thinly sliced
- garlic, minced
- fresh thyme
- bay leaf
Garnish
- anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained
- nicoise olives, pitted
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 36 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 486 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 5 mg
- Potassium
- 316 mg
- Calcium
- 62 mg
- Iron
- 2.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 43 mg
- Phosphorus
- 131 mg
- Zinc
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin A
- 3 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 10 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.6 mg
- Vitamin K
- 6 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.30 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.19 mg
- Niacin
- 3.6 mg
- Folate
- 67 mcg
- Water
- 148 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine the warm water and active dry yeast in a mixing bowl. Stir gently and let it sit for about 5 minutes until foamy.
Add the whole wheat flour, bread flour, 15ml of olive oil, and salt to the yeast mixture. Stir until a shaggy dough begins to form.
Turn the dough onto a clean work surface and knead it until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Place the kneaded dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.
While the dough rises, heat 45ml of olive oil in a heavy skillet over low heat. Add the sliced onions, minced garlic, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Cook very slowly, stirring occasionally, until the onions are completely soft, jammy, and deeply golden brown. Do not rush this process or let the onions fry.
Preheat the oven to 220C (430F). Grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf from the caramelized onions and discard. Let the onion compote cool slightly.
Punch down the proofed dough and stretch or roll it out to fit the prepared baking sheet, creating a rectangular crust about half a centimeter thick.
Spread the cooled, caramelized onions in a thick, even layer over the entire surface of the dough, leaving a small one centimeter border around the edges.
Arrange the drained anchovy fillets in a crisscross lattice pattern over the top of the onions. Place one pitted nicoise olive in the center of each diamond formed by the anchovies. Wash hands thoroughly after handling the cured anchovies.
Bake the tart in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges of the whole wheat crust are crisp, firm, and golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let the tart cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting it into slices. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Chef's Notes
- Take your time with the onions. True Pissaladiere relies on onions that have been cooked down to a deeply sweet, melt-in-the-mouth consistency without burning. This forms the foundational flavor of the dish.
- Using a mix of whole wheat and bread flour gives the crust a distinct rustic flavor and robust structure, providing enough gluten strength to hold the heavy, moist onion topping without becoming soggy.
- If you prefer a milder saltiness, soak the anchovies in milk for 15 minutes, then rinse and pat them dry before using. However, the traditional Provencal version wholly embraces their strong, briny punch.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Wrap tightly in foil or store in an airtight container.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze baked slices wrapped individually in parchment paper and foil.
Reheating: Reheat in a 175C (350F) oven for 8 to 10 minutes until the crust is crisp.
Troubleshooting
Onions burn or brown too quickly instead of melting into a soft jam
Cause: Heat was too high during the caramelization process, or the skillet was too thin to distribute heat evenly
Fix: Add a splash of water to instantly cool the pan, lower the heat completely, and gently scrape up any lightly browned bits. Pick out and discard any blackened pieces
Prevention: Keep the heat very low and stir frequently. The process should take at least 40 minutes to gently coax out the natural sugars
Dough shrinks back continuously when trying to roll it out
Cause: The gluten in the bread flour has not relaxed enough
Fix: Cover the dough loosely with a damp towel and let it rest on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes to relax the gluten, then try stretching again
Prevention: Allow the dough a full proofing time
Cultural Context
Pissaladiere originates from Nice in the South of France, a region heavily influenced by neighboring Italian and wider Mediterranean culinary traditions. The dish takes its name from pissalat, a pungent historical condiment made from pureed salted anchovies and sardines conventionally spread on the dough before adding onions. Today, whole anchovy fillets are more commonly arranged over the sweet caramelized onions to create its signature, visually striking diamond lattice pattern.
