Ftira Maltija (Maltese Flatbread)

Malta doesn’t get nearly enough attention on food blogs, which is a shame, because its bread culture is one of the most distinct in the Mediterranean. Ftira is a ring-shaped, dimpled flatbread with a crackly crust and an open, chewy crumb, traditionally slashed and shaped by hand before baking in a wood-fired oven, and it’s the base of the island’s favorite lunch, split and stuffed with tuna, tomatoes, capers, and olive oil.

I think of it as sitting somewhere between my broa de milho (recipe on the site) and a good rustic country loaf, both are meant to be torn rather than sliced neatly, and both taste better the day they’re made, still warm, with olive oil pooling in the dimples. If you’ve had success with my pão alentejano (recipe on the site), the dough handling here will feel familiar, just shaped differently.

You don’t need a wood oven to get a respectable version at home. A very hot oven and a baking stone or heavy sheet pan get you most of the way there, and the ring shape is more forgiving than it looks.

Ftira Maltija Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes, plus 2 hours rising · Cook time: 20 minutes · Total: 2 hours 40 minutes · Servings: 1 large flatbread (8 servings) · Calories: ~210 per serving

Ingredients

• 1 cup warm water (about 110°F)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
• Coarse salt or sesame seeds, for topping (optional)

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, stir the warm water, yeast, and sugar together and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, until foamy.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour and salt together. Add the yeast mixture and olive oil and stir until a shaggy dough forms.
3. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot for about 1 1/2 hours, until doubled.
4. Punch down the dough and shape into a rough ring about 10 inches across, with a hole in the center roughly 3 inches wide (it will fill in a bit as it proofs and bakes). Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. Cover loosely and let rise again for 30 to 40 minutes, until puffy. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 475°F with a baking stone or heavy sheet pan inside, if you have one.
6. Just before baking, dimple the surface all over with your fingertips, brush generously with olive oil, and sprinkle with coarse salt or sesame seeds.
7. Slide the ftira (on its parchment) onto the hot stone or pan and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until deep golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped on the bottom.
8. Cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Split horizontally and fill, or tear and dip in olive oil.

Recipe Notes

• The traditional Maltese filling, called ftira biz-zejt, is canned tuna, tomatoes, capers, olives, and olive oil; it’s worth making once just to taste the bread the way it’s meant to be eaten.
• A baking stone or steel gives the best crust, but a heavy, well-preheated sheet pan works fine if you don’t have one.
• Don’t skip dimpling the dough before baking; those little pockets are what hold the olive oil and give ftira its texture.
• Best eaten the day it’s baked; if it goes stale, slice and toast it for bruschetta-style snacks the next day.