Strazzata — Spiced Pepper and Olive Oil Flatbread

Ingredients

• 500 g strong white bread flour
• 7 g dried instant yeast
• 300 ml warm water, approximately; adjust to a smooth, slightly tacky dough
• 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil, 6–8 tablespoons; plus extra for brushing
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 2 tbsp black peppercorns, coarsely cracked in a mortar or on the coarsest mill setting; at minimum 2 tablespoons per loaf
• Optional
• 1 tsp dried peperoncino flakes, crumbled
• 50 g Pecorino, finely grated; incorporated into the dough in the Potenza manner

Method

1. 1
   Crack the peppercorns coarsely in a mortar or on the coarsest setting of a pepper mill. The particles should be visible and irregular — this is not ground pepper. Set aside. Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and most of the warm water, holding back a small reserve. Work together until a rough dough forms.
2. 2
   Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead firmly for 8–10 minutes, adding reserved water as needed, until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky. Add the cracked pepper (and peperoncino flakes and grated Pecorino, if using) and continue kneading until the seasoning is evenly distributed throughout the mass. This is where the dish lives or dies: the pepper must be incorporated fully and in generous quantity — every torn piece should carry the pepper note. A light hand here produces a generic enriched bread, not strazzata.
3. 3
   Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a cloth, and leave to rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, approximately 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes.
4. 4
   Heat the oven to its maximum setting — 240–250 °C (conventional) or as high as a domestic oven will reach. If using a baking stone or steel, place it on the middle shelf now to heat thoroughly. Knock back the dough and shape it into a thick round of 25–30 cm diameter and 4–5 cm height on a well-oiled baking tray or parchment-lined sheet. The round should be uniform and the edges slightly domed. Leave to prove for 20 minutes, uncovered.
5. 5
   Brush the surface generously with olive oil. Place in the hot oven and bake for 25–30 minutes. The bread is done when the exterior crust is firm to the tap — it should sound hollow when knocked — and the surface is a deep golden brown. A soft crust signals under-baking; strazzata must have enough structural resistance in the crust to be torn cleanly from the loaf.
6. 6
   Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes before bringing to the table. Serve warm, whole. Tear into portions — do not cut. The interior should be soft, fragrant with olive oil and pepper, and the crumb visibly flecked with dark, coarse pepper particles.