Today I´m sharing with you my version of the classic “coca de trampó”. This is a very suitable recipe for summer, lighter than common pizza and a way to make your children eat a bunch of roasted vegetables.
Spain is not a big country compared to United States of America, but we do have something in common regarding to food: regional cuisine.
As Southern cuisine or barbecue in Texas are so distinctive and specific from that area, in Spain the same happens with food and a specific dish or style of cuisine is typical and traditional from a region and a completely unknown in the rest of the country.
So, this is what happens with “coca” or Spanish pizza or flatbread. This is one of my top 3 recipes from Mallorca and Balearic Islands. If you´ve ever visited Barcelona or Cataluña in general, you might have had this true treat and if you are planning to visit then put a slice of “coca” on your list of must-to-eat!
The toppings are quite different from the well-known Italian pizza, as tomato sauce and cheese are barely used in Spanish pizza/flatbread but don’t let this fact put you off because it is indeed a delicious snack, breakfast, appetizer, or quick takeaway lunch for a picnic.
Let´s jump into it!
RECIPE
Ingredients :
Ingredients for the dough:
- 1 +1/4 tsp active dry yeast.
- 1/2 tsp regular sugar.
- 160 ml warm water: 2/3 cups warm water.
- 250 g all purpose wheat flour: 2 cups of wheat flour.
- 1/4 tsp of sea salt.
- 1/2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil.
Ingredients for the topping: 2 big heirloom tomatoes, 1 medium size green pepper, 1 medium size Spanish onion, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1 tbsp Sherry wine vinegar, 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil.
Utensils.
- 1 medium size bowl to make the poolish (pre-ferment for the dough)*
- A bread kneading machine (in case you do not want to knead by hand)
- A rolling pin.
- An oven tray.
- A cutting board and a sharp knife to chop the veggies.
- A bowl to mix the vegetables for the topping.
Preparation:
Step 1. Making the dough.
- For the poolish or pre-ferment: mix the dry yeast, the sugar, 1 tbsp of wheat and the water in the medium size bowl. cover the bowl and let it rest in a warm enviroment for about 30 minutes or until littles bubbles show up on top of the mixture.
- mix in a large bowl: the flour, the salt, the olive oil and the poolish we made in the previous step.
- knead the dough by hand or with the help of a bread kneading machine for about 8 or 10 minutes or until you get an elastic and soft dough.
- Finally, shape a ball dough.
- let the ball dough rest in a bowl covered by a clean kitchen cloth for about 4 hours.
- dump the ball dough onto a floured surface and knead again for a couple of minutes and make a ball with the dough.
- roll the dough onto a rectangle parchment paper sheet (same size as your oven tray).
Step 2. Preparing the salad topping for the dough ( trampó)
The name of this classic topping is “trampó” and is so easy to make:
- dice the tomatoes.
- dice the pepper.
- dice the onion.
- Mix all the 3 vegetables into a bowl.
Then put the dough in an oven tray but onto a parchment paper sheet ( the same one you use to roll it) and accomodate it to the shape of the tray.
Scatter the veggies mixture on topof the dough and finish by seasoning it with: sea salt, sherry wine vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil.
Step 3. Oven and plating up.
- Preheat the oven at 200ºC / 400ºF.
- Put the tray in the oven and bake it for 25 minutes or until you see the edges with a nice golden color and the vegetables nicely cooked as well.
- Take the coca out of the oven and let it cool down before serving cut in square slices.
Chef´s tip
Poolish: It’s a type of pre-ferment that could be considered as a a version of sourdough starter, except that poolish is made with commercial yeast and it also requires much less time than a sourdough starter.
The aroma and flac¡vor that the poolish provide to the dough worth the extra work!
