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Viška pogača
Viška pogača: Vis island bread pie filled with salted anchovies, onion and tomato
Vis, the most far-flung inhabited island of Croatia, has a fishing town, Komiža, that gave the world this pie: two thin layers of olive-oil bread dough wrapped around onions stewed until jammy with tomato, and fillets of salted anchovy or sardine. Fishermen took wedges of it to sea, and it still turns up at island festivals and in bakeries, eaten warm or at room temperature with a tomato salad. The salted fish is bought ready-cured from a good fishmonger and is baked inside the pie until piping hot. Where most people go wrong is a wet filling: the onions and tomato must cook down until thick and jammy, or the bottom crust goes soggy. Keep leftovers in the fridge and eat within 2 days. Chef's tip: soak the salted fillets in cold water for 15 minutes to take the harsh edge off the salt, and don't add any more salt to the filling.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
- 3 tbsp olive oil
For the filling
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 ¾ lb onionsabout 4, thinly sliced
- 14 oz ripe tomatoespeeled and chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp capers
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsleychopped
To finish
- 1 tbsp olive oil for brushing
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Mix the 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt in a bowl, add the 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water and 3 tbsp olive oil and knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
10 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for about 60 minutes, until doubled in size.
60 minStep 4: Add the 14 oz ripe tomatoes, 1 tbsp tomato purée and 1 tsp dried oregano and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, until thick and jammy with no free liquid. Season with the ½ tsp black pepper only, then cool.
10 minStep 5: Soak the 5 ½ oz salted anchovy or sardine fillets in cold water for 15 minutes, drain, pat dry and halve.
15 minStep 6: Heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan) and oil a 30 cm round tin. Divide the dough into two pieces, one slightly bigger. Roll the bigger one to a 32 cm round and line the tin, up the sides.
8 minStep 7: Spread the cooled onion mixture over the dough and dot evenly with the fish, 1 tbsp capers and 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley.
3 minStep 8: Roll the second piece to 30 cm, lay it on top, pinch and roll the edges to seal, prick all over with a fork and brush with the 1 tbsp olive oil for brushing.
5 minStep 9: Bake for 30–35 minutes, until deep golden and the base sounds hollow when tapped; the filling should be steaming hot when cut.
35 minStep 10: Cool on a rack for 20 minutes, then cut into wedges.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 55 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does viška pogača take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 80 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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