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Flatbread Recipe Lets Summer Produce Shine

Warm summer weather calls for a flatbread recipe with an all-veggie topping. So fresh, so colorful, so California. Save the gooey mozzarella and marinara sauce for the cooler days to come. This flatbread recipe is all about now, when markets are filled to bursting with brightly hued produce like cherry tomatoes, golden zucchini and aromatic green herbs. Bring home a bouquet of perky veggies and start designing your flatbread topping. You can plot it out on parchment paper, move things around and make it artsy before you commit and place your design on puffy dough.

flatbread recipe

Store-bought pizza dough makes things easy, but you can use a favorite dough recipe of your own. For inspiration, peruse the aisles at your local farmers market or take a deep dive into focaccia art on Instagram (#focacciaart is a feast of ideas). Be playful with sliced peppers, make trees from broccoli florets or sliced mushrooms or plant sunflowers in a chive lawn. Summer vegetables can make your garden fantasies come true.  

A slice of warm flatbread and glass of wine make the perfect summer starter. Add a platter of salumi, a bowl of olives and a creamy goat cheese for a more robust antipasto or lunch. As summer progresses and fades into fall, give your flatbread an autumn makeover with wild mushrooms, butternut squash and kale. 

canned wine

YES WE CAN

Canned wine is taking off with consumers and it’s easy to see why. Cans are convenient and portable, with no breakable glassware required. Even better, they’re a sustainable choice. Cans are light and space efficient, so it takes less fuel to move them around. Bonus — they’re an easy, on-the-go option for summer beach days, BBQs and great for hanging poolside where glass is often not permitted. McBride Sisters Collection, the nation’s largest black-owned winery, has leaped into this niche with SHE CAN, a collection of thirst-quenching patio wines. Profits support the McBride Sisters’ SHE CAN Fund, which awards scholarships to empower women in the wine industry. And be sure to keep an eye out for other canned wine options like Cupcake Vineyard’s Sauvignon Blanc, Francis Ford Coppola Winery’s Sofia Mini Blanc de Blancs, Decoy Wine’s Premium Seltzer Sauvignon Blanc and many others.

The Pour

Which wine? Warm bread goes with everything so you’re not likely to go wrong here. Consider this an opportunity to explore a grape variety you don’t know well. Viognier is one of California’s under-the-radar stars, a white grape that produces lush, golden wines with creamy texture and aromas of apricot and peach.

Viognier-loving vintners have planted it in regions from the Sierra Foothills to the Temecula Valley, so you might pick up two bottles from different regions to compare. A Pinot Noir from Sonoma Valley, Anderson Valley orCarneros should please the red wine fans at the table.

Meet the Grapes: Explore more wine pairings.

wine pour

Summer Garden Flatbread

Release your inner artist with a garden-themed flatbread designed by you. Make a “sketch” of the topping by laying out your design on a 12-inch round of parchment paper, then transfer the components to the surface of the dough just before baking. Choose vegetables that will cook through in 20 minutes; suggestions follow. Pair with California Pinot Noir or California Viognier.

Summer Garden Flatbread

Ingredients

  • 1 pound (450 g) store-bought pizza dough 
  • 3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra virgin olive oil 
  • Sea salt

Suggested Toppings:

  • Green onions, white and pale green part only (see Note) 
  • Leeks (see Note) 
  • Sliced mushrooms 
  • Yellow or red bell pepper 
  • Red onion 
  • Cherry tomatoes, halved 
  • Zucchini, thinly sliced 
  • Black olives, pitted 
  • Herbs: parsley, tarragon, thyme, fennel fronds 

Makes one 12-inch (30-cm) flatbread

 

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 475°F (250°C). 
  • Remove refrigerated pizza dough from its packaging and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Turn to coat with oil. Cover and let come to room temperature, about 1 hour. 
  • Using 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil, coat the bottom of a 12-inch (30-cm) round cake pan or spread the oil in a 12-inch (30-cm) circle on a rimmed baking sheet. Transfer the dough to the cake pan or baking sheet and flatten it into a 12-inch (30-cm) round with oiled fingertips; it will want to spring back. Let the dough rest 15 minutes, then flatten again with oiled fingertips. 
  • Create your garden design on the dough surface. Brush vegetables and exposed dough with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into wedges with a pizza wheel or chef’s knife. Serve immediately. 
  • Note:
  • If using green onions or leeks, blanch them first in boiling salted water until just tender, then chill in ice water. Squeeze to remove excess water and pat dry. Green onions take only about 1-1-1/2 minutes in boiling water; leeks may take 5 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness. 

Recommended Pairings

California Pinot Noir or California Viognier

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