Ftira Għawdxija (Gozitan Potato Flatbread)

Name: Ftira Għawdxija (Gozitan Potato Flatbread)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: Dough; 500 g strong bread flour; 7 g dried yeast; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp sugar; 300 ml 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; 60 g olives pitted; 6 anchovy fillets or 1 small tin tuna drained; 1 tsp dried oregano; Olive oil for drizzling; Salt and black pepper to taste

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

Jump to recipe

Prep30 minsCook35 minsServes4DifficultyMedium

Bright, satisfying and built for real life.

This recipe brings together the generous flavours of Maltese cooking in a format that works on a busy day. Read through the method before starting and adjust seasoning to your taste.

Ingredient notes & swaps

For the difference between this bake and bread filled as a sandwich, read the ftira guide. 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.

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.

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

Recipe adapted from Maltese Recipes.

Storage

No specific storage guidance is provided in the source recipe.

Freezing

Check the recipe notes for any dish-specific freezing guidance.

Reheating

Follow current food-safety guidance and reheat cooked food thoroughly where appropriate.

Keep cooking

Watercolour illustration of Maltese roast potato wedges with onions, fennel seeds and parsley.

90 min

Maltese · Oven

Patata l-Forn (Maltese Roast Potatoes)

Maltese oven-roasted potatoes with onion, garlic, stock, fennel seed, and olive oil. Golden on top, tender underneath, and full of Sunday lunch flavour.