Makes 2 large flatbreads to serve 4 people

Ingredients

125 g (4 oz/1/2 cup) water
75 g (21/2 oz) active sourdough starter (If you don’t have an active starter, simply use 36 g (11/4 oz/generous 1/4 cup) flour, 36 g (11/4 oz/2 tbsps plus 1 tsp) water and 1/2 tsp instant yeast in its place).
195 g (7 oz/12/3 cups) strong white bread flour (or extra strong if you can get hold of it), plus extra for dusting
5 g (1/4 oz) salt
olive oil, for greasing and drizzling
400 g (14 oz) squash, peeled
5 g (1/4 oz) sage, plus extra to garnish, picked
2 rosemary sprigs, picked
1/4 tsp chilli (hot pepper) flakes
fine semolina, for dusting
100 g (31/2 oz) gorgonzola
20 g (3/4 oz) Parmesan
50 g (2 oz/3 tbsps) crème fraîche
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

The day before cooking, place the water, starter, flour and salt in the bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix on a medium speed for 10 minutes. The dough should be silky and elastic. You can knead by hand but this will take approximately 20 minutes. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and store in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, or up to 48 hours.

If you want to roast your squash in advance too, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/gas 6).

Scoop the inside of the squash out and place in a colander.

Wash off any excess flesh from the seeds and place them on a clean dish towel to dry off. Cut the squash into quarters, then into 1 cm (1/2 in) slices. Place on a baking tray (pan) and drizzle with olive oil. Season well, then add the sage and rosemary. Sprinkle over the chilli flakes. Roast for 15–25 minutes, or until the squash is soft and beginning to colour.

Allow to cool and store in a tub in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

Pat the squash seeds with the dish towel to make sure they are really dry, then add to another baking tray. Drizzle with oil and season well. Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and stir well. Put back into the oven for another few minutes and repeat this process until they are fully dried out, crisp and golden. Allow to cool down before storing in an airtight container until ready to serve.

When ready to cook, place a heavy-based ovenproof pan (ideally cast-iron) over a high heat. Preheat your grill (broiler) to its highest setting.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and tip onto a surface dusted with fine semolina. Cut into two equal pieces and dust with a little flour. Dust your hands with a little flour and pull out each piece of dough to form a round that is roughly the same size as your pan. Don’t be tempted to use a rolling pin as it will knock out the air. You should find the dough stretches and presses into shape fairly easily, but if it is resisting a little simply place to one side, cover with a dish towel, and leave for 5 minutes to allow the dough to relax. The key here is not to over-handle.

When the pan is very hot, move the first piece of dough into the pan. It should start puffing up and forming bubbles. Working quickly, place half of the squash over the top. Crumble over half of the gorgonzola, finely grate half of the Parmesan over and spoon dollops of half of the crème fraîche on top. Finish with a few sage leaves, a crack of black pepper and a good drizzle of oil. Place the pan under the grill (broiler) immediately and cook for 2–3 minutes, keeping a careful eye so it doesn’t burn. Turn if colouring unevenly. Once you have some blackened blisters and the cheese has melted and is bubbling nicely, it is ready. Remove from the pan and set aside on a board.

Repeat this process with the second piece of dough (please be careful with the hot pan).

When ready to serve, cut the flatbreads in half and sprinkle with the roasted squash seeds.

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