Pissaladière (Southern French “Pizza”)

Instructions

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1. 1 For dough, add water and yeast to a bowl; let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in olive oil, flour, and salt, and knead until a very sticky, elastic dough is formed, about 4 minutes. Cover and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
2. 2 Punch down dough to remove the air bubbles, and transfer to a floured work surface. Form into a smooth ball of dough.
3. 3 Grease a parchment paper sheet with olive oil; and transfer dough onto the sheet; grease another parchment sheet and lay it on top of the dough. Press out dough with your hands to form a rectangle, then switch to a rolling pin and roll dough out to cover nearly the entire surface of the paper.
4. 4 Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (235 degrees C). Transfer dough with both sheets of parchment onto a sheet pan. Carefully peel off the top sheet of paper, and then use a fork to prick the dough all over.
5. 5 Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove to cool on a rack; set aside until needed.
6. 6 Transfer anchovies into a bowl and cover with 4 cups of cold water. Gently separate the fillets and let soak for 1 hour. Water may be changed halfway through to remove more salt from anchovies. Drain and pat dry on paper towels.
7. 7 For caramelized onions, add butter and olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pot, and place over medium-high heat. Add onions and salt, and toss occasionally with a spatula, until onions just begin to slump down in the pot. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
8. 8 Uncover; reduce heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are a light golden brown, about 1 hour. Add thyme, sherry vinegar, and black pepper. For a slightly more intense version, a few anchovy fillets can be added to the onions at this point. Cook, stirring, for another 10 to 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool.
9. 9 Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (235 degrees C).
10. 10 Line a baking sheet with a fresh sheet of parchment, and grease with olive oil. Place crust on the prepared sheet. For a crispier edge, brush 1-inch of the outside edge of dough with olive oil. Spread caramelized onions over crust, going nearly to the edge.
11. 11 Place half of the anchovies in diagonal rows, spaced a couple inches apart, on top of the onions, then place the other half of anchovies in diagonal rows in the other direction to form the classic pissaladiere decoration. Place an olive half inside each opening in the grid formed by anchovies.
12. 12 Bake in the preheated oven until edges of the crust are browned, and the bottom is golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to ool for about 5 minutes. Cut in squares and serve.