Spanish Pizza (Catalan Coca)
19 October 2024
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Serving Size: 2-4 people
Savor the vibrant flavors of Catalonia with our Catalan Coca recipe, a Spanish take on the classic pizza. Its thin, crispy crust serves as a canvas for an explosion of Mediterranean tastes – from luscious tomatoes, aromatic garlic, and sweet onions to fresh herbs and regional olives drizzled with olive oil. Whether you prefer a vegetarian version or crave the richness of chorizo or Serrano ham, this dish offers endless possibilities, delivering the essence of Spanish cuisine right to your home. Pair it with a glass of Spanish red wine or a refreshing sangria, and let your palate revel in the authentic tastes of Spain. ¡Buen provecho!
Ingredients
For the pizza base
- 1 cup white bread flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup all purpose flour plain flour
- ¾ teaspoon fast-acting dried yeastalso called instant yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoon plain yogurt eg Greek-style
- ¾ cups water warm
For the topping
- 1 onion
- 1 red pepper
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Method:
Ahead of time
STEP 1
To make the pizza dough, put the flours, yeast, salt and sugar in a large bowl and mix together.
STEP 2
Make a slight well in the middle and add the oil, yogurt and water and carefully mix together into a dough. It will be slightly wet and sticky. Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes, stretching the dough away from you with the back of your hand, folding the stretched part over on top of the rest of the dough, turning 90 degrees then repeating. Add a little more flour as you go, if needed. After around 5 minutes it should stop feeling sticky.
STEP 3
Clean out the mixing bowl, lightly oil it then form the dough into a ball and put it in the bowl. Cover with cling film/plastic wrap and leave it to rest somewhere warm for about an hour, possibly more, until it doubles in size.
STEP 4
While the dough is rising, prepare the topping. Thinly slice the onions and peppers. Warm the oil in a medium skillet/frying pan and cook the onions, stirring regularly, over a medium heat until softening. Add the peppers then continue to cook until the onions are starting to caramelize (becoming very soft and going slightly brown but not burning). Set aside.
As ready to cook
STEP 1
When ready to make the pizzas, preheat oven to 425F/220C. Put baking sheets in the oven to allow them to pre-heat.
STEP 2
Knock back the pizza dough (prod with your fingers after turning it out of the bowl) and divide into 2 (alternatively, you can make one large pizza or more smaller). Keep the piece(s) you are not working with to one side, covered, while you work on the one pizza.
STEP 3
Roll out the pizza dough into a circle or rectangle, as you prefer, and as suits your baking sheet/tray. Roll it about as thin as you can and transfer to a piece of parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining dough.
STEP 4
Top the pizzas with the onion-pepper mixture then sprinkle over the paprika. Bake for approx 10-12 minutes until the base is lightly brown. Trim off any burnt pieces of onion and serve.
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