Corsican Pizza-Baguette

Corsica is a French island located in the Mediterranean, known, among other things, for its beautiful landscapes, culture and unique cuisine. Corsica's charcuterie is particularly renowned for its fresh, artisanal products made from high-quality pork and traditional recipes, which is where France-based food writer and photographer, Guillaume Marinette (guillaume.marinette), took inspiration from for this Corsican Pizza Baguette.

One of the island’s specialties is coppa (or capicola), a cooked, smoked or dried ham made from pork neck and shoulder. It is often served in thin slices and often accompanies Corsican cheeses like brocciu (similar to ricotta) and casgiu merzu (a strong, semi-hard cheese made from goat’s milk). 

To pay homage to the island, Guillaume uses a baguette-style dough, one of France’s most famous gastronomic symbols, paired with tomme de brebis corse – an uncooked pressed Cosican cheese made from whole sheep's milk with aromas of hazelnut and herbs. 

The shape of this baguette pizza is ideal to share as a starter, or enjoy it with a light, bright salad. 



Difficulty

Servings

2 pizza baguettes

Prep Time

14 hours, 15 minutes

(not including starter prep time)
Cook Time

20 to 25 minutes

By Guillaume Marinette

Cooked Corsican pizza baguette with Corsican cheese, pancetta, coppa, rocket and herbes de Provence on a table surrounded by a plate of cheese, bowl of rocket and serving board of pancetta.

Note

For the baguette dough, you’ll need either a liquid sourdough or sourdough starter, which should be prepared in advance of cooking (read our guide on how to make and maintain a starter here). If you don't have myrtle leaves (an evergreen shrub that grows throughout the Mediterranean) you can replace them with herbes de Provence – a mix of thyme, rosemary, basil, tarragon and lavender flowers. While you can find Corsican Tomme ewe's milk cheese at some specialty stores and online, you can also sub a nice, sharp cheddar for a similar tang. For the coppa, feel free to substitute prosciutto or serrano ham, and if you can’t find Corscian pancetta, try Italian pancetta or bacon. For the size of the baguettes, a 16-inch oven works well, but if you only have a 12-inch oven, we suggest splitting the dough into 4 pieces (rather than 2).


1: In the bowl of a food processor, mix the flour and salt.

Add the liquid sourdough (or fresh sourdough) and the warm water. Mix until you obtain a homogeneous dough. 

Tip: If kneading by hand, use a wooden spoon.

2: Knead your dough for 10 to 15 minutes, until the dough becomes elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

3: Cover the dough with a clean cloth.

Let rest at room temperature for about 12 hours.

4: Once rested, divide the dough into two pieces and form them into a baguette shape.

Let rise again, covered, for 1 to 2 hours.

5: Preheat your Ooni, aiming for 350 °C (662 °F) on your baking stone.

You can check this quickly, accurately and from a safe distance with an infrared thermometer.

6: On a lightly-floured surface, make diagonal incisions on the top of the loaf with a sharp knife and sprinkle with Corsican herbs or herbes de Provence.

Transfer to a lightly-floured pizza peel. 

 Uncooked Corsican pizza baguette on a table surrounded by a plate of cheese, a bowl of myrtle and a bowl of tomato pulp.

7: When the oven has reached temperature, launch the baguette into the oven; bake for 1 to 2 minutes, then turn the flames off.

Close the door and bake for another 19 to 24 minutes, until the bread is golden brown and a hollow sound is heard when tapped.

8: Remove the bread from the oven; let cool on a rack.

9: Preheat the Ooni oven to reach 400 °C to 450 °C (752 °F to 852 °F).

10: Cut the baguette in half lengthwise.

 Cooked Corsican pizza baguette cut in half on a table surrounded by a plate of cheese, a bowl of tomato pulp, a bowl of myrtle and a serving board of pancetta.

11: Spread tomato pulp evenly over both halves of the baguette and sprinkle with myrtle leaves or herbes de Provence.

 Cooked Corsican pizza baguette cut in half with one half topped with tomato pulp and myrtle leaves on a table surrounded by a plate of cheese, a bowl of tomato pulp, a bowl of myrtle and a serving board of pancetta.

12: Arrange the slices of pancetta and the pieces of cheese evenly over each slice.

 Cooked Corsican pizza baguette cut in half and topped with tomato pulp, myrtle leaves, pancetta and Cosican cheese on a table surrounded by a plate of cheese, a bowl of tomato pulp, a bowl of myrtle and a serving board of pancetta.

13: Place on a peel, launch and cook for 1 minute in the oven.

14: Remove from the oven, add the coppa and rocket leaves.

15: Serve and enjoy!

Guillaume Marinette

France-based food writer and photographer Guillaume Marinette (guillaume.marinette) has contributed to nearly 50 cookbooks, including several bestsellers. He’s passionate about Italian cuisine and has written extensively on the subject, including over 100 recipes in "Pizzas, Brochettes, Foccacias..." published in 2022 by Artémis. 

For the baguette dough: 

  • 500 grams “00” flour
  • 10 grams fine sea salt
  • 300 grams liquid sourdough, or 100 grams sourdough starter
  • 350 millilitres warm water
  • 1 teaspoon of myrtle leaves or herbes de Provence

For the toppings:

  • 150 grams of tomato pulp or hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes 
  • 1 tablespoon of myrtle leaves or herbes de Provence
  • 300 grams of Corsican Tomme ewe's milk cheese (or a strong cheddar)
  • 8 slices Corsican pancetta
  • 6 slices Corsican coppa
  • 5 to 6 leaves rocket