# Ftira Għawdxija (Gozitan Potato Flatbread)

Source: https://www.malteserecipes.com/recipes/ftira-ghawdxija/

Make traditional Gozitan ftira with a crisp, chewy base topped with potato, tomato, olives, capers, and anchovies or tuna. Serves four.

Prep time: 30 minutes (plus rising time)
Cook time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Tags: bread, gozo, maltese-classic, baked, potatoes, tuna, anchovies, traditional



## Ingredients

Measures: **1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml.** For local ingredient names and substitutions, see our [guide to Maltese ingredients abroad](/maltese-ingredients-abroad/).



- **Dough**

- 500g strong bread flour

- 7g dried yeast

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp sugar

- 300ml lukewarm water

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- **Topping**

- 2 medium potatoes, very thinly sliced

- 2 ripe tomatoes, sliced

- 1 small onion, thinly sliced

- 2 tbsp tomato paste (kunserva)

- 2 tbsp capers, rinsed

- 60g olives, pitted

- 6-8 anchovy fillets or 1 small tin tuna, drained

- 1 tsp dried oregano

- Olive oil, for drizzling

- Salt and black pepper to taste


## Instructions

1. **Make the dough**: Mix the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add the lukewarm water and olive oil, then knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth. Cover and leave to rise for 1-2 hours, until doubled.

2. **Prepare the topping**: Toss the thinly sliced potatoes with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano. Keep the tomato, onion, capers, olives, and fish ready.

3. **Shape the ftira**: Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan 200°C). Stretch the dough into a large round or oval on a lined baking tray. Spread the kunserva thinly over the surface, leaving a small border.

4. **Top**: Arrange the potatoes, tomatoes, onion, capers, olives, and anchovies or tuna over the dough. Drizzle generously with olive oil.

5. **Bake**: Bake for 30-35 minutes until the base is crisp, the potatoes are tender, and the edges are golden. Rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Ftira Għawdxija is a rustic Gozitan bread topped with potatoes, tomatoes, onion, olives, capers, and usually anchovies or tuna. It sits somewhere between bread, pizza, and a savoury tart, but its flavour is unmistakably Maltese and Gozitan.

## Ingredient Substitutions Outside Malta

For the difference between this bake and bread filled as a sandwich, read the [ftira guide](/ftira/).

Use bread flour for the dough and concentrated tomato paste if kunserva is unavailable. Tinned tuna and anchovy fillets are the alternatives already offered in the recipe; choose one and drain it. This is a topped Gozitan flatbread, so a filled sandwich roll sold as ftira is a different starting point.

## Serving Suggestions

- Serve warm from the oven
- Cut into wedges for sharing
- Pair with a simple green salad
- Good for picnics, lunches, and casual dinners

## Traditional Notes & Tips

- Slice the potatoes very thinly so they cook through
- Some versions are closed like a filled pie, while others are open-faced
- Anchovies give a stronger, saltier flavour; tuna makes it milder
- A generous drizzle of olive oil helps the topping bake properly
- The base should be crisp rather than soft and doughy

## Gozitan ftira and the village bakery

Gozitan ftira is part of the island's village-bakery repertoire. [Visit Gozo's bakery guide](https://visitgozo.com/experience/bakeries/) describes topped ftajjar with anchovies, cheeselets, and produce. This recipe uses a yeasted dough and a potato-and-fish topping; it represents one home-baked version, not every bakery's dough or filling.

Do not confuse it with the flattened sourdough bread tradition named in [UNESCO's 2020 ftira decision](https://ich.unesco.org/en/decisions/15.COM/8.B.39). That recognition concerns the making, sharing, and culture of the bread, not certification of this particular topped recipe.





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- [30 traditional Maltese dishes](https://www.malteserecipes.com/collections/traditional-maltese-recipes/)

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## Serve with or cook next

- [Ħobż biż-Żejt (Maltese Tomato and Tuna Sandwich)](https://www.malteserecipes.com/recipes/hobz-biz-zejt/): Use similar tomato, tuna, and caper flavours in a sandwich.

- [Ħobż Malti (Maltese Bread)](https://www.malteserecipes.com/recipes/hobz-malti/): Try a crusty Maltese loaf for your next bread-making project.

- [Qassatat tal-Inċova (Anchovy Pies)](https://www.malteserecipes.com/recipes/qassatat-tal-incova/): Explore another savoury bake with anchovies, capers, and olives.